Itinerary

 

Detailed Itinerary

 

Day 1

After arrival in Longyearbyen, our representative will transport you to the Radisson Hotel. Once you have unpacked you will be able to explore the town.

Radisson Hotel

 

Longyearbyen is on the Adventsfjord, an inlet where the Adventdal River meets the Isfjord or "Ice Fjord" on the western side of Spitsbergen. The town lies at a latitude of 78º N, within 600 miles of the North Pole. It has a population of 2,000 and a rich history dating back to 1194 but it is from the 17^th century that it gained importance when the Dutch, English, French and Scandinavian whalers decimated the whale population, followed by the Russians hunting for walrus and seals and in the 19^th century man's need for fuel brought in commercial coal mining which the Russians, at Barentsburg, continue to this day.

Longyearbyen lit up at Night

 

The town was named after John M. Longyear, an American businessman who began mining operations in 1906 named: Longyearbyen ("Longyear City"). Today the Norwegians have sovereignty over the islands.

 

Wilderness Evening at Villmarkssenter in the Advent Valley seen here with a backdrop of The Northern Lights

 

 

Coffee brewed over the open fire

 

You will be picked up at 7 pm and transported to a warm and cosy Lapplander Wigwam at the Svalbard Villmarkssenter to dine in surroundings of wood and open fire. On arrival you will be served with snaps then sit round a roaring fire while the host shows a slideshow illustrating Svalbard's exiting history and gives an explanation of the phenomena of the Northern Lights. Being well away from the lights of Longyearbyen you may even see them. The meal will include reindeer broth, a glass of wine, beer or a soft drink and homemade cakes followed by coffee made over the open fire.

 

Day 2

After an early breakfast you meet your guide for a short briefing before packing and leaving Longyearbyen for the dog kennels at Basecamp Trappers Station in Bolterdalen, where 90 happy Alaskan Huskies live. Your own team awaits you; once you have met the dogs allocated to you the dogs will be raring to set off, they simply love to be out on the trail and will desperately want to be picked for the safari. The guides will give a lesson in how to harness dogs and how to handle a dog sledge team, contact with the dogs, which are easy to master, are an important part of the experience.  Participants will be responsible for their own dogs, you will feed and take care of them giving you the opportunity to bond with them and build up the friendship that is essential between man and dog taking a full part in work tasks on the way.

 

 

When ready you mush into the white open landscape on an amazing journey. The dogs will most likely set a blistering pace to begin with but they soon settle into a natural running rhythm as you cross the expanses of Spitsbergen experiencing the spectacular arctic landscape, the wonderful feeling of you and your dogs being a close part of it all.

 

 

The scenery is stunning you will pass through the Adventalen Sassendalen (Sassen Valley)

 

Lunch will be in the field and after a long and great day behind the sledges you reach the edge of the Templefjorden and see the flat frozen ice filling the fjord. Very soon you will see your destination the two-masted schooner 'Noorderlicht' the Ship in the Ice, a warm and welcome haven in such a cold and harsh environment.  On arrival at the ship you take care of the dogs before the Dutch hostess gives you a warm welcome.

 

 

The ship, which has the license to sail all around the world with passengers, is used throughout the summer for natural history sailing expeditions in Spitsbergen and has been specially strengthened to enable it to withstand the pressures of being locked in the sea ice.

The elegant hull and the well-balanced rigging make her fast when sailing and a perfect venue for those who want adventure. The deckhouse and saloon below deck are spacious and comfortable for your well earned three-course dinner and welcome nights rest. Though one strict rule has to be observed, do not stray from the ship without an armed guard, polar bears may look friendly but looks are often deceiving!

The ship is registered as a post office complete with rubber stamps to frank the letters and postcards made for the world's only dog mail.  Letters are carried back to Longyearbyen by a dog team before joining the regular mail.

 

'Noorderlicht' the Ship in the Ice

 

Day 3

When you get up you will first tend and feed your dogs before enjoying your own breakfast. A new day a new set of experiences to touch your soul.  Having gained confidence in your handling of your dog and sledge and the teamwork you have built up you will be better prepared to truly enjoy the grandeur and breathtaking scenery as you explore the Tempel Fjord and its surroundings. What could be more exhilarating than mushing your own husky team with only the panting of the dogs, the beat of their paws and the hiss of the sleds runners on the crisp snow breaking the complete silence?  Depending on weather conditions you may get to the Von Post glacier with vast jagged wall of ice soaring up to 100 feet from the frozen surface of the fjord.

 

Von Post Glacier

 

 

Once again you will have lunch in the field before returning to the Ice Ship for another 3-course meal; afterwards you can sit in the licensed bar, open until midnight, to reflect on your day.

