We recommend Basecamp Spitsbergen (47-7/902-4600), which owns and operates all the lodges listed below. The company also provides on-the-ground logistics informed by 16 years of experience. It coordinates activities, from snowmobiling, ice-caving and cross-country skiing to dogsledding and evening treks to see the northern lights (October to March). A stay on the Noorderlicht—frozen into the ice or, in the warmer months, sailing around Svalbard—is a one-of-a-kind way to experience the High Arctic (from $1,300, including meals). For a rugged adventure even farther north than Longyearbyen, try a four-day trip to Nordenskiöld Lodge and Glacier, includ ing dogsledding, a night at the ship in the ice and all meals and equipment (from $2,700). A night at Isfjord Radio is a must (from $1,300). In Longyearbyen, stay at Basecamp Hotel (from $160 a night) and have dinner at Huset (47-7/902-5002). Also, visit the Svalbard Museum, offering a stellar over- view of the history of whaling, fur-trapping and coal-mining on the archipelago, along with an eye-opening lesson on climate change. Fly into Longyearbyen from Oslo via SAS or Norwegian airlines.
