Jaunted

Wanna head north on your next holiday? How about as far north as possible--to the place dubbed "the North Pole's nearest neighbor", Svalbard. This Norwegian archipelago has three populated islands and has guaranteed eerie all-day sunlight from April to August, and the less-enticing 24-hour darkness from October to February.

For an exotic holiday, Svalbard is high on the list. Most tours are based in Longyearbyen, on the largest island. From there you can sail through fjords and glaciers, watch polar bears and seals and even check out a ship that got stuck frozen in the ice. But if you go in winter (when obviously seeing all this is a bit tricky without night vision), you can enjoy the Polar Jazz Fest, held every January. Well, you can enjoy hearing it, just not seeing it.

Related Stories:
· Hotels in Norway [HotelChatter]
· Svalbard Tourist Information [Official Site]
· Norway Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: aliasgrace]