Dog Sledding - The Svalbard Archipelago
 

 

Following in the tracks of explorers - Dog Sledding in the Svalbard Archipelago

This very exciting experience is to travel by dog sled and arrive at a stranded schooner - trapped in the ice. Mushing your own dog sled with 5 or 6 Alaskan huskies in front of you, gliding through the Arctic silence, it can hardly be described by words, but when you show the picture your friends will understand. On the first day of this trip we will travel to the boat by a route that is about 70 kilometers long. On the second day we will take the dogs with us on to the Von Post glacier, and the weather will dictate the rest of the day. On the third day we will travel via Elveneset, De Geerdalen and Helvetiadalen on our way back to Longyearbyen.

Many of our trips are suitable for novices through to experienced mushers, as the techniques are simple and are absorbed easily in a few hours.  The difference between the options is the distance covered (and amount of effort) each day - this option may be suitable for adjusting the pace, if it is set up as a private departure (4 people min).  So you do not need to experienced but it certainly helps if you are conditioned to moderate regular exercise, particularly for the more demanding (longer periods of sledding).  A rowing machine is the best way to get conditioned as you need to concentrate on arms and back, while not forgetting the legs.

Day 1 Arrival with Braathens airline at Longyearbyen at 14:00 hrs. Welcome to Svalbard.

At the airport you will be met by your Svalbardian guide who takes you to our base camp in Spitsbergen. The drive to the centre of Longyearbyen takes about 10 minutes. 

At the Spitsbergen Hotel you will check into your rooms, where the interior looks like “hunting cabins”.

The sleeping quarters are all furnished the way the hunters cabins at Svalbard used to be. With driftwood timber, Russian wetwood and homemade furniture… The authentic atmosphere gives you an opportunity to relieve stress, forget the modern society and concentrate on your emotions within. You can leave the suites and ties at home! Although the interiors look a lot like the authentic cabins, all rooms have private bathrooms and excellent beds - but there is no TV in the rooms! For those who feel the need to be updated about the world news, there is a television in the Cognac Attic. This is a small room with a glass roof and a view to the Arctic Light and the mountains surrounding us.

After placing your luggage upstairs, you’ll all gather in the Travellers Club for your afternoon tea and drinks. Your guides will welcome you with a brief informative talk about Spitsbergen, Longyearbyen and your itinerary for the next few days, as well as an introduction to the safety rules in Svalbard. (i.e.concerning the polar bear danger, gun laws, environmental regulations)

If you want, we can have some time for  leisure. Sightseeing (visit the Museum, the Gallery, etc.) or some tax-free shopping  can be recommended.

Later we enjoy a nice supper at Kroa, a nice, informal restaurant next door (in the same building), furnished in the same hunters cabin style.

Day 2  After a solid breakfast, the guides hand out thermal clothing as we prepare for our journey. We provide overalls, shoes, gloves, facial protection and goggles. An introduction / reminder of mushing skills is provided and we match the husky teams to mushers, then we set off into the beautiful valleys, where we are surrounded by steep mountains and hopefully some bright sunshine.

The excursion continues throughout the broad Advent Valley and into Sassen, we head for the beautiful Temple Fjord, where there is a ship frozen into the ice. It appears like a great adventure and it is, but the ship is awaiting us with a lovely 3 course dinner and comfortable cabins with warm showers and facilities you would not expect this far north. The night at the ship in the ice is special, and this is like coming to a different world. This experience will give you visions of what it would have been like to be heading for the North Pole on the beginning of the 19th century.  

After a nice supper, the guides give a talk about Spitsbergen or maybe take you for a walk on the ice. The bar is open until midnight.

Day 3  After breakfast we leave for the civilisation of Spitsbergen. But first we spend the entire day crossing beautiful glaciers, valleys and plains. We also go down into the bottom of the Tempel Fjord to gaze at the amazing front of the Tuna / Von Post-glacier.

Depending on the weather conditions, the guide chooses the adventure for the day. If everybody is up to it, and the conditions are right, we might head for the east coast where we find the most barren and uninviting landscape on Svalbard. And we might even have a glimpse of a polar bear - the King of Arctic.

Returning to Longyearbyen and our base camp in the afternoon, we enjoy a warm shower and next on the agenda is a hot “welcome back” drink. Maybe even a hot sauna with cold drinks could be a good idea? Anyway, you can now change out of your expedition clothing and recall the last few days.

Later this night we suggest you try the Arctic 4-course meal at the famous restaurant in Huset that also has an extensive wine cellar - the world's northernmost of the kind, containing approximately 25,000 bottles.  

Day 4  Today you can help harness the dogs for a trip to the ice-cave. On this trip 2 people share each dog-team. The ice-cave is made by melting water, that during summertime carves its way through the interior of the glaciers. The result of Mother Natures work is a creation of beautiful ice formations. These in combination with frozen crystals of snow and total silence make the atmosphere quite magical.  We’ll have a simple, but warm lunch inside the ice-cave.

Returning to our base camp, you might have some spare time before dinner.  This night we take you for dinner at the Kroa restaurant next door so the way to bed will not be to long.

Day 5  Departure:  As we do not yet know which flight you are leaving with, we do not make final plans for the last day, but probably you want to spend the day to see more of Longyearbyen and to do some shopping. You will probably have time for a lunch before returning to the airport and your flight home.

Dates: To suit your group

Minimum 2 people.

Price Indication per person - to include Tuesday to Thursday - 2007/2008: GBP1265 / USD2507 / NOK14950

Price Indication per person - to include Friday to Sunday - 2007/2008: GBP1417 / USD2807 / NOK16750 

The exact cost is dependent upon the type of room required (single, double, triple or a suite for 4 are available) and the departure date - March, April and May are high season and also weekend rates are higher.   email for availability and prices

The base currency is the Norwegian Kroner, please obtain an up to date quote in the currency you intend paying in.

Extras:

Sightseeing on day 1 - GBP40 / USD77 / NOK490 pp

What is Included
Shared rooms, all meals in the field and in the towns, group / common field equipment as well as necessary security equipment and additional thermal clothing and all transportation in Svalbard as described above.

What is NOT Included
International and internal flights. Visa fees (if required). Travel Insurance. Tips and all personal expenditure.

Getting There
Your Arctic Adventure is only one day's journey away, if you live in Europe. Svalbard has an airport at Lonbyearbyen (airport code = LYR) which is accessed via Oslo and Tromso on SAS and maybe Norwegian Air.

Visas
A visa is not currently required for UK passport-holders to access Norway.

Travel Insurance

Comprehensive personal insurance, including search and rescue is required on this trip. For UK clients we recommend the policies of the British Mountaineering Council, for their expertise in evacuation from remote areas worldwide. Details at www.thebmc.co.uk  As Insurance is always provided by a company based in your home country, we are unable to suggest suitable insurance companies unless you reside in the UK.