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Perhaps this trip is one of the most amazing, if not the only one of this kind and it's surely 100% Arctic adventure.
The main goal of the trip is not only to see the Arctic but also to gain absolutely new experience and try on the role of those who discovered the Arctic a hundred years ago.
You will not be alone while discovering the area! There will be well-trusted helpers as sled dogs of various breeds from totally different Arctic regions of the world: Chukotka and Taimyr sled dogs, Alaskan, Yakut, and Siberian huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds, and Greenland dogs. Harmonic, isn’t it? The snow, north sled dogs, and yourself…
The program is designed thoroughly: a training plan, exercises, equipment, security, service, and logistics. But let's have a look at it step by step.
5 Guaranteed Groups in March and April
6 days of dogsledding
2 nights in cabins
Good Physical Condition required
Available for children 12 y/o+
4 Nights in comfortable hotel
Snowmobile transfer and escort
TRAVEL DATES IN _____:
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TOUR PRICE PER PERSON:
1 person on a sledge
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2 persons on a sledge
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Extra charge for accommodation in SINGLE rooms in Barentsburg:
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THE PRICE INCLUDES:
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Accommodation and meals
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Transfer airport-Longyearbyen-airport
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Rental of sledge, relay, dogs and necessary equipment
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Rental of winter overalls, boots, gloves
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English speaking guide
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Snowmobile support
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Insurance covering research and rescue, evacuation costs in case of emergency
THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
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Flight to/from Longyearbyen
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Bar drinks or a-la carte orders beyond the tour program
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Souvenirs
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Individual travel insurance
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Additional services
ADDITIONAL SERVICES:
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Additional services
DAY 1
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Arrival in Longyearbyen by one of the day flights from Oslo or Tromsø within SAS or Norwegian airlines
The guides will meet you at the airport and then you will be transferred to Russkiy Dom (eng. Russian House, our expedition center and guesthouse).
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Tour briefing, safety and snowmobile instructions, equipment fitting and packing
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Departure by snowmobile to Barentsburg by route: Longyearbyen – Todalen – Skiferdalen – Grøndalen – Barentsburg
Snowmobiling: 75 km, 3-4 hours
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Arrival in Barentsburg, check-in, unpacking
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Lunch in the hotel restaurant Rijpsburg
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Guided tour in Barentsburg and visit to the ArtArctic Gallery
Barentsburg is the warmest place in the Arctic as you feel at home as soon as you arrive. On the tour, your guide will get you acquainted with the town stories of then and now and you will live through traditions of the locals. While in the ArtArctic Gallery, you’ll follow the history from Willem Barents to present-day and will go back to the roots of Svalbard discovery.
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Theory and practice training at the Husky Center
It's time to finally meet the dogs! You will head to our 78°NORDDOGS Husky Center to see the 78 dogs of 8 different northern sled breeds. You will hear about the specifics of each breed and get acknowledged with the history of our Husky Center, its philosophy and customs.
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Short dogsledding trip in the vicinity of Barentsburg (approx. 8 km)
During this short trip you will learn how to control the dog-sled by yourself, try to team up with the dogs, ride the sled and keep balance while turning.
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Dinner in Red Bear Pub & Brewery, tasting of local beer
To summarize the impressions of the day you’ll head to the first brewery on Svalbard – Red Bear, where you will taste locally made beer brewed on water from the glacier lake Stemme located across the fjord. You will find out what sorts are there and define which one is your favorite.
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Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg
Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard. It is the northernmost populated area with approximately 2400 inhabitants, 50 nationalities. Longyearbyen was founded in 1906 by John Longyear and named after him further on. This is a town with a particular temper that has been loved by adventurers, explorers, fans of the North and wilderness.
Barentsburg is the Russian «capital» of Svalbard. It is a town of Arctic stories written by Dutch explorers, Russian and Norwegian trappers, American and German merchants, adventurers, Soviet builders of communism and Russian miners. Barentsburg was founded in 1921 by the Dutch as a coal-mining settlement. Since 1931 it has been under the State Trust «Arcticugol» administration. The population is approximately 500 people.
DAY 2
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Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
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Today you will learn how to prepare for a dogsledding trip, you will set the dogs to sled and after that go for a more demanding and diverse round trip through the canyon in the vicinity of Barentsburg (approx. 12 km), where you will be able to solidify your skills of controling the sled.
