Lonely Planet's co-founder explores Norway's Arctic Circle

Travel guidebook guru Tony Wheeler takes pole position on a cool expedition around the far northern island of Svalbard.

As the co-founder of Lonely Planet guide books, Tony Wheeler is the consummate globetrotter. Max Seigal

Tony Wheeler

Aug 2, 2019 – 12.00am

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We’ve spotted a bear,” comes word from the bridge. That’s a polar bear, Ursus maritimus, the top-of-the-hypercarnivore pyramid, with meat comprising 90 per cent of their diet.

Those snow-white bears might look cute and cuddly. But make no mistake, if a seal isn’t available, a human will do nicely. We want to get close to the polar bears, but not too close.