From Svalbard to Grumant. Snowmobile trip to Svalbard

Despite the fact that Svalbard is a TAX—FREE zone, it is Norway and the Arctic, so prices, even by the standards of continental Scandinavia, are very high. First of all, this applies to restaurants and bars, and tourist equipment stores. There are a lot of very good, expensive, really high-quality tourist equipment from the world's leading and Norwegian brands. But, it's expensive.

Longyearbyen accepts only foreign cards, and euros, dollars, or crowns in cash are accepted only at the central supermarket. In Barentsburg and Pyramid, you can pay for services with Russian bank cards.

There are a lot of souvenirs here and the choice is "for every pocket". In addition to a wide variety of souvenirs with Arctic and Svalbard paraphernalia, there are also souvenirs of "folk crafts" from both Norwegian and Russian. You can buy a real Norwegian rough-knit sweater, slippers made of sealskin and much more, for example, a fox skin. 

Despite the general high cost of equipment, some items may be significantly cheaper than on the mainland (for example, high-quality snowmobile equipment). 

The average bill in a cafe is 250 NOK, in a Longyearbyen restaurant — from 550 NOK. It is cheaper in Barentsburg, on average by 30%.

Souvenirs are mostly from 20 to 250 NOK. Souvenirs are sold almost everywhere, in souvenir shops, regular shops, on counters in hotels and in museums.

Compliance with the laws:
It is very important to remember that Norwegian laws apply on the territory of Svalbard. And despite the fact that the people of Svalbard are very hospitable and kind, the law is the law, and very few and inconspicuous police officers monitor the implementation of the laws. If you violate them, you may face both administrative and criminal liability. And remember that not only the inhabitants of Svalbard are under the protection of the law, but also animals and nature in general. It makes no sense to list all possible unintentional offenses, but there are some very unexpected ones among them, so we recommend that you listen to the guides who will try to explain everything to you and warn you against trouble.

Observance of traditions:
Svalbard has a lot of different traditions. This is not just Norway, this is the territory where people of more than 40 nationalities who are in love with the Arctic live. Many traditions are rooted in the history of Arctic exploration, many were born in the process of practical life situations. Stick to the guide's tips and common sense, and you will be warmly welcomed by any good-natured and hospitable resident of Svalbard, and get the opportunity to learn a lot of new and interesting things. Remember that you came here for a short stay, and we all, residents of Svalbard, live here. Most of us did not come for romance and money, but for privacy, proximity to nature, and Arctic spirit. If you decide to come, it means that you are already a person close to us in spirit, but remember that this is not a beach resort, but the Arctic, and this leaves a certain imprint on everything. 

Do you want to know about one of the traditions? It is customary to take off shoes and walk barefoot in many rooms here. And if you see a sign indicating this, or a rack, or shelves with shoes, then you should take off your shoes. You can walk barefoot or in slippers, which are on the shelves in many hotels, or, for example, a museum. You can stay in shoes, and most often you will not be told anything reprehensible, but you will show disrespect to us and our traditions.

Smoking:
Smoking is prohibited in the premises, both in Longyearbyen and in Barentsburg. You can smoke outside, including near bars and restaurants there are special smoking bins. However, we draw your attention to the rule of cleanliness: we kindly ask you not to throw away cigarette butts just on sidewalks, along roads, and even more so on the route (including do not try to hide them "under a pebble"). If you don't have a pocket ashtray, ask the guide for help, who probably may have a small box, or just a bag. Cleanliness in the Arctic starts small!

There are two possible route options:

1. Fly to the archipelago via Turkey. That is, choose a convenient flight to Istanbul, there is a flight to Oslo, and then a flight to Longyearbyen.
2. Fly to Murmansk, use the services of one of the transport companies that carry you to Kirkenes (for example, Borodin Bus), choose a flight from Kirkenes to Longyearbyen. Perhaps the flight to Longyearbyen will have a technical stop in the city of Tromso to cross the border. In order for the road not to be tedious, you can book accommodation in Kirkenes or Troms, so that (besides the archipelago) you can also see the northern part of mainland Norway.

Yes, discounts are discussed individually.

Participants with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, serious back problems, as well as pregnant women are not allowed.

Yes, we ask guests in advance about allergies and preferences (for example, vegetarianism).

Yes, a snowmobile suit, boots, balaclava, helmet and gloves are provided for the duration of the winter tour routes. During summer tours, a wetsuit is provided if the tour is conducted on an open boat. Otherwise, we always recommend that guests bring thermal underwear, a fleece jacket, warm socks and a winter buff. Glasses, a thin hat, and a waterproof phone case for outdoor boating in summer.

In winter, the average temperature is 10-15 degrees, but with the onset of the polar day, it can reach -30 degrees in the open space on the glacier. 

In summer, the average temperature is +5 +10 degrees, but in the absence of wind on an active route it can feel like +20.

The route depends on the time of the season, snow conditions, and weather conditions. In case of adverse weather, an alternative route may be proposed or changes may be made to the program for safety reasons.

In Longyearbyen: Norwegian operators Telenor and NetCom. All major Russian roaming operators keep in touch, but you need to keep in mind the high cost of roaming. Telenor also supports 4G Internet.

There is free Wi-fi in cafes and hotels, almost in all. The Internet is through the Telenor provider.

In Barentsburg: the main communication provider is Megafon-Moscow. The service is provided at domestic (home) rates in Moscow. Only 2G Internet is supported. Norwegian operators Telenor (more stable) and NetCom (less stable) are also connected.

The Barentsburg Hotel and hostel has a stable Wi-Fi network.

In the Pyramid: there is no connection. There is a single point in the village where there is a stable Telenor communication signal.

There is no Internet connection. And, in our opinion, he is not needed there - admire nature and think about the eternal!

The cost of all tours includes insurance covering the costs of rescue operations on the territory of Svalbard and evacuation in case of an emergency.

Medical insurance for those traveling abroad is issued independently when applying for a visa or additionally.

Although Svalbard is a visa-free zone, obtaining a Schengen visa is mandatory, since the road to the archipelago passes through the countries of the Schengen Agreement.

The only flights to the archipelago are operated from Norway (Oslo and Tromsø airports), therefore a Schengen visa is required.

Important! Due to current restrictions, Norway cannot be the first country of entry into Schengen.

Optimal route: Moscow – Istanbul – Stockholm – Oslo – Longyearbyen.

It is impossible to get to Svalbard in transit without obtaining a Schengen visa.

You can apply for a Schengen visa and purchase tickets yourself.

SAS and Norwegian operate regular daily flights from Oslo. During the tourist season, 2-3 flights are operated daily, and 1-2 during the off—season. SAS operates one of its daily flights with a stopover in Tromsø. 

In winter, almost all flights require a transfer and overnight stay in Oslo when flying to Svalbard. 

Near the airport is the village of Longyearbyen itself, where there are several hotels and hostels that allow you to determine both the budget and the comfort of an overnight stay. We also offer special conditions for accommodation in the guest house "Russian House" for the tour participants.

There is no regular passenger sea service between Svalbard and the mainland. Neither from Norway, nor from Russia. For the same reason, you cannot come to the island by car. All tourists get to the island only by plane. The exception is tourists on international flights.

In Longyearbyen: Norwegian kroner (NOK) and bank cards are accepted. Dollars and euros are not accepted everywhere and at a very inhumane rate. There are no ATMs.

In Barentsburg: in tourist infrastructure facilities (hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops) bank cards. There is no circulation of Russian rubles. In the grocery and industrial store, payments are made using plastic cards of the Arktikugol Trust's internal payment system, as well as ordinary bank cards, including Russian ones.

In the Pyramid: only bank cards.

The winter season starts in February and ends in May. Every year depends on the weather conditions.

The summer season starts in June and ends in October. It also depends on the weather conditions. 

Tours to the Pyramid begin in March in winter, end in May, then at the end of June in summer and end in October. This is due to the ice conditions in the fjord. 

It is impossible to get to Barentsburg and the Pyramid during the period from November to January-February – we do not provide tours for this period.

In Svalbard, the polar night lasts 120 days (from November to February) and 127 days – the polar day (from the end of April to the beginning of September).

Despite its high-latitude Arctic location, the island of Western Svalbard has a very temperate and comfortable climate (for local latitudes) due to one of the branches of the warm Gulf Stream current passing near the shores of the archipelago.  In winter, the air temperature rarely drops below 25 degrees Celsius. 

Since mid-February, Svalbard travel companies have been starting to conduct snowmobile tours. 

March and April are the "high" season — lots of sunny days, lots of snow and picturesque landscapes make an Arctic trip unforgettable. 

