More than half of Spitsbergen is covered with glaciers, the ideal landscape for viewing the abundant reindeer, especially since your ship calls here during the Midnight Sun, when daylight lasts through the evening. Discovered by the Vikings in the 12th century, Spitsbergen enjoys a comparatively mild climate due to the Gulf Stream, so you should be comfortable outdoors taking in the spectacular scenery. The main town of Longyearbyen, one of the world's northernmost, was founded in 1906 to accommodate the coal mining industry.
