Summer Trekking in Svalbard

Day 01: Arrival in Longyearbyen

Arrival in Longyearbyen. Spend your first day absorbing the wonders of this remote area, take in the views and the splendour of the Arctic.

Accommodation at Trappers Lodge.

Day 02: Meeting at Basecamp Spitsbergen

After breakfast, meet your trekking guide at 09:00, the beginning of your expedition. A polar circle boat brings you out to the fantastic Isfjord. Upon arrival your hosts accompanied by Alaskan Huskies welcome you. Your hiking tour begins straight away. Walk along the fantastic Nordenskiöld coast and through the Linné Valley where you will get a glimpse of lake Linné and the Isfjord. Expedition lunch and warm drinks will be served in the field. At the end of your hiking day, you establish your tented camp. Dinner is served around a camp fire.

Overnight in sleeping bags in the tented camp.

Day 03: Another day in beautiful Svalbard

After breakfast its time for another day filled with arctic nature. Today you will head towards the Grønfjord and Festningen, the Fortress Rock, where you can observe fossils from dinosaurs. Enjoy lunch by the sea before continuing towards Isfjord Radio which you should reach in the afternoon. After a well deserved hot shower, a 3-course dinner is served followed by a 'celebration' drink!

Accommodation in double rooms at Isfjord Radio.

Day 04: Time to reflect

After breakfast you have time at leisure before you gather for 2-course lunch before heading back to Longyearbyen. Arrival Longyearbyen approximately 15h30. Rest of the afternoon at leisure in Longyearbyen.

Overnight at the Trappers' lodge

Day 05: Departure day

Breakfast at the hotel. Day at leisure, with departure according to your own itinerary.

Minimum 2, maximum 10 persons

Age limit: Minimum 12 year accompanied by an adult.

Note: The expedition is not recommended if you have low back pain.

You'll see...

• Svalbard – Attractions And Activities »
• Svalbard – History »
• Svalbard – Polar Bears And Other Wildlife »

Visas

For your holidays to Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine, you will not need a visa if you have a valid passport from any EU country, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan (there are more, so check with us to make sure). Please note that your passport should be valid for at least six month after the date of your return.

However, if you plan to travel to Russia, you will need a visa, which we can help organise for you.

Insurance

Travel insurance is required and also advisable. If you do not have a valid policy, please check our Insurance link on the bottom of our homepage. Our recommended partner is Essential Travel, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Language

You will be able to communicate quite well with the locals, as most people in the service industry are quite adept at speaking English. If English doesn't work, then try Russian (if you can), or German. The further you go from the major cities, the less English you will hear. However, do not let the language barrier keep you from exploring the beauty of the country side. We can always arrange English speaking guides to accompany you wherever you wish to go.

The Estonian language is similar to Finnish and is unrelated to Latvian, Lithuanian or Russian. Latvian and Lithuanian are two of the oldest languages, with roots traceable to Sanskrit. This makes them quite challenging to learn, but attempting a few words will put a smile on the local faces. Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet, so reading street signs and tube maps will be a challenge in St Petersburg .

Currency

You can get local currency from ATMs at the airport where you land or in the major cities. Be aware that your bank will charge you a service fee and exchange rate fee for the transaction, but this is likely to be less than exchanging money in the UK before you depart. Please note that in Russia exchange bureau's and banks will not except Scottish bank notes.

We suggest choosing the right credit card for spending abroad. Most credit cards will have an additional cost (about 3%) to the bank exchange rates. You can avoid it by obtaining a specialist overseas card that does not add this % and will give you good exchange rates that are better than money exchange bureau rates. 

Credit cards charge you interest rates, but some debit cards (bank account cards) could have fees that could add up to £ 1.50 every time you spend.

We recommend checking with your bank what fees/interest rates will be applied to your card when using it abroad in order to make an educated decision on what card to use.

Most restaurants and shops will take credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard, however, many places will not accept AMEX. 

Traveller's cheques are difficult to cash, so we recommend not to use them.

Airport or ferry terminals in most cases will have the worst money exchange rates, so if you must get it from the airport, pre-order money for pick-up to get a better rate.

The local currencies are (alphabetic order):

Denmark - Danish Krone
Estonia - Euro
Finland - Euro
Greenland - Danish Krone
Iceland - Icelandic Kroner
Latvia - Latvian Lat
Lithuania - Lithuanian Litas
Norway - Norwegian Kroner
Poland - Polish Zloty
Russia - Russian Ruble
Sweden - Swedish Kroner
Ukraine - Hryvnia

Mobile Phones

There are several mobile operators in each Baltic country, the Nordics ( Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland incl. Iceland and Greenland as well as Poland, Ukraine and Russia.  If you have an international connection, there shouldn't be any problems with your incoming and outgoing calls.

In case your phone doesn't work, please check in the local mobilephone shops and you can buy Calling cards etc. or ask in your hotel, they should be able to advise you too.

Internet Access

Internet access is available at Internet Cafés, which mostly are located in the central part of the city. Most hotels have internet access.

Postal Services

Stamps are available in the post offices and in most newspaper kiosks. Approximate price for a stamp to European Union countries will vary but between appx. £ 0.30 to £ 0.70. You'll see post boxes on the streets or you can ask hotel representative to send your post card, they'll gladly help you.

Emergency Numbers

Emergency telephone number for the police, ambulance services or fire department in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Poland - 112.

Greenland uses 911 and for mobile phones only 112.