DAY 1 Oslo
Fly to Oslo Gardermoen airport and overnight at the Comfort Hotel Runway. Depending on your arrival, you may have time to take the train into the capital and explore further. The hotel operates a shuttle transfer from the airport (charge – pay locally).
DAY 2 Longyearbyen
Return to the airport for your flight to Longyearbyen – the world’s northernmost commercial airport. On arrival self-transfer to the Basecamp Hotel. This cosy trapper’s style lodge in the heart of the town will make you feel instantly at home. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Familiarise yourself with your surroundings and perhaps pop into the Svalbard Museum. This will give a fascinating insight to the history of the region and the spectacular endeavours of previous visitors and residents alike. Alternatively we could arrange an evening excursion that will ease you into the surrounds.
DAY 3 Snowmobile adventure to Nordenskiöld
Enjoy breakfast before meeting your guide and fellow snowmobiler’s in the reception and receive a briefing about the programme for the next few days. The guide will pick the best route based on the weather and snow conditions of the day. It is then on to the snowmobile driving briefing and instruction, before heading off. Driving in pairs (with ample opportunity to swop), the drive takes you through the vast wilderness and unspoiled nature that is Spitsbergen. An expedition lunch is served en route, before crossing the frozen Tempelfjorden towards the mighty Temple Mountain. Heading further north, you’ll see the glaciers in Olav V land, before arriving at the Nordenskiöld Lodge. Dinner will be prepared as you take time to appreciate your remote location and stunning scenery. A watch is kept at all times for any passing polar bear and, depending on the time of travel, you could see the northern lights or the midnight sun!
DAY 4 Pyramiden
Breakfast eaten, it’s time to get back onto the snowmobile and explore further. The drive takes you over glaciers, mountains and frozen fjords, miles from civilization in a landscape of white and blue. If the weather and ice conditions are favourable, you will head out to the abandoned Russian mining town of Pyramiden. This ghost town offers a snapshot of a former life, as the population left everything on evacuation in 1998. An expedition lunch is served on the way and on returning to Nordenskiöld Lodge, the sauna will be fired up and a tasty dinner prepared.
DAY 5 Longyearbyen
After breakfast, it is time to check-out of your cabin and return to the relative metropolis that is Longyearbyen. The route back will depend on the prevailing weather and snow conditions, but you can be assured that every minute possible will be spent this this incredible landscape. A last lunch will be served en route as you soak up the silence and peruse the horizon for signs of Arctic wildlife.
Returning to Longyearbyen, check-in once again to the Basecamp Hotel, where you have time to reflect on your adventure and the extraordinary expedition you have just completed.
DAY 6 UK
Enjoy your last morning in this Arctic outpost, before self-transfer to the airport in time for your return flight back to the UK.
Further information will be given with your final itinerary and documents, however it is worth noting the following:
You do not have to be an experienced snowmobiler to participate in this trip, however you must be in good health. You must be at least 18 and in possession of a full driver’s license and this must be presented before the tour starts. This trip is not suitable for persons suffering from back pains or if pregnant.
In Spitsbergen, weather conditions can change quickly. Heavy winds, snowstorms, thick fog, crevasses and lack of snow or ice may result in a need to make changes to the planed route. It can also mean that a different form of transport or accommodation than described may be used. Any decision to change the programme is not taken lightly, and is only taken with your comfort, health and safety in mind.
