Bellsund, Svalbard
Exploring the high Arctic environment of Svalbard is a photographer’s dream. Our photo expedition is off to a good start today in the remote fjord system called Bellsund, located along the mountainous west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island.
In the morning we make our first landing below towering limestone cliffs alive with seabirds. The tundra below the cliffs is lush with wildflowers. After all, it is high summer being 78 degrees above the equator, and the sun will not set for at least another 3 weeks. Keen photographers in the group get down on their hands and knees to make close-ups of the great variety of tundra plants thriving here.
Our first option for going ashore this afternoon is scrubbed by a polar bear patrolling the beach where we hope to make our landing. This is our first bear of the trip, exciting times indeed. We all watch from the deck as the ice bear disappears into the tundra. Time to put Plan B into action.
We make an alternate landing across the fjord below high cliffs obscured by the artistic mist, which turns out to be a great choice. Once on shore we are greeted by a friendly herd of Svalbard reindeer. These diminutive cousins of the North America caribou (a subspecies, actually) are busy foraging on the lush tundra. Higher up on the slopes above, little auks laugh at us as they circle the talus slope where they make their nests. Sharp eyes spot an arctic fox and kit working the rocks for an easy meal.
We return to the National Geographic Endeavour in time for cocktails and welcome aboard introductions by the Captain. We are off to a good start indeed…
Exploring the high Arctic environment of Svalbard is a photographer’s dream. Our photo expedition is off to a good start today in the remote fjord system called Bellsund, located along the mountainous west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island.
In the morning we make our first landing below towering limestone cliffs alive with seabirds. The tundra below the cliffs is lush with wildflowers. After all, it is high summer being 78 degrees above the equator, and the sun will not set for at least another 3 weeks. Keen photographers in the group get down on their hands and knees to make close-ups of the great variety of tundra plants thriving here.
Our first option for going ashore this afternoon is scrubbed by a polar bear patrolling the beach where we hope to make our landing. This is our first bear of the trip, exciting times indeed. We all watch from the deck as the ice bear disappears into the tundra. Time to put Plan B into action.
We make an alternate landing across the fjord below high cliffs obscured by the artistic mist, which turns out to be a great choice. Once on shore we are greeted by a friendly herd of Svalbard reindeer. These diminutive cousins of the North America caribou (a subspecies, actually) are busy foraging on the lush tundra. Higher up on the slopes above, little auks laugh at us as they circle the talus slope where they make their nests. Sharp eyes spot an arctic fox and kit working the rocks for an easy meal.
We return to the National Geographic Endeavour in time for cocktails and welcome aboard introductions by the Captain. We are off to a good start indeed…
