With the support of the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund, the talented chefs at Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel have enabled the creation of an inviting herb garden for the use and enjoyment of chefs, guests and the culinary Arctic dishes served in the restaurant.
THE GREEN ROOM
The volunteers arriving at Isfjord Radio every summer have together constructed and completed the herb garden, which is now a perfect environment for growing sprouts. Assisted by 16 LED lamps and heating mats, they will help facilitate optimal plant growth. You will get to enjoy the treasures of our green room at your next meal at Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel.
Sprouting time
Seeds and soil have travelled all the way from Nygård Hagebruk on Kvaløya in Tromsø, and the first seeds were planted on July 11th . We will initially grow several herbal plant species, such as salvie, thyme, rosemary, spinach, radish, sugar peas, bean sprouts and mustard squash. After we have finished conducting our herbal plant trial, we decide which three herbs we would like to continue growing.
When is your next gastronomic journey to the Arctic regions?
Contact us for advise or follow us in social media.
While 12 children in Longyearbyen are looking forward to starting school this autumn, the young Basecamp-huskies are eager to start their training to become an adult sled dog. In august they had their first test run in a sled team, some of them were a natural talent, while others were still very playful.
Husky news from September 2017
We are excited to announce that seven new puppies were born at Basecamp Spitsbergen. The mother is Candy and the father is Himalaya. Are you visiting us this aurora and winter season? – If so, you can look forward to meeting them in a few weeks.
Comment if you have a good idea for names, based on following criteria:
🐕 Pick a theme that can give names to all the seven puppies
🐕 It must be easy to pronounce
🐕 International meaning
After many good suggestions the puppies from Candy and Himalaya were named: Orion, Draco, Lyra, Lupus, Ursa, Mensa and Polaris. In addition Dubai and Borneo had two puppies: Rafael and Thea.
The first year of a Basecamp puppy
After 7-10 months of growing up at Basecamp Trapper’s Station the young huskies are ready to start training for their adult life. They move into their own houses amongst the adult sled dogs. Slowly adapting to their new way of living by staying longer in their house every day.
The puppies live with their husky mother for the first three – four months after they are born. When she is ready to return to her adult life, the puppies continue living together in a large cage that gives them room to play. By now they are full of energy and their days are all about exploring the surroundings. Occasionally an adult husky joins their game to keep order and teach them good manners.
When start teaching the young huskies how to be a good sled dog, we line up a team together with calm and respected adult huskies. Our husky Dakota is one of the senior huskies used for training, and here you can see her together with Rafael. He is named after our heroic guide Rafael, and our aim is for the husky to get just as experienced as his name brother.
When the puppies are comfortable in the team set up, short trips become longer. In the future these young huskies might be in your dog sledding team as you mush over the Arctic tundra.
Find your dogsled adventure: Basecamp Explorer dogsledding
Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen has once again earned the highly valued Eco-Lighthouse (Miljøfyrtårn) Certificate for the next 3 years.
winning team
Basecamp is one of 5636 companies that have this environmental criterion, which we have had since 2010. We are proud to share the news and would like to thank all staff and guests for their hard work and effort to maintain the certificate.
environmental efforts and social responsibility
Eco-Lighthouse is Norway’s best-known certification system for companies seeking to document their environmental efforts and demonstrate social responsibility. Companies awarded with Eco-Lighthouse Certificate press hard to create environmentally friendly operations and safer working environments. Each company must fill the high standards and requirements and implement all the needed environmental measurements set by the authorities in systematic and ongoing basis.
It is seldom we have drop-in guests at Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel, but this morning we had a surprise! A polar bear had found his way through the garage and into the storage room looking for food. A situation like this is rare. We are used to polar bears visiting, but usually not inside the buildings.
The meeting
The bear was first seen by our station manager Malin Stark in the early morning. The bear had entered through the garage and into the storage room. He had closed the door behind him leaving him with only a narrow window as his escape route.
“It got in through the garage door which it had completely demolished and then managed to close the door behind him when entering the drink storage… the big question is: how on earth did he manage to squeeze out of that tiny window!!!” – Malin Stark
Only a few days ago the staff at Isfjord Radio installed a new garage door, because the previous one had also been wrecked by a polar bear visiting in February.
