Dog sledding over the Arctic tundra - Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen

About

The adventure starts as you meet the guide in your hotel reception at 9AM. When everyone is on board, we drive to our expedition centre. This is the place where you'll find your warm dogsledding clothes for the day. The route is planned based on the weather forecast, and a lesson on how to drive your own dog sled is given in the dog yard before start.

After getting dressed and having gone through the practical information for the day, we continue onwards with a 10 km drive to our dog yard in Bolterdalen, Basecamp Trapper’s Station. This is where our 70 huskies live. The guide will teach you the principles of dog sledding and handling the huskies, before you harness and assemble your very own team of sled dogs. You will share your team and sled with another participant. It won’t take long for you to get into "the explorer zone" and feel the joy of mushing across the Arctic tundra. A part of the adventure is an outdoor lunch in arctic surroundings. The return to your hotel is at around 4PM.

What's included?
- 7-hour dog sledding expedition with an Arctic nature guide.
- Transport between your hotel in Longyearbyen and the Trapper's Station.
- Warm outdoor thermal suit, warm winter boots for extreme conditions, hat, warm mittens and balaclava.
- Expedition lunch and warm drinks.
*We recommend that you bring a small backpack, around 30 litres in size, with extra warm clothes, as the Svalbard weather conditions can be extreme. Before your adventure please familiarise yourself with how to pack and dress for winter conditions.

Note:
- Age limit: 8 years old accompanied by an adult
- Minimum number of participants: 3 persons
- Temperature limits may apply for children. 
- Due to safety reasons there must be a minimum of one adult per child on the dogsledding trips arranged by Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen. The minimum age for taking care of children on a dogsledding trip and to travel by yourself is 16 years.
- This trip is not suitable for persons suffering from back pains. Pregnant women cannot participate on any of the mentioned trips arranged by Basecamp Spitsbergen. Basecamp takes no responsibility for any health issues that may occur as a result of neglecting this advice.
- In Spitsbergen, weather conditions can change quickly. We can meet heavy winds, snowstorms or thick fog, crevasses and a lack of snow or ice. This means that we might need to make changes to the planned route, and this might result in us not arriving at the planned destination. It can also mean that we need to use a different mode of transportation or accommodation than what was described in the program. We will always do our outmost to give our guests a great experience in the Arctic, but we must be aware and consider the characteristics of the destination.
- The guide is the main person responsible for guests and security on each trip. All participants are responsible for dressing properly for the trip, and for having a sufficient fitness level for the activity. If the guide considers a participant to not have the proper clothes or level of physical fitness required for the activity, he or she can decide that the participant cannot take part in the trip due to security reasons.

Language:
Safety is our top priority during our trips. It is necessary for you to be able to communicate in English or a Scandinavian language if you want to join our excursions. The tour language (English or a Scandinavian language) will be chosen based on the group's language skills.