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Upon coming back from the trip, you will feed the dogs and sort out the equipment
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A-la carte lunch in one of the restaurants
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After the the lunch you’ll have some spare time to enjoy the local activities of Barentsburg.
You may visit the Handicraft Center for the traditional Russian workshop and make an authentic souvenir with your own hands (at extra cost).
Also you will be able to enjoy the sauna of the hotel after the intense trip (at extra cost) or just rest before the dinner.
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A-la carte dinner in one of the restaurantsDinner
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Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg
DAY 3
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Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
Today you will team up the dogs and go for a day dog-sledding trip. Depending on the weather conditions and snowpack, we will choose the route either along a seashore in the direction of the Laila Cape or across Grøndalen (valley). The main goal of this day is to solidify all the basic skills of working with the dogs. The distance is from 30 to 40 km.
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Lunch (picnic) during the trip.
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Upon coming back from the trip, you will feed the dogs and sort out the equipment and then you will have dinner yourself.
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In the evening, you will get ready for a 3-day trip with overnights in cabins.
DAY 4
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Breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Packing.
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Dog-sledding trip Barentsburg - Russekeila (Starostin hut). The distance is approximately 45 km.
This will be a complex day due to the length of the route, relief and unpredictable weather conditions. But it is the real Arctic, isn’t it? Safety is the most important thing we care about so that is why there will be one more guide to guarantee security during the trip. The goal of the day is to reach Russekeila translated from Norwegian as a «Russian river». The location itself, as well as its name, are linked to the pomors’ living on Svalbard. The location is so amazing and picturesque with the Greenland Sea from the one side, mountains from the other and Linné lake in 2 km.
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Dinner cooked by the guides. Evening by the fireside with a sea view, stories, and tales.
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Overnight in the hut or tent pitched nearby so you can choose where to stay for asleep.
Starostin hut got its name after a legendary pomor trapper, Ivan Starostin, who spent 39 winters on Svalbard never leaving the island during the last 15 years. He lived at the Russekeila river mouth located not so far from Grønfjorden. There you will see the reconstruction of Starostin overwintering camp and Russian trappers funeral cross.
DAY 5
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Breakfast.
This will be the calmest and most unforgettable morning in the Arctic, regardless of the weather. But further on, the day will depend on the weather dynamics and your condition. As a plan, you will visit Linné Cape with the old Norwegian weather and radio station Isfjord radio turned into a cozy tourist base. It isn’t located so far, approximately 6 km only but the trip will depend on the snowpack. That is why you will get there in the dog sled or on foot.
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In the afternoon, you will start the dog-sledding trip to the Grønfjord bay. The distance is approximately 20 km.
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Dinner and overnight in a hut «Red House» at the fireside and with a sea-view.
Isfjord Radio is a former shore radio and weather station on the cape Linné. A century ago it turned into a connection chain between the archipelago and the mainland, serving as a navigation system and collecting weather data. Nowadays, the station is completely automatically controlled and includes nice accommodation and restaurant facilities.
DAY 6
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Breakfast.
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Another beautiful day unlike the previous one. Itinerary of about 45 km with various relief and amazing views.
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Field lunch
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Arrival in Barentsburg.
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Accommodation at the hotel Barentsburg and sauna.
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A-la carte dinner in one of the restaurants
DAY 7
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Early morning, before breakfast, you can visit the mine of Barentsburg (at extra cost). It is the only operating coal mine in the world where you can get into with a tour. You can see a war between man and nature, mechanisms of getting into the ground depth and of mine reinforcement and collapse protection. You can learn how the coal is being produced and transported onto the surface. You can hear sounds of the underground mine core and feel a breath of the wind going up to the surface from the half-kilometer depth.
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Breakfast at the restaurant.
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Visit our Souvenir shop and one of the northernmost post offices in the world where you can send postcards to all over the world.
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Today you will bid farewell to your four-legged friends and helpers along the tour.
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A-la carte lunch in one of the restaurants
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Packing.
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Snowmobile transfer to Longyearbyen.
This trip takes around 3 - 4 hours. The distance is 65 kilometers.
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Arrival in Longyearbyen
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Transfer to the airport.
*On Svalbard, weather conditions change quickly so that is why for the safety and comfort of our guests, the tour program might be changed regarding the itineraries and destinations.
ACCOMMODATION
Comfortable accommodation in Barentsburg