Itinerary

Day 0. Sunday. Arrival on Svalbard. Longyearbyen.
Arrival in Longyearbyen by one of the day, evening, or night flights from Oslo.*

​*You need to book a place of accommodation in Longyearbyen for this night is at extra cost.

Day 1. Monday. Longyearbyen – Barentsburg
- 08:30 Pick up at your hotel in Longyearbyen to expedition center "Russkiy Dom".
Briefing about the tour program, safety rules and trying on the equipment.
- 10:00 Transfer to the harbour. Boat trip by open RIB boats PolarCirkel from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg.

​PolarCirkel is an 8-meter-long boat of high endurance and created by Norwegian shipbuilders specifically for marine passages in the Arctic. The boats are equipped with a large power engine Yamaha (200 HP), echo sounders, emergency beacons and marine radio communication. Therefore, we provide special Arctic rescue suits by Norwegian brand Hansen. It will keep you warm, protect from the wind and give a boost of confidence during the boat trips.

​- Arrival in Barentsburg and check-in in the hotel Barentsburg.
- Lunch.
- Guided tour around the settlement with a visit to the husky kennel.

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.
Our kennel in Barentsburg is unique because we have all the Arctic sled dog breeds. 80 dog booths on the Grønfjorden shore against the background of the magnificent Esmark glacier (Esmarkbreen). You will see sled dogs' rigid faces that right after the first sniffing turn to cheerful ones with bright little stars in their tender eyes. The kennel is a place where images of the pole exploring by Amundsen and Peary take on life right in front of your eyes. Both poles were explored by people with the help of sled dogs. Looking at these animals you can feel a sort of primaeval strength, goal-oriented power and natural authenticity.

- After the kennel tour, you can try yourself as a real musher and go for the dog sledding on wheels along the shore of Grønfjorden to see one of the most breathtaking views around. (5-7 km, at extra cost).
-18:00-19:00 A-la-carte dinner in the hotel Restaurant Rijpsburg (at extra cost).
​- It's never dark on Svalbard in summer, so optionally, after the dinner, it's possible to take a short walking tour around Barentsburg to get some fresh air and feel of the midnight sun before going asleep.
- Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg.

​Day 2. Tuesday. Trip by open RIB boats along picturesque shores of Isfjorden (cape Festningen, cape Starostin, Isfjord Radio station)
- Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
​- Transfer to the harbour. Boat trip by open RIB boats PolarCirkel.

​Depending on weather conditions, the first stop-over is possible at the cape Festningen where you will see a lighthouse navigating close-going ships and to have a walking tour passing by the cape Starostin to reach the coast of Russekeila bay (approximately 6 km).
​Cape Starostin 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 pomor funeral cross and will get inside a functioning cabin. One more interesting thing about this place is that Starostin Cape and environs around became the shooting point for the Norwegian movie «Operasjon "Arktis"».

- Picnic.
​- Walking tour in the surroundings and the Isfjord Radio station visit.

​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.

- Arrival in Barentsburg.​
- 18:00-19:00 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 specialties are served.
- After the dinner, you can go for a unique workshop in our Handicraft center dedicated to the 800-year-old tradition of pomors where you'll feel the historic touch of Russian hunters from the North (at extra cost).
​​- Overnight in the hotel "Barentsburg".

​Day 3. Wednesday. Kayaking across landscapes of Grønfjorden.
​- Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
- This day there is an option to 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.
- Join us on a real adventure! – go for the kayaking trip in Grønfjorden.

This will give you a chance to dip into the incredible ecosystem and to see it from an absolutely different angle. During the stop-over, you will meet places full of history going back to hundreds of years ago. Experienced guides will get you ready with the safety and technical rules, will tell stories and serve a delish picnic. For the safety and comfort in the water, we use special dry suits for the sea kayaking of the Canadian brand Level Six as well as all the necessary equipment.

- A-la-carte dinner in one of the restaurants in Barentsburg (of your choice and at extra cost).
- You are welcome to visit a souvenir shop and post office of Barentsburg.
- Overnight in the hotel Barentsburg.

