A Trip to the Top of the World: Svalbard, August 2019

[Alexander33]

As for camera equipment, not knowing what to expect, we brought just about everything we own own (all Nikon).  This included (for 2 of us):

 

Cameras:

 

3 cropped sensor camera bodies (D7200)

1 full frame camera body (D750)

 

Lenses:

 

10-24mm DX

16-85mm DX

70-200mm f/2.8

80-400mm

200-500mm

500mm PF

1.4x teleconverter

 

The Arctic is a land of extremes, and the equipment we ended up finding most essential was no different: our longest lenses for the wildlife (J. with the 80-400, and me alternating between the 200-500 and the 500 PF with the 1.4 TC,) and our widest lens, the 10-24, for the landscapes.  We did use the 16-85 at the longer end and the 70-200, but not nearly as regularly as the others. 

 

I had purchased the 500 PF with this trip in mind, and that, with the 1.4x teleconverter (for a total of 700mm), on a crop sensor body is what I mainly used for wildlife from the ship.  However, once we were in the Zodiacs, I often found that was too long, and the 200-500 offered much needed flexibility. 

 

I had suspected that I would miss having a top-notch full-frame wide-angle lens on this trip, and I was right.  But landscape photos have always been very incidental to our focus on wildlife, and our DX wide-angle lenses have always sufficed and produced adequate results for us.  I’d say that was true in this case as well, but if ever an argument could be made for bringing a pro-level wide-angle lens, this trip would be it.

 

For what it’s worth, the most advanced photographers on the trip generally shot with professional full-frame cameras (D5, D850, 1DX) and three main lenses: 14-24 f/2.8; 70-200 f/2.8; and 400 f/2.8 (with teleconverter).

 

Our cameras are getting a little long in the tooth (in camera years), but I still found them satisfactory.  If only Nikon would go back to putting two identical card slots in their best cameras besides just the D5!  And while we’re at it, can we get some affordable cards for those slots?  I like my little back-up system of simply bringing 30 SD cards and producing a duplicate set of images in camera.

 

 

[Alexander33]

For such remote outpost, Longyearbyen has just about everything an Arctic visitor could ask for.  There are several outdoor gear stores that will readily supply you with any article of clothing you might have neglected to bring.  The grocery store there was nothing short of amazing – its wine stock blew away anything I saw in Oslo (ask me how I know….).

 

Definitely go to the Svalbard Museum before you set sail.  There are displays of artifacts dating from the days of Arctic exploration and mining, as well as exhibits of local plants and animals.  An hour or so here will help establish a good foundation for what you are about to see and experience.

 

There are several decent lodging options in Longyearbyen.  The largest and most touristy is the Radisson Blu (although the restaurant there has a nice view of the harbor).  We stayed at the Svalbard Hotell – Polfaren, which is very centrally located, close to a number of bars and restaurants (and the restaurant at the hotel itself is one of the best in town).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned earlier in the report, regardless of your lodging preferences, do spend at least one night in Longyearbyen before your expedition departure day to help mitigate the impact of a cancelled flight or missing luggage. 

 

You can fill the extra time by renting a car to search for wildlife on your own (as the two Norwegian photographers did, with great success) or hiring a guide, either privately or with a group, to take you around.  Now that I know what I know, I’d definitely do something like that on a return visit.

 

 

 

[Alexander33]

Speaking of inclement weather interrupting travel plans, a few days after our return home, we got an e-mail.  The Malmö had departed the afternoon we disembarked with another tour group (this one a whale-watching tour), and had ended up getting stuck in the ice! 

 

 

Svein advised us that this happens sometimes, and the best thing to do is wait it out for a day or so.  As the ice shifts, the ships usually can break free.  Apparently, the visitors on the tour in question were not so patient, and opted to be helicoptered off the ship back to Longyearbyen. 

 

Quite frankly, given the choice of sailing through that storm we went through or being stuck in the ice, I would’ve opted for the ice.  In any event, I think it helps to have a sense of adventure and to do your best to roll with the punches. 

