Amsterdam Island Smeerenburg, Svalbard Norway
Norway
Frequently Asked Questions
Nowhere — there is no pier. The ship anchors offshore and passengers land by inflatable boat on a low beach of sand and gravel at the northwest tip of Svalbard, at 79 degrees north.
No. As everywhere in Svalbard, you move in a guided group led by expedition staff, some of them armed because of polar bears. The guides also set the walking route to protect the archaeological remains.
Mainly the circular bases of the blubber ovens: rings of brick bound by a hardened mix of sand and whale oil that four centuries of Arctic winters have not erased. A few foundations also show through the frozen ground. It takes imagination to repopulate the shore.
You walk slowly along the beach among the blubber-oven remains, listen to the guides tell the site's story, and watch the hauled-out walruses. The setting completes the visit: glaciers, the jagged peaks of nearby Danskøya, guillemots and Arctic terns.
Often, yes. This strip of sand is one of the most reliable walrus haul-out sites in northwest Svalbard. These several-hundred-kilo animals pile up flank to flank to sleep, sometimes for days on end. Guides set the approach distance and the group moves in tight formation.
No, and it is worth knowing before you book. The Zodiacs only launch if weather, sea state and the absence of polar bears on site allow it. An expedition programme is always an intention, never a timetable.
No, it is strictly forbidden. In Svalbard every trace of human activity predating 1946 is protected by law. Nothing is touched, moved or picked up — not even a fragment of brick.
Warm layers with a waterproof windbreaker and watertight boots. Landings are wet, with your feet in the water; most expedition lines supply or require the boots. A hat and gloves stay useful even in midsummer.
The Norwegian krone (NOK). That said, the question barely arises at Smeerenburg: there are no shops, no village and nobody to pay. The site has been uninhabited since the 1660s.
The Arctic summer, from June to mid-September, once the pack ice has retreated and expedition ships can reach northwest Svalbard. The rest of the year the site is unreachable.