The end of April is the "velvet" season. It's already warm in spring at this time, but you can still go snowmobiling, dog sledding, skiing and snowboarding. However, the winter season lasts until the middle, and sometimes until the end of May. 

At the same time, the summer season begins with sightseeing tours on pleasure boats, and then, from the end of June, with trekking, kayaking, sea boats, fishing and sightseeing routes. The summer season lasts until mid-September. However, it must be remembered that summer here remains Arctic and it is rare when the air temperature is above 10-12 degrees. 

Svalbard is a very severe prohibition zone. There are good reasons for this. 

In Longyearbyen, you can buy no more than 2 liters of spirits in one hand, while presenting a boarding pass or a plane ticket. They won't sell alcohol in the store without a boarding pass. Alcohol is sold from 12 to 18 o'clock.

Without restrictions, you can drink in bars and restaurants (within reason and behaving decently, because even there the bartender has the right not to serve the customer if he believes that he is too drunk or behaving undignified). In addition, strong alcohol is sold only until one o'clock in the morning, and it is strictly forbidden to take purchased alcoholic beverages outside bars and restaurants. As well as bringing their own inside, which threatens the visitor with a heavy fine, and the restaurant with serious punishment, up to temporary deprivation of a service license.

The minimum age of participants is 14 years.

To participate in the tour, a driver needs a category B license or similar (for a passenger car/snowmobile). You don't need a license for a passenger.

All the snowmobiles that we rent out to tourists are double. You can book a snowmobile tour if you have one person on a snowmobile or two. First of all, the amount of time spent driving a snowmobile and the price of the tour depend on this.

If you have 1 person on a snowmobile, you will travel the entire journey by yourself behind the wheel. 

A B driver's license is required to participate.

Under the condition of 2 people on a snowmobile, the participants, by internal agreement, change the right of control and alternately take part either as a driver or as a passenger.

The choice of the most optimal travel format is based on the following factors:

– a snowmobile with a driver, but without a passenger, weighs less, therefore, it is better controlled and easily "takes" uphills.;

– if you are riding a snowmobile together, then you always have the opportunity to take a break from driving and enjoy the beautiful views of winter Svalbard, as well as take photos and videos of the road.;

– it is colder in the passenger seat than behind the wheel, so passengers should always dress warmly. The driver always has heated handles, the legs are also heated, and the driver always moves more than the passenger, balancing the center of gravity. The passenger's position is always static. Some snowmobiles have heated handles in the passenger seat, some do not have this option, but are equipped with special windproof clutches. However, the passenger is advised to have another pair of woolen gloves or mittens, as well as to take extra care of their feet. For this purpose, chemical heating pads are often used, which are on sale at the hotel reception.

It is important to understand that if you have booked 1 person on a snowmobile, your passenger seat can be used as a backup in case of breakdowns on the route.

Unfortunately, no. We sometimes use this place, but it is not guaranteed to be booked for the following reasons:

Firstly, the guide should always have increased maneuverability to ensure the safety of the column and the ability to control the movement of the entire group.

Secondly, guides, as a rule, transport tourists' belongings on snowmobile sleds.

Thirdly, in case of breakdowns while driving, the passenger seat behind the guide can be used as a backup so that the whole group can reach the final point of the route.

If you are afraid to drive a snowmobile, but still want to take part in a tour without the right to drive, be sure to specify this when booking.

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, since all three months of the snowmobile season are quite different from each other:

– in February and early March, the Northern Lights are most likely to be seen, since it is dark. However, if the probability of meeting a polar bear is important to you, then it is better to choose a different period;

– March, according to statistics, is the coldest month. There is less and less darkness, and the snow cover is still quite stable. This is the month of the "real Arctic", with frosts up to -20, -25 C. In the second half of March, spring comes to the Island, seals and small squirrels crawl out on the ice to bask, which are the main food of the King of the Arctic. Therefore, it is at this time that it becomes possible to meet a polar bear on the road, sometimes even with cubs;

– the polar day begins in April, and this is the highest tourist season on the island. Places in tours and accommodation facilities are booked in advance. The contrast of bright sun and white snow is the most characteristic palette for the second half of April and early May. Severe frosts practically do not happen anymore;

– in the middle of May, the snow is already starting to melt, and the snowmobile tracks are blurring. Therefore, all guaranteed arrivals, as a rule, end on the May holidays.

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.