Walrus, Borebukta

Svalbard Day 11

One of 30 walruses that we saw today at Borebukta. It was so hard to choose a blip as I took so many but in the end I picked this one because we spent so much time watching him get out of the water and waddle along the beach. More in the extras.

It didn’t start off too well as we were meant to head out in the boat for two hours to see a herd of around 100 walsruses but within 30 minutes the wind got stronger, the waves became huge and the boat driver decided, thankfully, that we should head for a different place. Luckily, when we arrived there were around 30 walruses on a spit of sand/pebbles. They are not always there so we were delighted. The driver anchored the boat and then took us three at a time in a smaller dinghy to the beach. After the usual Polar Bear checks, and once the other 7 people arrived, we were able to approach the herd and sit on the beach and watch them for an hour. We were downwind of them so the smell was quite strong intitally but then it either disappeared or we got used to it. On either side of us walruses played in the water and were more fun to watch than those on land. What a fantastic experience!

We returned to the boat for lunch then sailed closer to the glacier for a glass of champagne. A fitting last full day for us. Back at Longyearbyen, we had a cafe stop for coffee and cake before making our way back to the hostel.

It’s been fun staying at the hostel as we’ve met so many different people and, as it’s a shared kitchen for our evening meal, got to chat to them a lot. Some of the guides also live here so it’s a great community.

Thanks once again to everyone for all your comments, stars and hearts over the last ten days. I will try to catch up when we arrive home.