Bird Cliffs of Spitsbergen

A boat trip to Fuglefjellet with Hurtigruten Svalbard (formerly Spitsbergen Travel)

ABOVE: An "Isfjord Safari" boatman and guide explains what we're about to see at the Fuglefjell bird cliffs.

By Durant Imboden

Seeing nature in the raw is a big reason for visiting Spitsbergen and the other islands of the Svalbard archipelago. Using the main town of Longyearbyen as your base, you can enjoy Arctic wilderness excursions via skis, dogsled, snowmobile, and--in summer--by boat or cruise ship.

Hurtigruten Svalbard (formerly Spitsbergen Travel), the area's largest expedition outfitter, offers a whole slew of trips from Longyearbyen--among them, a three-hour "Isfjord Safari" by open boat to Fuglefjellet, the cliffs where thousands of sea birds nest and breed during July and August.

A few years ago, I joined a group that was booked on the Isfjord Safari. The captioned pictures on the following pages show what we did and saw during the boat tour.

"Best of the Web"   - Forbes and The Washington Post   About Europe for Visitors Need a car, SUV, or van in Europe? If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Peugeot, Renault, or Citroën tourist lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of 21 days or longer. Minimum driver age is 18, there's no upper age limit, and rates include insurance.   Read "Short-term car leasing"