Trygghamna
Located in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Arctic cruises often visit the sheltered bay of Trygghamna. Literally meaning “safe harbour”, Trygghamna offers passengers the chance to get off the ship and explore the starkly beautiful landscape.
Trygghamna History
Because it represented a safe place for anchoring ships, Trygghamna became a centre for whaling ventures in the 17th century. It also had the added benefit of whales thinking it a safe harbour for them as well; they would swim into the bay and right into the whaling ships.
Today there are still remains from the whaling period to be explored. The skeletons of blubber ovens and whalers’ and hunters’ housing can still be seen and are registered as protected cultural remains.
Trygghamna Wildlife and Wilderness
Trygghamna’s cliffs are home to thousands of seabirds that come onto land during breeding season. Birdwatching enthusiasts have the chance to fix their binoculars on glaucous gulls, kittiwakes, geese, Arctic skuas, and Brünnich’s guillemots which flock to the area in the tens of thousands.
Thanks to all of those birds providing ample amounts of fertilizer Trygghamna’s grounds approaching Alkhornet (the mountain at the entrance to the bay) are a bright grassy green in contrast to the surrounding black rock. This mossy tundra is home to reindeer, Arctic foxes, and the occasional polar bear.
Trygghamna cruises
Are you in the mood to explore the remote beauty of Trygghamna? Check out our Svalbard cruises below.
