Adventures a step away from the North Pole. Summer expedition

Longyearbyen (aka Longyearbyen).
The administrative center of the archipelago and the capital of Svalbard province (the Norwegian name for Svalbard). The northernmost settlement with more than a thousand inhabitants (about 2,000), as well as the northernmost international airport in the world.

Barentsburg.
The Russian "capital" of Svalbard. The settlement was founded in 1921 by the Dutch as a coal mine. Since 1932, it has been owned by the Arktikugol State Trust, which represents Russia's economic interests in Svalbard. Barentsburg today is a modern Arctic settlement, the basis of which is still the northernmost Russian coal mine, but Arctic tourism is also developing in parallel. Barentsburg combines the modern development of the Arctic with the stories and traditions of the past. The population of the village is about 500 people, including about 70 children.

Cape Starostina.
A very interesting, picturesque place with a special atmosphere. The cape is named in honor of the legendary Pomeranian fisherman Ivan Starostin, who spent 39 winters on Svalbard, and for the last fifteen years he has lived in the archipelago constantly, without returning to the mainland. His main camp was located at the mouth of the Russekeila River, near the entrance to the Grenfjord. The guides will show you the reconstruction of Starostin's winter quarters and the Pomeranian memorial cross, and will take you to an existing fishing hut. Cape Starostina and the surrounding area were in nature during the filming of the Norwegian film "Operation Arctic".

Pyramid.
The village, named after the Pyramid Mountain, at the foot of which it was built. It was founded in 1910-11 by Swedish miners, then in 1927 the rights to the mine were acquired by the Severles Trust, which in 1931 in turn transferred the rights to the Arktikugol Trust. In 1946, the planned development of the coal deposit began. In the 70s and 80s, an ideal model of socialism was practically built here. Norwegian King Harald V, who visited the Pyramid in 1995, called it "the pearl of the archipelago." In 1998, the Pyramid was mothballed, but its exemplary infrastructure, created in Soviet times, has survived to the present day. In the village, surrounded by mountains and glaciers, there is no Internet, television and telephone connection. Therefore, every visit to the Pyramid is a time spent alone with the Arctic. The originality of the village is noted by everyone who happened to spend at least a few hours here. Today, the Pyramid attracts not only tourists, but also artists and cultural figures, journalists, and freeriders from all over the world. Pyramid village regularly appears in the top of various world rankings of the most interesting places and trips on the planet.

The Nordenskiold Glacier.
The business card of Svalbard, one of the most beautiful in the archipelago and definitely the most famous. The tongue of the glacier turns into a plateau with an area of about 600 km2, and its wall is amazing for its height and color. The rumble of breaking ice floes can be heard from the village. There is a high probability of encountering whales and a polar bear on the way.

Arrival to Longyearbyen on one of the daytime or evening flights of SAS or Norwegian airlines from Oslo the day before the start of the tour. