Three day expedition with dogsledge - Green Dog Svalbard

About

We will pick you up at the hotel at 09.00 and take you to Green Dog in Bolterdalen. Here you'll be dressed in coverall suit, winter boots, hat and mittens and the guide will give you an introduction to dogsledding before we head off. Everybody will help harnessing the dogs and tie them to the sledge. The guide will drive in front with one or two guests on his sledge and the rest of the group will follow two and two at each sledge. Before we head out, the dogs will be very eager to go, but as soon as we've departed, you can enjoy the great silence, while viewing the fantastic nature of Svalbard. After about 2 hours of mushing, we will arrive at the ice cave.

Here we will enjoy lunch in a snow igloo and the dogs will have a well-earned break and a snack. After lunch we will explore the ice cave which goes far into the glacier. With helmets and headlamps, we descend into the cave. It has been created during the summer, when meltwater runs through the glacier. During the winter this water freezes, creating fantastic channels and artistic ice crystals in the clear, still air inside the glacier. No matter what the temperature is outside, the cave is at a steady -2°C.

After a tour within the glacier, we will experience the exhilaration of downhill mushing through the moraine and out through Bolterdalen. We will continue towards Foxdalen, where our cozy little cabin awaits. Once the fire takes off in the oven , the temperature will rise quickly , while we feed the dogs. If the northern lights or the beauty of the surroundings don’t keep us outside, then we will spend a cozy evening inside enjoying good food, the warm fireplace and interesting mushing stories until it is time to creep into our sleeping bags. Sleeping bags, groundsheets and food is provided for you.

The following morning we will harness the dogs again and set off towards Janssonhaugen and the exciting and varied terrain which is found in that area. The wide, beautiful Adventvalley will decrease and we will see the mountains even closer as we follow the frozen riverbed into the land. Maybe we will stop for lunch, at the frozen waterfall north of Eskerdalen.

The goal for the day is Spitsbergen Expedition Lodge, a new and well-equipped cabin which is beautifully located in Brentskaret. From the cabin we can enjoy the wild landscape– a snow-covered universe where hunters and trappers have lived and hunted throughout history.

The lodge is with four bedrooms, a simple bathroom, gas cooking facilities in the kitchen and a great fireplace. We will stay here for the night. The next day we'll sled west. We will plan the day after weather and conditions, and try to make a detour into Helvetiadalen. The dogs are happy being on trail and we'll get to know each dogs and its personality, during the trip.  Upon returning to Green Dog, our guide will drive us back to town and we'll be  at our hotels between 15:00 and 18:00.

Our expeditions are always led by experienced guides, and the polar bears will be kept away by the dogs.

You do not need to have previous experience in dog sledding. No previous winter camping experience is required, just an adventurous spirit! However, you should be in average good physical condition to participate on this trip. The participants will be asked to help out with the camp, feeding of the dogs, preparations for the trips etc.

The weather in the Arctic can change within hours and it may be both cold and windy - even down to -5 to -10° C in May and June.

The guide will take care of the guest's safety, and will bring all necessary safety equipment.

Included: Full catering, sleeping bag, fullsize suit, hat, boots & mittens.
Min no of participants: 2, max 5.
Minimum age for participation: 12 years.
Normal health/condition.

Our tours are run with small groups of maximum 8 guests per tour, and always with the guides' own dogs.

Our guides are all very professional and passionated in their work with the dogs. They are certified and participate in the yearly SGO course (Svalbard Guide Course).

Cancellation fees for activities:
If cancelled 22 days or more prior to departure 100 % refund
If cancelled 22-7 days prior to departure 50 % refund
Cancellations less than 7 days prior to departure is a ”no show” and do not qualify for any refund. You may apply to your insurance company for a refund if you provide a medical certificate.

Information about Covid-19
Green Dog Svalbard A/S follows rules and guidelines given by the Norwegian authorities and our infection control plan has been approved by the Governor of Svalbard. So far in the Corona pandemic, no infection has been detected in Longyearbyen and the city's tourism companies are open under strict infection control criteria approved by the Norwegian authorities.

The guide brings face masks for all guests to use while staying at the cabin. The cabin will be sanitized before/after the trip and hand sanitizer is available while staying at the cabin.

We provide a full corona guarantee for our guests. This means that Green Dog Svalbard A/S refunds 100% of the price for activities – booked directly with Green Dog Svalbard. It is assumed that the cancellation is due to the customer not being able to arrive due to corona related circumstances, such as cancelled flights, imposed quarantine periods and closed borders. This counts for both individuals and groups.

We encourage all our guests who wish to cancel to change the dates of their booking instead. We are, as always, flexible on our cancellation terms and are happy to change dates without charging extra fees.

Being a guest on our activities
The safety of our guests and employees will always be our highest priority and we follow rules and guidelines given by the Norwegian authorities. To ensure your safety, we depend on your help. We ask all our guests to follow the advices given by the health authorities. The advice in the points below is taken from Visit Svalbard.

- If you have a fever, symptoms of a respiratory infection, feel unwell, or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with an infection, we want you to stay at home. If symptoms occur while you are in Svalbard, you should be isolated in the hotel room or where you live. It is important that you convey that you are ill to local health authorities (call Longyearbyen Hospital).

- Keep a distance of 1 meter - the most important thing we can do.

- Be careful with your hand hygiene! We expect you to wash or disinfect your hands frequently. At Green Dog, we have set up liquor dispensers

- More about the infection control guide can be found on the Governor's pages.

At all our activities, you as a guest will be told to fill out an infection tracing form. This is a mandatory requirement for us to be able to take our guests on a trip.

As a guest with us, you will receive a new neck (a garment to keep your neck warm) (which is not reused - you can keep it after the trip). Other equipment (suits, boots, mittens and hats) is disinfected after each trip.

Any person who shows any symptoms of COVID-19 (headache, fever, cough, runny / stuffy nose, sore throat) must not participate in the trip. No refund will be given if you are refused to join the tour due to symptoms. We ask you to not show up on the trip if you experience any symptoms.

Green Dog Svalbard A/S is a member of the Travel Guarantee Fund and our customers are thus assured that they do not suffer financial loss if our company goes bankrupt.