Have you ever dreamt of a real Arctic expedition?

Do you want to follow the traces of polar explorers?

Let your dreams come true with an 11-day kayaking adventure on Svalbard!
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In the Arctic, you want to be closer to nature, get acquainted with it, and feel the sea and air around but not disturb it at the same time.

Sea kayaking is perfect for it! You can touch the sea and get a sense of its «heart beating» catching each wave and
merging with the Arctic flora and fauna.

There is no need to hurry, on the kayak you can immerse into Svalbard ecosystem peacefully and calmly to have enough time on admiring picturesque bays, a massive glacier, endless fjords, and maybe even see belugas, seals, walruses or even the king of the Arctic, a polar bear if you are lucky.

You will meet places full of history going back to hundreds of years ago and get acquainted with Svalbard life from the inside.

We use double kayaks made in Sweden, Point 65, to provide sufficient stability and they are easy to control. There are paddles Werner and Point 65 for different height of a kayaker. For safety and comfort in the water, we use special dry suits for the sea kayaking of the Canadian brand Level Six and other necessary equipment.

Our guests’ safety is of the highest priority for us; everything is thought through in detail. Experienced guides will get you ready with technical and safety rules and will accompany you during the whole expedition.

 

Open this world of adventures!

 

Program duration: 11 days / 10 nights

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DAY 1
Arrival in Longyearbyen. Boat trip Longyearbyen - Barentsburg. 

Arrival in Longyearbyen by one of the day flights from Oslo/Tromsø by the Norwegian or SAS airlines.

Longyearbyen is the capital of Svalbard. It is the northernmost populated area with approximately 2000 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. 

Our guide will meet you at the airport with our company sign "Grumant" and pick you up to the harbour of Longyearbyen. 

Boat trip to Barentsburg. Between Longyearbyen and Barentsburg there is about 50 km to go across the Greenland sea. You will see picturesque rocky coasts, Grumant settlement abandoned back in the 1960s, Colesbay and then you will reach Grønfjorden, at the east coast of which Barentsburg was founded by Dutch miners more than 90 years ago. If you're lucky enough, you will see some sea mammals: whales, beluga whales or seals - all of them are frequent visitors of Grønfjorden coast. Duration is about 1,5 - 2 hours. 
 

Accommodation in the hotel Barentsburg. 
 

Dinner in the restaurant Rijpsburg. 

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Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg. 

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DAY 2 
Barentsburg. Training kayaking session in the area of Grønfjorden. 

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. 
 

Training kayaking session in the area of Grønfjorden. You will try on the equipment, get the primary and basic skills and we will estimate the average level of the group. The sea part of the kayaking will take approximately 10 km. If the weather is fine and the group is ready, the route will be possibly extended up to 16-18 km. 
 

Lunch in the restaurant or picnic on the coast during the trip. 
 

Guided tour around the settlement including a visit to the museum exhibition centre «ArtArcticGallery» which is all about the history of the Arctic exploration and the archipelago itself. Unique exposition of pomors' artefacts of XVII – XVIII found during archaeological excavations held on Svalbard. There are no similar collections of pomors' artefacts of XVII – XVIII anywhere. Several vitrines with authentic artefacts from Willem Barents' expedition of 1596 including a part of the wooden ship. The artefacts were found during the Russian-Netherlandish expedition of 1993-1995 in a location of Barents' over-wintering on the archipelago Novaya Zemlya (rus. The New Land). 
 

Barentsburg is the Russian «capital» of Svalbard. It is a town of Arctic stories written by Dutch explorers, pomors, 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. 
 

Dinner in the bar, restaurant and brewery Red Bear with the tasting of a locally made beer brewed on the glacier lake water and the English malt. The northern cuisine specialities will be served.
 

Overnight in the hotel «Barentsburg». 

DAY 3
Safety practice and briefing on rescue and self-rescue in the water. 

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. 
 

Kayaking trip to reach the end of Grønfjorden. The route is about 12 km. At the coast of the beautiful shallow bay, there is a small hut owned by the Trust «Arcticugol». That is where you will go through the safety technique with briefing on rescue and self-rescue in the water as in theory as well as in practice. 
 

Lunch in the warm and cosy hut with a stove. 
 

Getting back to Barentsburg by boat or on kayaks - of your choice. 
 

Dinner in the restaurant Rijpsburg.
 

Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg. 

DAY 4
Kayaking to the cape Starostin. 

Breakfast. 
 

Getting the equipment on and getting ready for the first solid trip. 
Kayaking: Barentsburg - cape Festningen - cape Starostin – Soloveckij bay (Soloveckijbukta) - Russekeila (Starostin hut). The distance is about 14 km (within the poor weather conditions, the route may be extended up to 16 km) 
Going ashore at the cape Festningen. 
 

Cape Starostin got its name after the legendary pomor trapper, Ivan Starostin, who as they say 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 Grønfjord. There you will see the reconstruction of Starostin overwintering hut and pomor funeral cross and will get inside a functioning cabin. One more interesting thing about this place is that Starostin Cape and the surroundings around became the shooting point for the Norwegian movie «Operasjon "Arktis"».
 

