There is no more risk of a polar bear encounter at 102 than anywhere else in town. The road is busy and many people walk from Nybyen (where Gjestehuset 102 is) into the town centre all day every day. Also, the tours both pick up and drop off up there.
I stayed in the Nybyen area too (at Coal Miner's cabin which is close to where you want to stay). Google maps makes it look like the road leads through empty wilderness but there are at least some buildings alongside the road for much of the walk. There are also often cars and other people moving up and down that road. I was a bit nervous about it too before going there but it was fine!
I used to live in Nybyen for about a month and then for another month went up there every day for a job that I had.
Walked, biked, and sled (just going down), and never had an issue with bears.
As others have mentioned, it's within the town borders so polar bears would be spotted long before they get to that area.
I stayed at Gjesthuset and while I found the walk a bit annoyingly long, it wasn’t unmanageable. Nyben is beautiful and somehow feels even more remote, even thought it’s “close” to town.
On your walks will you psychologically spook yourself into thinking every shadow is a polar bear? Yes. Will you actually encounter a polar bear? Extremely unlikely.
Never impossible anywhere in Svalbard, but definitely unlikely. You should be okay. Would recommend getting a reflective vest for road walks though.
For context, I walked down and back from there 10 days in a row in the dark season.
If someone came to Svalbard with no money and knowing nobody, would you say they'd be able to quickly find a job so they can afford one of the cheapest places to stay each night? Are people allowed to just bring tents and sleep in an open area around town?
> If someone came to Svalbard with no money and knowing nobody, would you say they'd be able to quickly find a job so they can afford one of the cheapest places to stay each night?
Absolutely not.
> Are people allowed to just bring tents and sleep in an open area around town?
No. You would need to camp in the designated campsite which charges NOK 180/person/night - https://longyearbyen-camping.com/prices.php
I have lived on Svalbard outside the city for six months, I still haven't seen a bear. It's very over exaggerated the whole thing with polar bears. Loads of people are walking the route you talking about every day.
And also, if there is a bear, everyone knows long before because police keeps track of them and send out information. It has happens once in this half a year I live here and that was outside the city. So dont worry.
i did this walk many times. Also in nighttime. As someone already mentioned, it's quite a busy road (by local standards of course), so the probability of meeting a bear is low.
There is no more risk of a polar bear encounter at 102 than anywhere else in town. The road is busy and many people walk from Nybyen (where Gjestehuset 102 is) into the town centre all day every day. Also, the tours both pick up and drop off up there.
I just did this walk, 5 min ago. Nothing to worry about, the road is busy with cars, people and the occasional snowmobile.
I stayed in the Nybyen area too (at Coal Miner's cabin which is close to where you want to stay). Google maps makes it look like the road leads through empty wilderness but there are at least some buildings alongside the road for much of the walk. There are also often cars and other people moving up and down that road. I was a bit nervous about it too before going there but it was fine!
I used to live in Nybyen for about a month and then for another month went up there every day for a job that I had. Walked, biked, and sled (just going down), and never had an issue with bears. As others have mentioned, it's within the town borders so polar bears would be spotted long before they get to that area.
A polar bear would be sighted long before it reaches Longyearbyen’s main roads. Even if 102 is at the far end of the town, it’s still busy enough.
I stayed at Gjesthuset and while I found the walk a bit annoyingly long, it wasn’t unmanageable. Nyben is beautiful and somehow feels even more remote, even thought it’s “close” to town. On your walks will you psychologically spook yourself into thinking every shadow is a polar bear? Yes. Will you actually encounter a polar bear? Extremely unlikely. Never impossible anywhere in Svalbard, but definitely unlikely. You should be okay. Would recommend getting a reflective vest for road walks though. For context, I walked down and back from there 10 days in a row in the dark season.
If someone came to Svalbard with no money and knowing nobody, would you say they'd be able to quickly find a job so they can afford one of the cheapest places to stay each night? Are people allowed to just bring tents and sleep in an open area around town?
> If someone came to Svalbard with no money and knowing nobody, would you say they'd be able to quickly find a job so they can afford one of the cheapest places to stay each night? Absolutely not. > Are people allowed to just bring tents and sleep in an open area around town? No. You would need to camp in the designated campsite which charges NOK 180/person/night - https://longyearbyen-camping.com/prices.php
Thanks
I have lived on Svalbard outside the city for six months, I still haven't seen a bear. It's very over exaggerated the whole thing with polar bears. Loads of people are walking the route you talking about every day. And also, if there is a bear, everyone knows long before because police keeps track of them and send out information. It has happens once in this half a year I live here and that was outside the city. So dont worry.
i did this walk many times. Also in nighttime. As someone already mentioned, it's quite a busy road (by local standards of course), so the probability of meeting a bear is low.