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Spitsbergen: Svalbard, Franz Josef, Jan Mayen, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide
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| List Price: | $21.95 |
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Product Description
This guide features:
>All the islands of the region that make up Svalbard territory, including Franz Josef Land and the tiny volcanic island of Jan Mayen
>Nature and conservation, including polar bears, Arctic foxes, reindeer, and migratory birds
>A survival guide to the Arctic with advice on getting outfitted for exploration
>Getting there and traveling around, cruise options and internal travel by skidoos and sleds
>A wide range of sports, including climbing, hiking, trekking, skiing, riding, and hunting
>A background to the climate and geology of the region
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #514622 in Books
- Published on: 2005-08-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 312 pages
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
The original wilderness encompassing the archipelago of Svalbard (commonly known as Spitsbergen) is a vast region of ice and snow where you can travel for weeks without meeting a soul. Lying as close to the North Pole as can easily be reached, its climate and wildlife are unique in Europe; this is the home of the arctic fox, the reindeer and the polar bear.
Polar-travel specialist Andreas Umbreit brings his in-depth knowledge to update the only general guide available for visitors to Spitsbergen, Jan Mayen and Franz Josef Land. With detailed sections on natural history, safety, and red tape, it is essential reading for researchers, independent visitors and those on organized tours.
*Wildlife and the environment
*Local regulations: tour permission, insurance and other red tape
*Natural hazards, safety equipment and proper preparation
*Independent travel
*Cruise routes
About the Author
Andreas Umbreit is an acknowledged expert on Spitsbergen. He is a tour operator specializing in the Arctic and Antarctica and spends several months a year on the Svalbard archipelago.
Customer Reviews
The author gives a lot of information on the islands
This fascinating Travel Guide was written by long-time Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen resident and tour operator Andreas Umbreit. The book covers the Svalbard archipelago, Jan Mayen Island, and the Russian-owned Franz Josef Land Islands, giving such important information as the geology and geography of the islands, the climate, wildlife and conservation, history, and practical information. The later covering such useful information as getting there, tours, health and safety, and so forth. As an added bonus, the book contains quite a few, breathtakingly beautiful color pictures from that Ultima Thule.
Overall, I found this to be a fascinating book. The author gives a lot of information on the islands, focusing primarily on Spitsbergen. Indeed, even Longyearbyen city is discussed, giving such useful information as accommodations, getting around, shopping, eating, and so forth.
Now, even with a place as small as Spitsbergen, it is quite likely that the author missed out on some locations. Or, perhaps, being a tour operator, he focused on those locations that he gives tours of, and knows best. But, that said, I think he did a very good job of covering a good deal of information on those islands. I really enjoyed this book, and don't hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in those northern islands.
Suitable for information only - not for a travel guide
I purchased this book as a travel guide however it is more suited for those arm-chair readers. Having just returned from this region on an Artic cruise, many of the landings on my itinerary are not covered in this book. And many of the destinations in this book are rarely visited so I would not recommend this book as a travel guide to Svalbard. You will find more useful information on the search engines.
The author devotes too many pages on technical information rather than as a practical guide. Other travelers on the cruise had the same comment about this book being impractical.
Reliable Info on Northernmost Landmasses on Earth
This book is a great source for curious minded people who wonder about those hidden Islands within 500 miles of the North Pole!
It is amazing to note that this island of Svalbard, most commonly noted as an obscure territory in the game "Risk," has such an astonishingly warm climate due to the same Mexican Gulf waters that fueled Hurricane Katrina! Its capital city is Longyearbyen and the highest temperature ever recorded here was 21.3 degrees Celsius, confirmed in this book and elsewhere. That's approximately 70 degrees farenheit and in proximity to the North Pole equal to that of Washington, DC in relation to Boston,Massachusetts. Interesting to note, eh?
I think there's multiple purposes of using this book, whether planning to camp out in this warm haven in the far north or learning what's at the top of your sphere, purchase this now!
