DAY 1 Oslo
Fly to Gardermoen airport, Oslo and self-transfer to the Comfort Hotel Runway, located just 7 minutes from the terminal. An airport shuttle service runs every 15 minutes (charge applies/pay locally). Depending on your flight arrival, you may wish to head to Oslo, just 20 minutes away by train from the airport terminal.
DAY 2 Longyearbyen
Wake up relaxed and enjoy breakfast before returning to the airport for a morning flight to Longyearbyen. The 3 hour flight over Norway only serves to remind you just how far north you are travelling.On arrival, it is a short self-transfer to Basecamp Hotel. Check-in to your family room and perhaps grab some lunch in the adjoining restaurant.At 1600 meet your guide and fellow travellers. After a programme update, you will head to the Trappers Station. This is home for 90 Alaskan huskies, who are all excitedly waiting for your arrival. The musher shows you how to harness the dogs and will help to hitch them to your wagon, after which you will head out into surrounds, driving 2 to a wagon. The landscape is vast and reflects the impact of the huge glaciers that used to cover this region. Flora flourishes in the short summer and a colourful path marks the way. Returning to the Trappers Station, there is time for a hot drink and snack, as well as an opportunity to meet any of the new puppies that will be trained for the coming seasons. Head back to Longyearbyen, marvel at your new found skills and enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure.
DAY 3 Expedition Day
After breakfast, there is time to prepare yourself for your overnight excursion and stay at the expedition camp. Accompanied by your guide and a husky, you will spend the day hiking in the surrounds of Longyearbyen. Crafted specifically for families, the guide provides a running commentary on life in the region and the history of this remote settlement. Track local wildlife, learn about the thriving summer flora and enjoy an expedition lunch, before setting up camp and a night under the midnight sun. The evening meal is cooked over a bonfire and as the children sleep, the adults (and dog) take it in turns to stay on Polar Bear guard.
DAY 4 Return to Longyearbyen
The midnight sun probably makes it a little difficult to distinguish morning from night, but once awake, help prepare breakfast, before heading back to Longyearbyen and the Basecamp Hotel. Grab lunch before meeting again early afternoon for a trip to Mine 3. Located near to Longyearbyen, this excursion recreates life as a miner. Don their clothes, sign in and enter into the mine. Hear the story of the incredibly harsh live the miners endured up until the 1960’s, when the mine closed. Return to Longyearbyen, and a final night to enjoy Spitsbergen.
DAY 5 Return to the UK
Breakfast and, depending on your return flight, you will have time to visit the Svalbard Museum or perhaps take a taxi to the Eider Duck colony on the outskirts of town, before heading back to the airport and your flight back to the UK, definitely having bagged bragging rights for what has to be one of the most adventurous family breaks.