 

 

 

You may prefer to brave the cold on deck or take a walk round the ship as Spitsbergen's far northern latitude is an ideal location to see the incredible phenomena of the northern lights and the Ice Ship, so far away from any artificial light, makes a perfect setting.

 

The Northern Lights seen over Longyearbyen

 

 

 

 

The Northern Lights are associated with wintertime but they are in reality present all the year round, it's just that we can't see them when nights are light as the background sky has to be fairly dark.  In northern Norway the period they can be seen generally starts at the beginning of September and extends until the middle of April, in fact if the lights are strong enough they have been known to be visible even in a twilight sky on an August evening. The Northern lights are also known as the 'night aurora' because they occur on the night side of the Earth and usually appear in the early evening and continue late into the night, but Spitsbergen is one of the few places on earth where the rarer 'day aurora' which occurs on the day side of Earth can be observed.

After the months of darkness the light begins to return in February and the sun is now making up for its absence. Each day it rises 20 minutes earlier and sets 20 minutes later than the day before, giving the strange illusion of time itself expanding. This time is often referred to as the Blue Arctic; sitting in the silence surrounded by this special light found in no other place on the planet the magic of the Arctic will bewitch. It is often at night that polar bears can be seen strolling past the Ice Ship.

 

Day 4

Up early to take care of your dogs and make the most of the last day of dog sledging.  You will probably be more relaxed and able to enjoy this day even more with the bond of affection and the good rapport you have built up with your husky team.

 

 

 

Gliding through the silence this may be the day you are catch sight of, amongst the wild icy terrain, beautiful valleys and steep mountains, some of the elusive wildlife; arctic foxes, seals, reindeer or a polar bear.

 

 

 

Once back at the dog kennels you may find it difficult to say goodbye to your husky team who have shared and enhanced your Arctic experience and there will always be one you want to take home.

 

 

Return to the hotel and either eat there or seek out one of the many delightful restaurants in Longyearbyen.

 

Day 5

Make sure you have a substantial breakfast before the guide meets you in reception to give a briefing on using the snowmobiles and advice on suitable clothing to be worn. Today you will be heading west out of Longyearbyen to your destination Basecamp Isfjord Radio.

 

 

Driving a Snowmobile is a thrilling way to travel though at first in the blue Arctic light and featureless snow the eye often has trouble distinguishing between verticals and horizontals but it does not take long to adjust and the guides are always there to help. The frequent stops for warm drinks are very welcome and the scenery is, as ever, breathtaking.

Basecamp Isfjord Radio at Kapp Linné is situated 56 miles from Longyearbyen on the outermost part of the Isfjord on the beautiful Nordenskiöld coast framed by the majestic Svalbard Mountains and overlooking the open sea. The area surrounding the radio station has an exceptional animal life and a bird reserve where you can find nesting birds right up to the station's walls. As well as a wide variety of bird species, you may see reindeer, Arctic foxes, or hopefully a polar bear.

 

Basecamp Isfjord Radio

 

 

Now operated as a hotel the radio station was, until few years ago, an important connection for telecommunication between mainland Norway and Svalbard. Isfjord Radio used to link Spitsbergen with the rest of the world.  As a frontier weather and communications station it has a legendary status in Norway. Until the advent of fiber-optic cables it was the sole radio and telecommunications hub - the lifeline - for the otherwise isolated people of Svalbard.

In the 1930s Russia tried prolonging the season of loading coal onto ships at Barentsburg, but two Russian ships ran aground near the entrance to the Isfjord in 1932. Norway, in response to these accidents, built the world's most northerly lighthouse and the radio station at Cape Linné, right at the mouth of the fjord, in 1933.

The world's most Northerly Light House at Cape Linné

 

This will be a busy day, with many stops at interesting and historic places en route, much though depends on weather conditions.  One of the most interesting is the Russian settlement of Barentsburg the closest settlement to Longyearbyen but so very different.  The route is very exciting crossing glaciers and frozen fjords, between mountains and icebergs heading towards the inner part of Grønfjorden, with magnificent views over the western parts of Nordenskiöld land.  Barentsburg is the second largest settlement in Svalbard and has its own coal-fired power station, a hospital, museum, hotel, school, kindergarten and a culture and sports centre as well as a pig shed and greenhouses. The Russian state-owned mining company Trust Arktikugol owns and runs the mine and the community. The town is characteristically Russian; it even has a statue of Lenin and is of significant architectural interest, a stark contrast to the stunning scenery surrounding it.

Scenes from the Russian settlement of Barentsburg

 

Once you leave behind the grim stark town of Barentsburg you are back to the wonderland that is the Arctic landscape; wild and magnificent.

 

 

 

Back to Longyearbyen for the last night at the hotel and the Survivors Dinner.

 

Day 6

Depart Longyearbyen for return to UK