The travel to Svalbard usually starts the same as any other travel would. You go to the airport and jump on a flight to the destination. Everything may seem normal as you sit there in your seat looking out at the open ocean stretching as far as you can see beneath you. But then you notice a mountain, then another, and suddenly a full mountain range.
It doesn’t take a long time for the otherwise normal view to become an extraordinary one, and it’s at this exact point in time that your adventure in Svalbard begins!
While some of the other passengers on your flight may be more than satisfied with quick glimpses of Svalbard’s grand nature during their visit, it makes others hungry for more. For such travellers, it’s all about getting close and experiencing nature in nature’s own pace on a great adventure!
A long adventure in Svalbard can mean many things. It may be a full-day snowmobile trip to the fairytale-like east coast of Svalbard, or a hike to the top of the mountain Hiorthfjellet towering above Longyearbyen to the north. It could also be a crossing of Svalbard on skis, or a week-long dog sledding expedition. To sum up a long adventure in short, there are great adventures waiting right outside your hotel door in Longyearbyen, no matter how long the adventure may be!
As varied as the opportunities for adventures in Svalbard are all year round, there are equally many alternatives in terms of difficulty gradings for the guided trips you can join that it’s important to be familiar with. In other words, there are adventures that are available for most people. What makes the iconic long trips so special is that you also have to contribute a little bit extra in the preparations of both equipment and yourself before heading out with your guide and group.
Have that extra chat with the knowledgeable employees in Longyearbyen’s sports shops about what it’s useful to bring on trips in Svalbard. Ask the local activity provider you’re travelling with, or come by the tourist information office in Longyearbyen to get more information about the area you’re headed to or a few useful tips for your long trip. The great adventures in Svalbard feel even greater when you’re well-prepared and ready to overcome the challenges you’ll face on your way.
Even though your first visit and taste of Svalbard is over, that doesn’t mean that your adventure is over. Just as in fairy tales, there are often calm periods in between all the action. Similarly, you don’t say “Goodbye!” to the adventures in Svalbard when going home, but rather “Until next time!”.
Every season puts its own distinct twist on the adventure, and each is almost like its very own chapter in a book. One trip may play be set in the cosy Northern Lights Winter with darkness all day long, the rare mid-day northern lights, and landscapes free from light pollution but covered in moonlight. On a dog sledding trip to a wilderness cabin, you enter into your own little world for a few days. A world where nothing else exists apart from what you can see in front of you in the light from your headlamp, the sound of the sled and dog paws sliding hitting the snow, a cosy cabin and the massive embrace of the dark season all around you.
Only a few months later, the nest act of the story plays itself out underneath the midnight sun and in vast snow-covered landscapes throughout the Sunny Winter season. Maybe on a long skiing trip through seemingly never-ending glacial landscapes where your days merge into a peculiar rhythm consisting of tent camps, nature experiences and connection to the others you’re travelling with. Everyone contributes to making sure everything goes smoothly in camp, such as serving as a polar bear guard in the night to wake the guide if a polar bear appears. Together with the feeling of responsibility and seriousness in this important role, you’re left with a truly special experience of the nature around you, especially on nights with nice weather!
Further on in the heat of the Polar Summer season, the midnight sun contributes to your adventure in Svalbard with golden evening sunrays and refreshing summer air. With a kayak you’ll glide across fjords and in between chunks of glacial ice that have calved from nearby glaciers on day trips from your camp or a wilderness cabin with a guide. Combined with a few hiking trips as well, you’ll get to explore Svalbard’s nature up close with the tundra beneath your feet and moraines reminiscent of the lunar surface.
With so many possibilities waiting for you, it may be difficult to know just where and when to start off with your great adventure in Svalbard. A good way to start is by checking out our full overview of trips and experiences below which we think may suit you if you’re looking for just these kinds of adventures!
If you’ve already settled on a date for your next trip to Svalbard, we can recommend checking our booking calendar to see which activities that are available for you and those who are joining your adventure.