 

 

[Alexander33]

A cost of the trip that I did not fully anticipate involved the purchase of multiple articles of cold-weather clothing, of which we owned very little.  I overdid it in bringing 3 pairs of waterproof pants, when I probably could just have gotten away with 1, but overall we needed and used everything we brought.  Here’s what I’d pack on a return trip at the same time of year (with brands where I think relevant):

 

2 merino wool crew-neck long-sleeved base layer upper

2 merino wool long base layer lower

1 pair Gore-tex waterproof pants (lined)

1 fleece jacket

1 medium weight down jacket

1 lightweight Gore-tex waterproof, windproof hooded jacket

1 pair waterproof, knee-high boots (Muck/Arctic Sport)

1 pair waterproof hiking boots

4 pair heavy wool socks

2 pair lightweight merino socks

1 pair waterproof photographers’ mitts with merino wool glove liners (Valerret Skadi)

1 wool cap

1 waterproof balaclava (optional – I never used; J. used constantly)

1 pair polarized sunglasses

1 waterproof 20 liter day pack (Overboard)

 

Don’t forget that you’ll have lots of downtime on the ship, so I’d also add:

 

2 pair medium weight twill pants

4 medium weight long-sleeved shirts (Filson’s Alaska Camp Shirt was perfect for me)

1 pair sneakers or other comfortable casual shoes

 

 

[Alexander33]

And that’s a wrap on our trip to Svalbard, 2019. 

 

Now, I get to sit back, relax, and just count the days until I’m reading all those upcoming Svalbard trip reports in 2020 from @janzin, @Zubbie15 and @jmharack, @pomkiwi, @kittykat23uk, and @shazdwn.  (Did I miss anyone?)

[Towlersonsafari]

Thank you for such an interesting  report. @Alexander33

[Zubbie15]

Thanks for sharing all this info @Alexander33, it’ll be extremely useful for our trip.  It looks like we’ll be buying a fair amount of clothes for this trip.  I’m sure I’ll be referring back to this report regularly over the coming months.  And the photos were truly excellent, hopefully we can come back with even a fraction of the good shots you got.  

[janzin]

Yes, ditto to what @Zubbie15 said. First of all really loved reading the report, so many fabulous photos and experiences! You've definitely increased my excitement for our trip (and I was pretty excited already And tons of useful information! Especially about the gear. Like you, when I booked I forgot to consider that we'd need to buy all this clothing! I've been stocking up already with the winter sales now as it will be much harder to buy these things in our spring.

 

I may very well be asking you some additional questions about gear etc as we get closer to our trip. And I'll be rereading this report many times. In fact I am going to share the link with my non-SafariTalk friends who will be accompanying us.

 

One question now... Very interesting that you brought both the 200-500 AND the 500PF. I hadn't considered doing that, my plan was for the 500PF and the 70-200, plus assorted TC's and a wide angle. How did you manage all that camera gear? I'm curious if you had any issues with the Oslo-Longyearbyen flights with overweight carry-ons?

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by janzin

[shazdwn]

8 hours ago, Alexander33 said:

You can fill the extra time by renting a car to search for wildlife on your own (as the two Norwegian photographers did, with great success) or hiring a guide, either privately or with a group, to take you around.  Now that I know what I know, I’d definitely do something like that on a return visit.

Thanks for your insights - the commentary about camera gear is particularly useful to me, and your photos are beautiful.  

 

We have one night in Longyearbyen at the end of our trip.  I noted that your Norwegian friends hired a car to take themselves around - however I have read that you are not allowed out of town without a gun.  Do you know if they carried one, or if there is a way to avoid this if you have a car (given that me carrying a gun would not be a good idea for anyone involved - human or bear!!), or did they take a guide/guard?  Thanks 

Edited December 9, 2019 by shazdwn

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks @Alexander33 for this enjoyable and informative report. Did you get the impression from the Norwegians that one really needs to hire a car and/or a guide to see the foxes and other wildlife or can they be seen around the town itself?

 

I have identified perhaps three additional excursions for the extra days that I'm planning to be there but I'm a bit unsure whether to book all three in advance as there's bound to be some overlap between these options and the main cruise:

 

1. 4 hr guided wildlife tour 

2. Better moments walrus boat trip

3. Pyramiden boat trip. 

 

The available dates, duration and my available time would dictate that I would not be able to do either of the cruises on the day I board ship. But I could do the guided wildlife tour on the morning of the cruise departure. 

 

I think the pyramiden tour is not available on Thursday, so that would mean doing it on the Friday that I disembark, which, given its a long trip, could be good to fill the day before the early AM departure on the Saturday, (if I decide to stay for that extra day) as I could also get a flight early Friday AM. 

 

The walrus trip could be done on either the Thursday or the Friday of disembarkation (in place of pyramiden). 

 

All three tours are quite costly. 

 

Lots to consider really.. 

 

All the best 

 

Jo 

 

[michael-ibk]

A fantastic report Peter, thanks so much for sharing. And I agree, the icy landscape shots are the most impressive ones - spectacular! And love the Polar Bears of course. From what I've read in other reports your Walrus sighting was pretty exceptional. And Kudos for ourseasicknessing the Norwegians!

