Forlandet National Park

Welcome, fellow traveler, to the remote and fragile environment of Forlandet National Park. You are standing right on the rugged west coast of the Svalbard archipelago, a territory located just a few hundred miles from the North…

Our expedition begins on the water, exploring the huge swaths of sea that surround Prince Carl's Foreland Island. Taking a boat trip around this section of the park makes for an absolutely unforgettable experience. …

Stepping off our landing craft, we set foot on the sweeping beaches of Forlandet National Park. These expansive stretches of shoreline are truly remarkable, stretching away into the remote distance as far as the eye can see. …

As we progress further along the sweeping beach, we arrive at a truly magnificent biological spectacle. Here, sprawled across the sands, are the northernmost populations of walruses. …

Just beyond the walrus sands, the coastline transforms into a series of sheltered, rocky inlets and flat ice flows. We have entered the domain of the stone seals. …

Prepare yourself for a dramatic shift in both scale and sound. We have arrived at the base of the towering sea cliffs that define the western edge of Prince Carl's Foreland Island. …

Having left the immediate shoreline, we now step onto the vibrant, low-lying tundra that carpets the base of the huge Alpine mountains. This is the interior terrain of Prince Carl's Foreland Island, a landscape where rolling…

We have reached the dramatic culmination of our trek: the terminal face of one of Forlandet's colossal glaciers. Stretching majestically between the towering Alpine peaks, this massive river of ancient ice spills down the rocky…

As our extraordinary journey through Forlandet National Park draws to a close, we find ourselves back near our original landing point, looking out once again over the huge swaths of the Arctic sea. The shifting weather has…