Number of results: 44
, currently showing 1 to 20.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
835 reviewsLongyearbyen
On this 2-day hiking trip we will explore the arctic nature surrounding the Isfjord, hike along the coast and up into the valleys. Get ready for breath-taking views.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
835 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
Amazing mountains, glacier landscape, cultural heritage and animal life is some of the things that are waiting us. Welcome!
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
383 reviewsLongyearbyen
Visit our idyllic lodge in the untouched, silent Tverrdalen. The only way to get there is by foot, skiing or dog sledding. This trip provides a special opportunity to experience the Svalbard nature.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
383 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
Visit large glaciers, and spend the night in our small "trappers cabin" on the East side of Svalbard. Maybe we spot some animal life?
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
530 reviewsLongyearbyen
We guarantee a small group, maximum of 6 scooters and 9 participants. Join the kingdom of the polar bear and experience the arctic nature up close! The East coast is not affected by the Gulf Stream to the same extent as the west coast, temperatures…
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
530 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
65 reviewsLongyearbyen
Spend a weekend at the world’s northernmost commercial cabin – Nordenskiöld Lodge. We’ll go hiking on the blue glacier and paddle along the glacier front. You will have the chance to experience true Arctic silence.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
65 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsLongyearbyen
Join us on an adventure along Spitsbergen’s spectacular west coast aboard MS Serenissima. You will have the opportunity to visit impressive fjords, observe Arctic wildlife, and go ashore using Zodiac boats to explore the rugged Arctic landscape.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsLongyearbyen
If you fancy a proper Arctic challenge, this is the trip for you. In eleven days, we will take you on a ski trip of about 180 km, from Billefjorden, via the Tre Kroner, to Ekmanfjorden.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
414 reviewsLongyearbyen
Join us for an extraordinary tour. We will drive east and pass snow covered mountains, wide valleys, narrow valleys, moraines and much more. On this tour you will experience all those things which are really characteristic for Svalbard. The feeling…
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
414 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
75 reviewsLongyearbyen
Explore our basecamps situated in the wild Arctic. Without road access they can only reached by boat safari during summertime.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
75 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
We head out for a full day mountain hike up towards Nordenskioldtoppen – surrounded by the untouched wilderness, across the moraine landscape, glaciers, and polygon field up on the mountain plain. If you are a true mountaineer, this is the trip for…
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
Spend a night inside the hidden world of an ice cave. Surrounded by the glimmering glacier ice, you will have the ultimate arctic experience in good company!
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
Join us on a 5-day classical ski adventure in Svalbard.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsLongyearbyen
Imagine yourself standing on top of Newtontoppen surrounded by miles of untouched wilderness and beautiful glacial landscapes. This is the trip for those who want to experience a different kind of Svalbard, on skis.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
74 reviews* Isfjord På svalbard
Leave Longyearbyen and open the door to the Arctic wilderness. Combine mushing your own husky team, overnight in expedition camp and a stay at unique Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
74 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsLongyearbyen
This is an amazing wilderness experience! It is a long day on snowmobile in varied, and demanding terrain, but the reward is great - a fantastic day out in the stark Svalbard landscape.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
830 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
957 reviewsLongyearbyen
Take the path less travelled by and join us for an unforgettable day-long hike to the top of Hiorthfjellet Mountain! The summit of Hiorthfjellet provides stunning views of Longyearbyen and the Adventfjord.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
957 reviewsTripAdvisor Traveller Rating
81 reviewsLongyearbyen
Embark on a 3-day snowmobile adventure to a vast destination where only Arctic wildlife live. Check in at your secret escape situated by the mighty, blue Nordenskiöld glacier.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
81 reviewsLongyearbyen
Join us on a trip to Nordenskiöld glacier! You'll be taken far away from Longyearbyen, into the very heart of the Arctic landscape, to Nordenskiöld Lodge. Here, we'll go mountain and glacier hiking, and kayak in front of the mighty glacier front.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviewsLongyearbyen
Visit large glaciers, and spend the night in our small "trappers cabin" on the East side of Svalbard. Maybe we spot some animal life?
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating
595 reviews