[TonyQ]

An outstanding report with stunning photography throughout, wildlife and land/seascapes. Really beautiful.

[Alexander33]

17 hours ago, janzin said:

One question now... Very interesting that you brought both the 200-500 AND the 500PF. I hadn't considered doing that, my plan was for the 500PF and the 70-200, plus assorted TC's and a wide angle. How did you manage all that camera gear? I'm curious if you had any issues with the Oslo-Longyearbyen flights with overweight carry-ons?

 

@janzin

 

We didn’t have any weight issues with SAS (and I never saw anyone weighing carry-ons, anyway).  Each of us had a LowePro flipside backpack, each with two camera bodies, one with the 70-200 and 10-24 and the other with the 80-400 and 16-85, plus batteries, etc.  We put the 200-500 and 500 PF in two LowePro lens cases that slung over our shoulders, and these counted as our extra personal items.  Not having a laptop also saved on weight (but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing that).

 

On the Zodiac, where you’re a captive audience, having a zoom was critical for me, and I really would have missed the 200-500.  Almost all the shots of those two polar bear cubs that we were able to get close to were taken with that lens, many at less than 500 mm.  (I think a lot of them were in the 300-400 mm range, but I’ll check and let you know if this is incorrect).  Same with the reindeer, even though we were on land for those.

 

But it really just depends on what you’re after.  The National Geographic photographer was shooting those same polar bears with a 70-200, because he was interested in more environmental shots.  On the other hand, one of the Norwegian photographers was shooting the same thing with the 400 f/2.8 and 2x TC for extreme close-ups.

 

I wish I could help pare down the list, but we used every lens we took.  Although I used the 70-200 more sparingly than the longer lenses, when we got close to that one bearded seal, the 70-200 is exactly what I grabbed.  If I’d been traveling by myself, I couldn’t have taken it all, and I would have had some hard decisions to make.

 

Of course, you’ve got the D850, and with its high megapixel count (thus giving you more options to crop when you want), you may feel more leeway than I did to leave a lens at home.

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by Alexander33

[Alexander33]

13 hours ago, shazdwn said:

We have one night in Longyearbyen at the end of our trip.  I noted that your Norwegian friends hired a car to take themselves around - however I have read that you are not allowed out of town without a gun.  Do you know if they carried one, or if there is a way to avoid this if you have a car (given that me carrying a gun would not be a good idea for anyone involved - human or bear!!), or did they take a guide/guard?  Thanks 

 

@shazdwn

 

I’m with you; no way do I need to be handling a firearm!  Unfortunately, I don’t know if the Norwegian photographers left the “safe zone” or if they had gun.  I also don’t know if the requirement that you carry a gun when outside the safe zone applies if you are in a vehicle.  For some reason, I just assumed it only applied if you were on foot, but that could be completely wrong.

 

However, I’m betting the friendly folks at Visit Svalbard, the official tourism agency, will be much more knowledgeable than I: https://en.visitsvalbard.com.

 

[Alexander33]

8 hours ago, kittykat23uk said:

I have identified perhaps three additional excursions for the extra days that I'm planning to be there but I'm a bit unsure whether to book all three in advance as there's bound to be some overlap between these options and the main cruise:

 

1. 4 hr guided wildlife tour 

2. Better moments walrus boat trip

3. Pyramiden boat trip. 

 

 

@kittykat23uk

 

I’ve seen photos of Arctic foxes in town, but the Norwegian photographers found theirs slightly outside of town, along the main road.  They said they photographed them from the car, using the car as a photo blind.

 

Do you know if your tour operator is planning to stop at Pyramiden?  A lot of tours do.  We did on the afternoon of our return, but I only fleetingly mentioned that in my report because we didn’t see any wildlife there (besides lots of nesting gulls which have taken over abandoned apartment blocks), although we had hoped to see some Arctic foxes that reportedly live there.  I found Pyramiden mildly interesting, but, to me, it doesn’t merit two visits, so if you’re likely to stop there on your tour, you could probably rule out the independent excursion (unless you just have a pervasive fascination for Soviet era ghost towns).

 

The guided 4-hour wildlife tour appeals.  Maybe save the walrus tour at the end, and only if you are not satisfied with what you’ve seen?

 

[janzin]

Thanks for this info @Alexander33  Good to know the carry-on bags weren't weighed...that's always a concern.

 

For bodies I will have both the D850 and D500.

