The Polar Park
Polar Park in Bardu has been a big attraction for travellers to northern Norway for years. This family-friendly zoo and polar park is home to wolves, brown bears, lynx, arctic foxes, elk, reindeer and more. A true experience of the incredible Norwegian wildlife, the unique polar park has plenty to offer visitors.

What is Polar Park?
Polar Park is an animal park in Northern Norway – in fact, it’s the world’s northernmost animal park. Since its opening in 1994, the family-friendly zoo and polar park have been dedicated to displaying animals in their natural habitat.
The wellbeing of the park’s animals is central to the running of the park. Animal welfare is of the utmost importance, and great care has also been taken to ensure that there’s a rich natural environment surrounding the animals in the wildlife park. In fact, the park has one of the world’s biggest area-per-animal ratios. The park spans 270 acres with just 12 enclosures, ensuring that the animals have plenty of space to roam around.
Many tourists come to visit Polar Park, and the park has seen plenty of international interest. In fact, Polar Park featured in “Around the World by train with Tony Robinson”, a TV series led by the well-known British author and actor Sir Anthony Robinson. The show saw him traveling the world by train, stopping off at interesting destinations to explore the culture and history of the area, with Polar Park offering a unique experience of Norwegian wildlife in natural surroundings.

Where is Polar Park?
Polar Park is beautifully situated in the Salangsdalen valley in Bardu. Bardu is located in the county of Troms, northern Norway, and is about an hour’s drive from Narvik and about 2,5 hours from Tromsø.
If you’re travelling around northern Norway or staying in Narvik or Tromsø, Polar Park is a fascinating and fun day out for the whole family. There are daily bus connections to the park from both Narvik and Tromsø, and there are also plenty of accommodations nearby – whether you’d like to camp in the summer or stay at a rural guest lodge.

What are the opening hours at Polar Park?
The opening hours at Polar Park is 10.00-15.00 every day. They also offer a free guided tour of the predatory animals. During the summer season (June 19th – August 23rd), predator guiding takes place at 1 pm every day, and the rest of the year it takes place at 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
In terms of pricing, an entry ticket for children costs 250 NOK while an adult ticket costs 315 NOK. You can buy tickets on arrival at the park or book them online in advance.
If you’re visiting this fascinating wildlife park in the wintertime, we recommend taking extra care to dress appropriately for the season with warm clothes. The climate in northern Norway is usually cold at this time of year, and you’ll often find plenty of snow in the Polar Park. No matter what time of year you visit, be sure to wear comfortable shoes that are well-suited for exploring this huge park.

When is the best time to visit Polar Park?
The Polar Park is open to visitors all year round. This unique park can be visited any time of year, but winter is an especially good time to experience this fascinating park. This is because you’ll be able to see these polar animals covered in their thick winter fur, and the animals are often more active in the wintertime since temperatures are low. However, keep in mind that the bears at the park hibernate in the winter, so if you’re hoping to see bears it’s best to avoid the winter season.
The summer is also a great time to visit the park, as more domestic animals and birds can be seen during this time of year – and there are also fantastic fishing and barbecue spots for those who want to make the most of the beautiful natural surroundings in the park.