I shot this virtual tour of the Campsite Longyearbyen on a golden late summer day in August 2014. It was a great summer in Spitsbergen anyway, compared to the rainy summer of 2013. The campsite had a good season with about 2800 overnight stays, even almost over capacity in peak season. So if you want to stay there it is good to know that you have to bring your own tent, sleeping bag and insulation blanket. If you want to rent any of this, then you have to get in touch with the Campsite Longyearbyen well in advance. The day before your arrival does not qualify as “well in advance”, then they may or may not have equipment for you. And if they don’t, then you don’t have a place to sleep, as simple as that. Not great …
Also in 2014, there were Belugas (white whales) several times near the shore next to the campsite, not to mention regular visits of reindeer, arctic foxes, a range of bird species including King eiders and so on and so forth …
The camping site is at Hotellneset, close to Longyearbyen airport and next to the shore with a great view of outer and central parts of Isfjord. In good weather, the rugged mountains and wide glaciers on the northern side of Isfjord seem no more than a stone throw away, although it is almost 40 kilometres to Borebreen, the nearest glacier in view. Every summer, herds of Belugas are seen near the shore several times.
The tents are situated on a tundra plain on elevated beach ridges. It can be quite wet in the early summer, after the snow melting time. Not far from the camp site, Arctic terns are breeding on the tundra and between the coastal lagoons. Reindeer and polar fox are regular visitors.
In high season, from late June into August, the camp site can be a busy place. It is the cheapest accommodation in Longyearbyen, and definitely closest to nature.
Inside the service building, it can be quity lively when many are here for a meal. Almost everybody is either planning an exciting trip or just coming back from the field. This is the place to exchange stories and information.
The campsite is closed during the polar night and most of the winter for obvious reasons, but a short visit during darkness can nevertheless be quite an experience …
Huts are places of longing, dreams and adventure in Spitsbergen’s beautiful landscape. Even if the modern visitor’s eye may mostly be directed towards nature, most will have an open ear every now and then for exciting survival stories about explorers and expeditions, adventurers and trappers.
These huts are silent witnesses and and every one of them tells a little part of the whole story. The little book “Svalbardhytter” and the poster that is part of the same project make these fascinating places accessible for everyone.
From remote ruins, just traces in a few cases, to “famous” trapper huts such as Fredheim in Tempelfjord and Bjørneborg on Halvmåneøya, the war weather station Haudegen, the former scientific base Würzburger Hütte on Barentsøya and Hammerfesthuset, Svalbard’s oldest building.