Arrival to Longyearbyen

Today after arriving from the airport, you’ll be picked up and taken to your hotel.

After checking in, we recommend having a short walk in town, and maybe having a nice dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Dog sledding in Bolterdalen (4 hours)

Northern lights hunt with electric snowmobile (3 hours)

On this day, you will try two of the coolest experiences on Svalbard, where incredible views and combined with a great sense of achievement. You’ll start your day steering your own dog sled through the wilderness, then continue to your personal snowmobile adventure, looking for the northern lights.

These two experiences are on our must do list when you are visiting Svalbard in the winter.

We are sure it will be a day you won’t forget.

More information about the daily tours:

Dog sledding in Bolterdalen (4 hours)

The coolest Svalbard experience

This tour starts at the dog yard, where nearly 300 eager huskies are waiting for their next tour. Which will be the lucky ones on your team? Electro, Ginger, Duma or Briz? You will be equipped with an exposure suit, boots and mittens, before you hop in and help the guide to harness and prepare the dogs. The barking and howling can seem a bit chaotic, but suddenly, it all changes. As soon as the dogs start to run, they become completely silent. The huskies are completely focused on pulling the sled through the snow, and you can enjoy the magical landscape around you.

The guide will drive first with two guests, and the following sleds will be driven by two guests, who swap between driving and sitting in the sled. We will follow the riverbed that heads into Bolterdalen, surrounded by mighty mountains. As we approach the glacier, we will enjoy a little more up and down between the moraine formations.

Being immersed in Svalbard’s wilderness is a very special experience. The weather can be wild or wonderful, and is something that we can’t control, and we may adjust the tour to suit the conditions. We may drive through deep snow, or slippery ice, but it doesn’t make much difference to the dogs, who love to be out on tour, and the experienced guides who will tell you all about the polar dogs and their lives, whether it is minus degrees or plus two!

Svalbard reindeer are often seen on this tour, and sometimes even Svalbard grouse or polar foxes. At the moraine we will turn our sleds back towards the dog yard. Once back you will be invited in for something warm to drink and a biscuit or two, before returning to Longyearbyen.

Dog sledding in the polar night

Between November and January, it is polar night in Svalbard. This means that the sun is always 6 degrees below the horizon, and it is dark 24/7. The polar night is an especially atmospheric time of the year, and dog sledding under the star-filled skies with dancing northern lights or glittering moonlight is an experience you should not miss. The tour heads into Bolterdalen, and once we are completely under the polar night, we can turn off our headlamps. If the skies are clear, the contours of the beautiful Svalbard mountains will appear. If we look to the south, we might see it is a little lighter towards the horizon. The snow-covered landscape reflects light from the moon and stars, and if we are lucky, the northern lights. It is incredible just how much you can see of the landscape when you leave the lights of town behind you.

Dog sledding during the sunny winter

From March to May is the season we call sunny winter. After many months of darkness, the sun returns to Svalbard at the end of February and throughout the season the days become brighter and longer. In mid-April we get the midnight sun, and you can enjoy the sunlight around the clock. Driving a dog sled in this season is a magical experience. The mountains in Bolterdalen are lit up by the sun and while the dogs pull you into the valley you are surrounded by a unique and beautiful landscape in all directions.

Included

Transport to and from accommodation in Longyearbyen

Hot drinks and biscuits

Exposure suit, boots and mittens for the duration of the tour

Northern lights hunt with electric snowmobile (3 hours)

All day Aurora

Between mid-November and late January, it is polar night on Svalbard. This gives you the opportunity to see the northern lights - even in the middle of the day! The daytime Aurora is slightly weaker than what occurs at night, but with its more reddish tint it is a fascinating sight!

Northern Lights safaris with electric snowmobiles are exotic, and at the same time convenient because we are close to Longyearbyen. The journey goes in to Adventdalen, in search of northern lights. Away from the city and light pollution, chances are good to get a glimpse of it.

An easier tour

This is a perfect trip if you want to "get a taste" of scooter riding, without driving a full day. The trip is relatively short (40 km) and we drive in easy, mostly flat terrain. The electric snowmobile is easy to maneuver and comfortable to drive. In downhill slopes, the batteries will be regenerated.

The snowmobile is built with good quality components that will keep the battery in perfect temperature under harsh conditions. The absence of motor noise provides comfort and at the same time the opportunity to get closer to nature experiences and wildlife without disturbing.

So, do not only look for northern lights! Remember to look around you for animals. The Svalbard reindeer, ptarmigans and polar foxes are something we often see out on tour.

Included

Transfer from hotel/accommodation place in Longyearbyen.

Warm drinks and biscuits.

Snowmobile suit, shoes, gloves and helmet to use during the tour.

Tour leader with weapons and safety sled.

Rescue insurance.

Ice cave day: Hike and visit to an ice cave (5 hours)

Northern lights evening at Camp Barentz (3 hours)

You’ll start the day with a fun hike, and a visit to a magical world. Under the glaciers at Svalbard, you will find it. A world filled with ice. From there, you’ll continue to Camp Barentz, where you’ll have a nice dinner, drinks as you wish, and hear some unknown stories about Svalbard. After dinner you’ll go outside together with your guide and look for some northern lights. 

This day combines hiking activity with relaxation at the end of the day, which creates a perfect balance.

More information about the daily tours:

Ice cave day: Hike and visit to an ice cave (5 hours)

Under the glaciers at Svalbard you will find another world, a world filled with ice that has been made in the summertime at Svalbard by melting ice and snow through the water melting channels.

We start from the top of town in Nybyen and walk up to the glacier.  After hiking uphill for ca 2 hours and covering 350 high meters we reach the entrance to the cave. Here we will dress us with safety equipment like helmet, spikes and head light before we continue down to the cave.

Inside the cave we spend time to experience the underworld with halls, tight passages and thick layers of ice crystals.

The trip is moderately difficult, some mountain hiking and some crawling in the cave can be expected. The trip does not fit for guests with back problems, claustrophobia or poor physical shape.

In the ice cave we serve something warm to drink and biscuits, and you are welcome to bring your extra food if needed.

We recommend bringing a backpack with something to drink during the hike, extra warm clothes, extra space for gear (spikes, helmet and a headlamp) and solid hiking boots for winter conditions.

Northern lights evening at Camp Barentz (3 hours)

THE DISCOVERER OF SVALBARD

Camp Barentz boasts an amazing location at the foot of the mountain, Breinosa, right below Mine 7. One of the buildings at the camp, Barentz Hus, is a copy of the cabin that the discoverer of Svalbard, Willem Barentz, overwintered in on Novaya Zemlya in 1596. Here, far from town, you have the perfect conditions for hunting the northern lights. What’s more, at Camp Barentz we often see Svalbard reindeer, and even grouse and foxes if you are lucky. Our knowledgeable hosts are also on watch in case a polar bear should appear.

As we arrive at the cozy wooden cabins we will be met by the evening’s host. Good drinks and a delicious homemade reindeer bidos will be served, together with campfire coffee and dessert. Welcome to a real Svalbard meal!

LEARN ABOUT THE AURORA

After a delicious dinner, it is time to learn more about the green veil in the sky. We will sit around the fire, while our host shares information and photographs explaining this incredible phenomenon. If lady aurora appears, we will round off the evening by watching the display with our own eyes outside the cabin. During the polar night (from mid-November to late January), the northern lights can appear at any time of day - a spectacular experience, unique to the polar regions.

Departure from Longyearbyen

Every good thing must come to an end, but we hope it is not your last time visiting Svalbard. Today, you’ll be picked up from your hotel to the airport and start your journey back home.