Svalbard 2025: August Update

Aug 18

There are places in this world that pull you back again and again.

Svalbard is one of those places for me.

It’s one of the northernmost places on our planet, and you truly feel like you are at the edge of the world. It is harsh landscape, where life struggles to survive, and yet somehow, it thrives. There are massive animals like walruses, small ones like Arctic foxes and tiny flowers that bloom between the rocks. You never know what you’ll come across.

This time, I had the chance to sail on the tall ship Linden with friends from The Great Expedition Company (@greatexped) and circumnavigate Spitsbergen. We spent 12 days exploring glaciers, fjords, and remote shores where time seems to slow down.

Svalbard is a wild place unlike anywhere else I’ve been. Because polar bears are the only animals that have been known to sometimes stalk humans for food, someone always has to be on watch. They are incredibly dangerous, but also curious, playful, intelligent and adaptable creatures. One day we spotted a beautiful bear walking along the dark volcanic rocks. The contrast between his white fur and the black stones was striking. There is something truly special about the animals that have made their home in the harshest of places, the white deserts of the high arctic.

One morning I saw a baby reindeer get caught up eating grasses, then suddenly realize its mother had kept walking. It sprinted to catch up, and I slowed my shutter to capture that movement. That photo ended up being one of my favorites from the trip.

Here are a few moments from this Arctic adventure.