Polar bear food
At Svalbard it does happen that polar bears break into small private cabins and supplies itself with store food. They are curious animals, and in addition to their traditional food they do not exclude a jar of jam or some chocolate. They usually leave a mess behind, which also happened this time at Isfjord Radio.
This year spring came early and seal hunting, which is its main source of food, is more challenging. It is also too early for bird eggs and the bear tries to find food wherever it can. When it finds food in one place it will usually stick around.
Where did he go?
The governor and the staff at Isfjord Radio have had a rotating bear watch to be prepared if the bear would find his way back, and he did. On Sunday evening the polar bear came back for a brief visit before Isfjord Radio staff managed to scare him off and he disappeared into the wilderness.
On Monday morning the governor on Svalbard searched the area with a helicopter and the bear could not be seen. A female bear with two cubs was sighted further south. The Basecamp staff observed her progress along the coastline and on a safe distance from the station she and her offspring got into the water and headed for Prins Karls Forland.
Only one time before have we heard about a polar breaking into a hotel. This was in Pyramiden a few years ago when the bear visited the bar. He entered and left by himself and with no harm.
This time at Isfjord Radio our guests and colleagues were at a safe distance and could watch the polar bear from the bathroom window. The bear filled up on chocolate and escaped through the small window just as the governor arrived.
“He looked to be in good health which is very nice to see!” -Malin Stark
Living in polar bear’s land
Waking up in the Arctic you just never know what the day will bring.
We choose to live and operate in the land of the Polar Bear, and it is normal to see them in the areas where we travel. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that you will see bears during your trip, but at the same time we need to be prepared at all time. They do tend to show up unexpected.
Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen’s newest hotel and adventure addition, the three-masted schooner Linden, is sailing the coast of Norway to Svalbard. SV Linden is packed with experiences for liveaboard adventures. So far, she and the crew have proven to be well equipped to handle the Arctic conditions of snow, sleet and freezing temperatures.
The 40 days of travel from Denmark to Spitsbergen is SV Linden’s maiden voyage in these icy waters. Along the way all bits and pieces have to be sorted out and put into work. Food and freight are being loaded in all ports. Danish sailors heave sails, attend to daily chores and the never-ending maintenance tasks and the young crew-men dream about wind and action while being busy preparing and painting. As SV Linden gets closer to Svalbard, she will have to navigate through some icy waters. Bands of heavy drift ice with seals and bears lay between Bjørnøya and the Isfjord.
In the galley the cook Dennis is hustling and preparing for a sustainable Spitsbergen summer. There are seeds to sow, perennials to plant and grow and produce to keep fresh in different ways. The captain lends his crew, and they make arrangements for hanging gardens in the ships’ skylights. Dennis carefully selects and cares for his produce; harvesting, freezing, drying, smoking, pickling, and fermenting.
Along the coast line of Norway, he searches for new techniques and nourishing food to harvest from local specialists. His task is to keep crops fresh and nutritious, and he is proud of each batch he stocks up. Through the summer he and the expedition leader Mette will carefully plan sustainable menus that is friendly to the ocean we sail on.
Contact our Arctic Travel Designers and let them help you book the right voyage for you. On Linden you can enjoy exclusive and sustainable expedition cruises with only a few fellow passengers. It’s just you, the Arctic and Midnight sun. If you book before May 15th you’ll get 30% off from any of our Sailing Expeditions. For individual traveller’s only.
After four months of darkness, the light is coming back, and it happens fast. From one day to the next you can experience the daylight increasing for up to two hours.
Longyearbyen majestic backyard
The month of February throws blue, purple and pink colors over the sky. It is easy to understand why artist come here for inspiration. It is like living in a piece of art and even photos cannot express how beautiful it.
As we walk up the glacier a could wind wraps itself around us. We are heading for the 849-meter high mountain, looking for sunshine and soft spots to ski down. When entering the last leg of the climb the wind turn silent as a result of very local conditions, and it feels like time is standing still.
Upcoming March and April are our high season winter months. A personal favorite amongst many is still the transition time when the light changes and gives us a rush on life with a feeling of hope and lighter days.
Reisetips is in search for the best hotel in Norway for 2018. And now you can cast your vote for the nominees.