 

Still really up in the air about lenses but I have plenty of time to mull it over. Seems to me I could use the 70-200 2.8 with converters (I have all three, and it even works well with the 2x) instead of taking the 200-500, especially if I keep that on the D500. But its interesting that you used the 500PF mostly from the ship; and not so much from the zodiac. My thinking on the 500PF was that it would be much easier to handle in the zodiac than the 500F4, but now I'm wondering if I should bring the 500 F4 instead of the PF! It certainly would give me better performance with the TC from the ship. Now I'm more confused/indecisive than ever

 

[mtanenbaum]

Thanks for the exquisite photos! I did a trip to Churchill a while back, so I'm good with the polar bears for myself, but I loved seeing your shots since we didn't see any mothers and cubs--just lone bears. I felt like it was an existential drama--the bears wandering around, waiting for the ice to freeze--not eating, fighting, or really interacting, just wandering! You definitely had more variety in your views than we did, but it sounds like some of it was just luck....

[Zubbie15]

1 hour ago, janzin said:

I'm more confused/indecisive than ever

 

 

Agreed about this, although as a Canon item I think I'd welcome a 200-500. Maybe one of the 150-600s will be an option... I'm less enthusiastic about TCs, my pictures from Tanzania where I used one are noticeably softer (although that's probably on me, in large part). 

 

I looked into some of the clothes @Alexander33 recommends, and this trip just got much more expensive! Hopefully we like this polar trip enough to reuse the clothes on later ones. 

 

[shazdwn]

Thanks @Alexander33 - I never even considered the idea of hiring a car in Longyearbyen but it is intriguing, some more homework to be done 

[jmharack]

this report is just so great!  my semester is almost over, and then I'll be studying it carefully.  I guess I've discovered one good thing about living in WI; I already have some of these clothes.  I do want to mention before I forget that we used the patch on a small boat trip in Galapagos, and I thought it worked great -- no side effects at all,  and I survived some rough sailings.  Several people were using it on that little boat, and no one had any problems..

[Zim Girl]

Great trip report with many really lovely pictures - enjoyed it a lot!!

[kittykat23uk]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:18 PM, Alexander33 said:

 

@kittykat23uk

 

I’ve seen photos of Arctic foxes in town, but the Norwegian photographers found theirs slightly outside of town, along the main road.  They said they photographed them from the car, using the car as a photo blind.

 

Do you know if your tour operator is planning to stop at Pyramiden?  A lot of tours do.  We did on the afternoon of our return, but I only fleetingly mentioned that in my report because we didn’t see any wildlife there (besides lots of nesting gulls which have taken over abandoned apartment blocks), although we had hoped to see some Arctic foxes that reportedly live there.  I found Pyramiden mildly interesting, but, to me, it doesn’t merit two visits, so if you’re likely to stop there on your tour, you could probably rule out the independent excursion (unless you just have a pervasive fascination for Soviet era ghost towns).

 

The guided 4-hour wildlife tour appeals.  Maybe save the walrus tour at the end, and only if you are not satisfied with what you’ve seen?

 

 

Hi @Alexander33 I believe that the cruise would tend to stop at pyramiden unless there is too much ice. A lady who I travelled to Borneo with and who did the same cruise as I have booked said that they couldn't stop there because of ice.

 

Of course with both the walrus safari and the Pyramiden cruise there's also the chance for cetaceans on the way there and back. 

 

I definitely think the guided wildlife tour is something that I would do. Its a shame that they don't have an affordable full day option. 

 

 

[shazdwn]

@kittykat23uk are you able to post a link to the 4 hour wildlife excursion?  I have had a look but so far haven't come up with a half day tour that interests us (we have two half days in Longyearbyen).  

 

Thanks Sharon

[xelas]

Excellent trip report, filled with great photography and useful (for whom is set to visit those cold places) informations. A zoom lens is useful indeed, but for your next trip (Peru) leave it at home and bring 500 PF only. 

Thanks forall the hard work involved in posting a trip report of this length and quality, to both of you! 

[Sangeeta]

@Alexander33 Peter, what an amazing report - your writing is so picturesque and those photographs - 😍😍- to die for, really. I had started following along here a while ago, then got lost, but re-read the whole report in one sitting today while waiting in the lobby for our hotel room to open up. People are looking at me strangely as I whoop and sigh and laugh along 😄

@gatoratlarge and I are doing floe-edge camping in the Baffin Islands this year (mainly for narwhal & bears), so I’m keen to see how our experience will stack up against this amazing trip. I suspect, we’ll eventually agree that we must do the sailing trip, @pomkiwi’s polar bear walks as well as the ice-camping to get the full Arctic experience. At least we’ll amortize the winter gear that way 😄

Thanks again for posting this. Your animal in habitat pictures are especially beautiful.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Sangeeta