Lunch and dinner in the field. 
 

Overnight in the cabin (and/or in tents). The cabin is warm, cosy, there are sleeping benches and a stove. 

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DAY 5
Kayaking trip to the former weather and radio station Isfjord Radio. Boat trip back to Barentsburg.

Breakfast. 
 

Short walking trip to the lake Linné (optionally, you can use kayaks, the distance is approx 2 km). At the lake, you can walk along the coast, admire the amazing nature views around or go kayaking trip - it's up to you, everyone can choose the option he or she prefers. Getting back to the cabin for lunch. 

Kayaking trip from Russekeila to the former radio station on cape Linné. The distance varies between 4-5 km and 12-14 km (of the group's choice). 
 

Sauna with the ocean view (at extra cost, payment is made on spot), coffee-break with delish pastry. 
 

Sightseeing tour along the cape. 
 

Boat trip back to Barentsburg. 
 

Dinner in the restaurant Rijpsburg.
 

Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg. 
 

This day there is an option to stay for one more night in the hut or the cosy hotel on Isfjord Radio station (at extra cost). 

DAY 6
Add-on activities in Barentsburg. Kayaking to the cape Laila.

Breakfast. 
 

Afternoon in Barentsburg – time to make a short break, of your choice, you can visit the museum, take a guided tour to the mine or our husky kennel (at extra cost) 
 

Lunch in the hotel restaurant. 
 

Kayaking trip: Barentsburg – cape Heer - cape Laila (the distance is about 18 km). 
 

Dinner, overnight stay in a cabin (fireplace, cosy sleeping benches)

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DAY 7 
Kayaking to Colesbay (Rusanov house). 

Breakfast.
 

Kayaking trip: cape Laila – Grumant – Colesbay (Rusanov house). The overall distance is approximately 18 km. The route is related to the history of the first Soviet coal mining settlement on Svalbard - Grumant, as well as about Colesbay which served as a port for ships arriving for transportation of the coal mined in Grumant. These two settlements were linked by specific rail system and the coal was transported in trolleys from Grumant to Colesbay and then loaded aboard. Both locations are associated with the name of the Russian polar explorer Vladimir Rusanov. In case there is no rolling-on wave, we will give a try to visit the Grumant settlement and then will get back to Colesbay.
 

Lunch in the field. 
 

Dinner and overnight in the cabin/tent.  

 

DAY 8
Kayaking trip to Longyearbyen and a boat trip to Pyramiden. 
 

Breakfast. 

Kayaking trip: Colesbay – Longyearbyen (the distance is about 23 km). 
Stop-over in Longyearbyen to take a short break, warm yourself up as well as explore the Norwegian capital of Svalbard before our sea passage to the north of Isfjorden, the legendary settlement Pyramiden. 
 

Accommodation in the guesthouse Russkiy dom (2-person accomm.)
 

Dinner. 

 

DAY 9
Boat trip Longyearbyen - Pyramiden. Pyramiden.
 

Breakfast. 

Boat trip with kayaks on-board from Longyearbyen to Skans bay (Skansbukta). 
Going ashore in Skans bay to take a short walk. 
Kayaking trip from Skans bay to Pyramiden (the distance is around 20 km). 
 

Arrival in Pyramiden. 
 

Dinner in the hotel restaurant in the interiors of the Soviet era. 
 

Overnight in the hotel Pyramiden. 
 

DAY 10
Kayaking trip to the Nordenskiöld glacier (Nordenskiöldbreen). 
 

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
 

Kayaking trip: Mimer bay (Mimerbukta) - Nordenskiöld glacier (Nordenskiöldbreen) – Mimer bay (Mimerbukta) (the distance is 27 km). As an alternative option - boat trip to the glacier and kayaking trip along the glacier front (about 10 km). 
 

Arrival in Pyramiden. Lunch. 
 

Guided tour around the settlement. 

Pyramiden is a settlement situated at the bottom of the mountain after which it obtained its name.  It was founded in 1911. It's a town located in between mountains, the huge glacier and moraine. In 1956 coal deposits started being opened up and in the 1970s-1980s a perfect socialism model system was built. In 1998 Pyramiden was frozen (preserved) but its infrastructure arranged in the Soviet period has been preserved by time. Anyone who has spent at least a couple of hours in Pyramidennotices its uniqueness. Today the town is open and it grows as a tourist location. A boiler house, hotel, restaurant and film stock cinema have been renovated. Pyramiden attracts not only tourists but also film directors, journalists, free riders and bloggers from all over the world.

 

Dinner in the hotel restaurant. 
 

Overnight in the hotel Pyramiden. 

DAY 11 
Boat trip Pyramiden - Longyearbyen. Departure to the mainland.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
 

Boat trip Pyramiden - Longyearbyen.
 

Arrival in Longyearbyen, equipment hand over, luggage packing. 
 

Departure flight to the mainland by one of the regular flights.