Spitsbergen Hiking Adventure

You will be required to arrive in Longyearbyen a day before your tour commences to meet your guides and go through the program and equipment. At 8 am you will be picked up at your hotel in and taken to Bjørndalen, Bear Valley, right outside Longyearbyen. This is where our adventure starts! We follow the footsteps of the reindeers into Bjørndahlen and climb up our first mountain, Fuglefjellet, for some 500 meters. From the top of the mountain you can enjoy the beautiful view over Isfjorden. We stop for expedition lunch on a perfect spot with a five star view.

After lunch we continue our hike westward. After a long first day the first camp site will be a welcome sight. Everyone will help with setting up the tents and preparing dinner together. Later in the evening, if we still have some energy left, we go down to the old Russian settlement Grumant. Once an active mining settlement, since the mine closed down the town has turned into a ghost town inhabited only by birds. There is plenty of time to explore the surroundings since the sun does not set at all during the summer months! Once back at camp it’s time to crawl into our sleeping bags for a well-deserved sleep. During the night, we rotate as polar bear guards. One person at a time is awake as a safety precaution to keep eye on any polar bears in the area.

There is nothing better than starting the day with breakfast and coffee surrounded by the perfect views over arctic fjord. After breakfast, we pack our bags and lace our hiking boots for another adventurous day on foot. We descent to the coastline and reach Coles Bay, another interesting part of the Russian mining history. We stop for lunch in Coles Bay. Enjoy warm lunch and coffee with storytelling from the past mining times. We cross the river in Coles Valley and walk a bit further before making camp for the night. After a long day, it is nice to relax by the camp, enjoy dinner and the Arctic silence in good company. We may even be able to spot some whales in the fjord. Before heading to the tents, we agree on turns for the polar bear watch.

After breakfast and packing up our camp, we continue westwards towards the Russian mining town Barentsburg. The distance for today’s hike is bit longer than what we have done on the previous days, but the terrain is flatter and easier to hike on. We hike past mountains and valleys and stop for a warm expedition lunch on the way. Rest your feet and take in the nature around you, before it’s time to continue again. During the afternoon we will arrive in Barentsburg, an active Russian mining town. We have walked past several old Russian settlements during the last days, but this is the only still active town with about 300 locals. Then newly renovated hotel is ready to welcome us in. We check into our rooms and head for a traditional Russian dinner.

We enjoy Russian breakfast at the hotel, before we are ready to welcome yet another new adventurous day. Today we start the day with a short boat transport across the fjord to the Russian water station. Here we lace up our hiking boots once more and set off on foot to walk the last kilometres towards Isfjord Radio. Depending on the weather we can pick either the inland route or the coastal route. Upon arrival at Isfjord Radio we are welcomed by our hosts with warm drinks. For the toughest explorers, we recommend a swim in the Arctic ocean followed by a warm sauna! Then it’s time for an Isfjord Radio dinner – a voyage of tastes you will not easily forget. Following few drinks, you might be ready to crawl to the warm and soft beds of this luxury hotel at the top of the world.

After a great night's sleep enjoy a relaxed morning with late breakfast at Isfjord Radio. Sip coffee with a croissant and look out into the vast landscape of Spitsbergen. It’s so easy to just sink into the Arctic atmosphere. Then it’s time to pack you gear for the final time and head back to Longyearbyen. We travel by open boat over Isfjord. You can see a different angle to the landscape we have walked for the past few days. We will arrive back in Longyearbyen before lunch time.