The Bradt guide to Svalbard (Spitsbergen) including Franz Josef Land and Jan Mayen is a
unique standalone guidebook to this evocative Arctic archipelago a place that is plunged into
darkness for four months each year and where there are 4 000 snow scooters for a population of
just 2 500. This new sixth edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and offers new
material on everything from adventure tours to accommodation environmental change to
restaurants. Also covered are the restoration of Barentsburg and the opening of Svalbard's
historic mines to visitors. Newly updated and amended this edition reflects important recent
changes in the archipelago making it the perfect guide to a quintessential bucket-list
destination. Possibly the most remote destination in the developed world Svalbard is as off
the beaten track as you can get in Europe today. A destination where there are more polar bears
than people Svalbard is the planet's most northerly settled land and the top (if not the end)
of the world. It was on and around Svalbard that most of David Attenborough' Frozen Planet was
filmed. A trip to Svalbard easily lends itself to notching up geographic superlatives (most
northerly kebab most northerly souvenir shop etc) and adventurous travellers seek out
experiences such as husky driving and hikes across the permafrost charmed by the island law
that requires everyone to carry a rifle anywhere outside of Longyearbyen a constant reminder
of Svalbard's 3 000-strong polar bear population. The main tourist period falls in Svalbard's
brief summer from June to August when it's light around the clock and not very cold. However
increasingly popular for winter sports - especially because the next few years will enjoy
unusually high Northern Lights activity - are the so-called 'light winter' months (March-May)
when there is both sunlight and snow. The winter season itself (November December-March) offers
many possibilities for outdoor adventure - and the polar night is an experience in itself.
Despite winter temperatures that can drop to over 40 below zero Svalbard's glorious mountains
majestic fjords and sprawling valleys are the perfect setting for adventurous journeys out to
the back of beyond giving visitors a unique vantage point on a unique tourist destination.
This brand-new edition of Svalbard provides all of the practical and background information
you'll need to explore this wild place turning the hostile into the hospitable. Bradt's
Svalbard is written by Roger Norum an expert in the region who writes regularly on northern
Norway for the press and who teaches Norwegian language and translation at University College
London. He is also a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds where he carries out research
on the links between tourism travel writing and environmental change in the European Arctic.
