Forlandet Island Svalbard Norway
Norway
Frequently Asked Questions
Nowhere: no pier, no road, no inhabitants. The ship anchors in the Forlandsundet strait and Zodiacs approach the shore. The landing depends on wind, swell and whoever is occupying the beach.
A point of sand and shingle on the east coast, home to one of the most reliable walrus colonies in Svalbard. Dozens of males pile up there between shellfish-feeding trips, a brown glistening mass from which rise sighs, grunts and clashing tusks.
To a regulated distance set by the guides, who lead visitors in small groups. A telephoto lens is strongly advised: you do not approach these one-tonne animals, you observe them.
Yes, the whole island and its waters have formed a national park since 1973, one of the first created in the archipelago. The purpose is precisely to protect the seabird and mammal colonies that give the place its value.
A ridge of sharp peaks, including Monacofjella at over a thousand metres, separated by glaciers descending to coastal tundra plains. The island stretches 86 kilometres off the west coast of Spitsbergen.
The waters of Forlandsundet hold the world's northernmost harbour seal population, at the absolute limit of the species' range. Brünnich's guillemots, eiders, Arctic terns and skuas frequent the shores; Svalbard reindeer graze the tundra and the arctic fox patrols the slopes.
Yes, discreet ones: the remains of hunting stations, wooden crosses, foundations of Norwegian trappers' cabins built later to catch fox. Guides point them out without touching, because in Svalbard every human trace predating 1946 is protected by law.
The English named it in honour of the future Charles I in the early 17th century, when whalers and hunters worked these waters. Norwegians call it Prins Karls Forland, or simply Forlandet.
By a precise ritual: guides go ashore first, rifles shouldered, secure the perimeter, then passengers reach the beach by Zodiac rotations. You walk as a group, speak quietly and stop when the wildlife decides to come closer.
The outing becomes a Zodiac cruise along the cliffs and glacier fronts, no less striking. There is no infrastructure on the island: everything you need comes off the ship with you, including the boots most expeditions supply.
