Camping just under the North Pole - getting there and back
- Right: satellite image from central Europe to Longyearbyen Camping - next stop: North Pole. Above: Longyearbyen with the campsite right in the center of Spitsbergen. Down: Campsite and airport on the tundra of Hotellneset, Isfjord in background.
The nothernmost campingsite with own service facilities
Longyearbyen Camping is situated at 78º 15´ Nord. There is no other campingsite further north with comparable facilities anywhere else on Earth. To the very North Pole, it is just another 1300 km, mostly across the drifting ice of the Arctic Ocean. Even Thule in Greenland is further south, and the mass tourism of North Cape in Norway is for us about as far south, as some of the mediterranean mass resorts from London. Still, you may get a lot of sun hours with us in summer, too.
Getting to Longyearbyen (and back):
Longyearbyen is primarily accessible from Norway with scheduled flights from Oslo and Tromsø by SASbraathens (www.sas.no) and sometimes Norwegian (www.norwegian.no), on average twice a day during most of our season.
Furthermore, there is the possibility of taking one of the freight ships from Bodø or Tromsø in mainland Norway, if you want to avoid flying. These usually do have some passenger cabins, but run at intervals of about 14 days, only (crossing time about 2 days in each direction), and with possible occasional changes in schedule by a day or more on short notice. In addition to the high passage prices, this makes the ship option unfortunately unsuitable for most visitors by requiring too much time and flexibility.
- Aerial view: routes from airport to campsite and to Longyearbyen. If slippy, the track straight down from the airport can be risky, the longer coastal road (head direction Longyearbyen first, then at the coal harbour to the left) can be safer.
... and further to the Campingsite:
Once you have reached Longyearbyen, the northernmost regular airport of the world, with one of the scheduled flights, it is not far to us, anymore: in summer, it is about 300 m from the airport parking lot down a steep track to the shore of the fjord. There, Longyearbyen Camping is situated on the tundra, directly next to a bird lagoon, and with a panoramic view across Isfjord and Adventfjord.
Pleasantly close, especially when arriving tired on a night flight - but also for last minute departures, when it becomes hard to say farewell to this grand scenery. At the same time, the number of flights per day is low - and thereby also the noise.
Attention: Following frost or snowfall, the steep direct track down to the campsite may be dangerously slippy (no maintenance) - in this case, we recommend to take the longer access route via the coastal road (about 2.5 km).
- On the road from airport and campsite to Longyearbyen on a late summer evening.
- View from the former cablecar junction at the old road up in the slope down onto Longyearbyen.
From the campsite to Longyearbyen
Distance from the campsite to the center of Longyearbyen is about 4 km (2.5 miles). The tarmac airport road and the gravel coastal road meet a few hundred metres to the left (East) outside the picture. From there, you follow either the tarmac road along the shore towards the already visible settlement, or you turn right a few metres further, heading uphill around the old coal processing facility onto the old upper road, which is blocked for cars and provides a splendid view, reaching the settlement, too.
Either on foot, on a rental bike, using one of the airport busses (operrating only in connection with flights), or a taxi or a rental car - on the shore road possibly also by hitch-hiking. In summer and with good visibility, the shore road is reasonably safe also without gun.
