Svalbard is a group of islands in the arctic under control of the Norwegian government.
The largest island, Spitsbergen, is less than 600 miles from the North Pole and 60%
of Svalbard is permanent glacier. Warmed slightly by the Gulf Stream, its main
town, Longyearbyen, remains ice free most of the year. Our goal here is to
see the polar bear and walrus in their natural environment.

Bear Island is part of the Svalbard archipelago but is located closer to the Norwegian
mainland than Spitsbergen and is home to thousands of sea birds.

This trip was organized by National Geographic in conjunction with Lindblad Expeditions.