Isfjord

The second longest fjord in Svalbard, Isfjord lies on the west side of the principal island of Spitsbergen

Region: Arctic

Destinations: Svalbard

The Arctic waterway of Isfjord

Isfjord is one of the largest fjords in the Arctic and the second longest in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Part of the fjord is included within a Norwegian national park, and several of Svalbard’s largest settlements are positioned around Isfjord: Longyearbyen, the capital of the archipelago, as well as Barentsburg and Pyramiden, the latter of which is now abandoned.

Isfjord’s discordant whaling history

In the early seventeenth century, Isfjord was a popular location for whaling ships operated by Basque, French, and Dutch whalers. These vessels, however, were eventually driven off by the English, who used Isfjord as a whaling base until the middle of the 1600s.

Related cruises

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The best opportunity to get active while spotting exotic Arctic wildlife!

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