How about Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel? We believe there is nothing more original than our remote radio station on Svalbard and if you have visited Isfjord Radio, we bet you agree with us?
You can place your vote here. Note the site is in Norwegian.
A Norwegian Newspaper Dagsavisen asks what is the Norwegian people’s favourite travel path, and they are launching the new award “People’s Travel Price”. To find the winner, Dagsavisen created a list of ten candidates that stand out from the crowd and Basecamp Explorer is one of the nominees.
The proposal describes Basecamp as a Norwegian travel company that facilitates two unique experiences in two very different places at Svalbard and in Masai Mara, Kenya. In Africa, the company has close cooperation with the Masai people to find the right ways to conserve nature and wildlife while strengthening the local community. In Svalbard, Basecamp has renovated an old radio- and trapper’s stations for unique accommodations. This summer you can join them on an eco-friendly sailing cruises, with a charming schooner. This is sustainability, high quality and world-class commitment to society!
Now, you as a traveller can for your favourite company, and it is also possible to propose your own favourites. The competition is arranged in cooperation with Reis, Travel News, the blog Reiselykke.com and FlightPark. Vote Now
Norwegian artist Terje Resell got his latest inspiration when visiting Basecamp Kenya in Masai Mara. As result his exhibition will he held in Gallery Semmingsen at Tjuvholmen, Oslo. Through the sale from the exhibition, he aims raise the sum of 200,000 nok to finance a new production centre for Basecamp Maasai Brand (BMB) jewellery project.
Welcome to opening Tuesday 12.12 at 18:00 in Galleri Semmingsen, Fru Kroghs Brygge 2, Tjuvholmen, Oslo. The exhibition is open from 12-23 December 2017. Opening hours: Wednesday 11-17, Thursday 12-20, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 12-16.
The 5 specific motives cost NOK 5.000.- per piece and can be ordered at ah@gallerisemmingsen.no. Terje Resell will also show in the exhibition some older unique motives that can be bought.
IT IS TIME TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK by Terje Resell
Several times I have travelled to countries in the third world and been inspired by the people I have met to make pictures. Pictures which have sold well and contributed towards a decent income for me as an artist. (Read rest of the story after the motives)
For instance, my wife and I travelled on an extensive journey of study to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in 1991. The purpose of this journey was to study traditional adobe architecture, but it was the people who inhabited the villages that made the most important impact on me. Particularly the women who under pretty hard conditions seemed to live their lives with an impressive beauty and dignity.
Later on a journey to Burma inspired me to make a series of children’s portraits. I called these pictures «Children from a different world» and tried to communicate the sometimes earnest faces of expression of children from the third world not always knowing what to make of us.
A recommendation from Astrid Hilde Semmingsen brought us last winter to Maasai Mara Kenya with Basecamp Explorer where Svein Wilhelmsen organized visit the village of one of Basecamps own employees. The village consisted only of the husband himself with his 4 wives and numerous children. My idea was to collect inspiration from a true village, not one set up for tourists, to make pictures which could be sold to the benefit of one of Basecamps projects. Later, the idea developed into a more extensive exhibition in collaboration with Gallery Semmingsen.
An exhibition with motives from this village as well motives from my other journeys opens on December 12th. It is our hope that we, through the sale from this exhibition, shall be able to raise the sum of 200,000 nok in order to finance a new production centre for Basecamp Masai Brand (BMB) jewellery project.
TEDx: Basecamp’s ideas worth of spreading
TEDx has a wish to change the world one talk at a time. Now Svein Wilhelmsen founder of Basecamp Explorer has joined the famous group of Bill Gates, Al Gore, and Bill Clinton at TEDx Talk to explain one of the greatest threats to the modern world. Listen to Svein as he encounters the Africa.
TEDx is a non-profit organization devoted to spreading ideas. Their agenda is to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation. It all started in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment, and design (TEDx) converged, but today TEDx talks cover almost all topics — from science to business to global issue. But they all have one thing in common – spreading ideas.
TEDx can be understood as a global community, uniting people from different cultures, where we are listening to the world’s most inspired thinkers, aiming to seek a deeper understanding of the world. The TEDx believes passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. Just like Basecamp does.