Day 4. Thursday. Barentsburg-Esmark Glacier-Colesbay-Grumant-Longyearbyen
- Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Packing.
- Boat trip by RIB boats PolarCirkel to Longyearbyen with a stop-over in a «frozen» settlement – Colesbay and then Grumant.
- In case of weather permitting, on the way, it could be possible to reach Esmark glacier (Esmarkbreen) with a 20-meter-high wall. There will probably be a chance to see whales or seals.
- You'll hear about 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 a specific rail system and the coal was transported in trolleys from Grumant to Colesbay and then loaded aboard.
Short walking tour (5 km approximately).
​- Picnic.
- Dinner in one of the restaurants in Longyearbyen (KROA or Stationen).
- Guided tour around Longyearbyen.

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.

- Overnight in our guesthouse Russkiy Dom (2-person accommodation).

Day 5. Friday. Longyearbyen – Pyramiden *Please note that there is no Wi-Fi and/or MOBILE CONNECTION for guests in Pyramiden.
- Breakfast in the guesthouse Russkiy Dom.
- Transfer to the harbour. Boat trip by Polarcirkel to Pyramiden.
- In case of weather permitting, it could be possible to do a stop-over in Skansbay on the way.

Skansbay (Skansbukta) is a place that hides fascinating stories of the past and is full of various sights: mountain scenery, remaining of the mineral mine, Norwegian lodge and wooden boat. This is one of the most picturesque bays of the archipelago.

- Arrival in Pyramiden. Check-in in the hotel Pyramiden.
- Lunch in the hotel restaurant.
- Guided tour around the settlement with a visit to the Bottle house.​

Pyramiden is a settlement situated at the bottom of the mountain and was named after it. It was founded in 1911. It's a town located in between mountains, the huge glacier and moraine. In 1946 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 come down to us. Anyone who has spent in Pyramiden at least a couple of hours makes a point in this place's 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.
Bottle house is completely built of glass bottles. According to the Norwegian law, it's forbidden to toss out bottles (as well as any other garbage) on the archipelago. In the Soviet period, Pyramiden residents built a bottle house and turned the garbage into construction material. The result ended up being curious. Since then, the Bottle house has become one of the most well-known sights of Pyramiden.

- A-la-carte dinner in the hotel restaurant (at extra cost).
-Overnight in the hotel Pyramiden.

Day 6. Saturday. Pyramiden.
- Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
- A daily walking trip in the surroundings of Pyramiden with a hike to one of the mountain tops. Depending upon what the guests prefer and their training level, we offer various routes where each is full of breathtaking landscapes. Field lunch is included.
- A-la-carte dinner in the hotel restaurant (at extra cost).
- Movie show in the film stock cinema.

A blacken-out cinema hall and sounds of an old cine-projector dig the audience into the atmosphere of the past century. As of now, there have been two film stock projectors renovated and the number of cine films has reached around 2000 items. Although it had seemed impossible a couple of years ago, in autumn, 2018 the first movie show was arranged.

- Overnight in the hotel Pyramiden.

Day 7. Sunday. Pyramiden – Longyearbyen
- Breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
- Boat-trip by open RIB boats with a stop-over near Nordenskiöld glacier (Nordenskiöldbreen). The glacier table is 300 km long and the wall strikes the imagination with its height and colours. You'll feel its «thunder» before you reach it.
- Lunch in the hotel restaurant.
- Return to Longyearbyen. Depending on the weather conditions, there will be a boat trip to Longyearbyen by a daily cruise-boat or open RIB boat Polarcirkel.
- Arrival in Longyearbyen.
- A-la-carte dinner in one of the restaurants in Longyearbyen (of your choice, at extra cost)
- Transfer to the airport for a night flight.

*If you don't want to have a night flight, you can book a room in the guesthouse Russkiy dom or one of the places of accommodation in Longyearbyen (at extra cost), stay for one more night and get a day flight instead.

© GRU

© GRU

© GRU