Polar bears and midnight sun

The two most northerly hostels in the world, on Svalbard and the North Cape, entice visitors with attractions which are appreciated worldwide. Seeing Polar bears and the midnight sun are intensely exotic experiences.

Meeting a polar bear
Polar bears roam widely and can be encountered anywhere on Svalbard, even though they spend most of their life on the sea ice. It is strictly forbidden to attract the bears’ attention. Not only because they are potentially extremely dangerous, but also because they are at risk themselves. People should not allow a bear to come closer than 40-50 metres before frightening it off with either a signalling pistol or an air horn. Anyone moving around in areas frequented by Polar bears must be armed.

Meeting people
Despite Polar bears being in the majority on Svalbard - and the chances of meeting one or more of them is always there - it is the meetings between people which often create the deepest impressions in those who visit these hostels here, as it does at other hostels. One meets pleasant, informal people from all over the world, with the mutual desire to have an enjoyable journey filled with memorable
experiences. This is the concept behind the hostels: Their purpose is to create adventures and contact between people, as well as an understanding of their own and other cultures and environments.

24-hour Midnight sun
Summer on Svalbard is very special. The midnight sun shines high in the sky all day and night and there is hectic activity in the bird colonies. The Polar fox slinks around, hunting for birds’
eggs while the reindeer make the most of this time to fatten themselves up before the onset of the next winter. Flowers make a kaleidoscope of colour, and the combination of sea, mountains and sky
makes fantastic contrasting pictures in one of the world’s largest regions of untouched natural beauty.

North Cape - Europe’s most northerly point Nordkapp Hostel in Honningsvåg is open all year. Here you can experience the midnight sun and 24- hour darkness, the Northern Lights and winter storms. 35 kilometres to the North lies the North Cape, the most northerly point in Europe, where the majestic Nordkappklippen rears 308 metres vertically up out of the Barents sea.

A world-class attraction
The North Cape has always been an important landmark for shipping and an attraction for people from all over the world. Make your journey to the North Cape complete with a visit to one or more of the nearby typical fishing villages, get salt in your hair on a real seagoing trip, make a birdwatching safari or perhaps visit the absolutely most northerly point: Knivskjelodden. Maybe you would like to try your luck at fishing in the open sea around the North Cape? These waters are among the best fishing grounds in the world and here there is a real chance for the catch of a lifetime!

Norske Vandrerhjem - Hostelling International Norway
PB 53 Grefsen
NO-0409 Oslo
Tel.: (47) 23 12 45 10
Fax.: (47) 23 12 45 19
E-mail: info@hihostels.no
www.hihostels.no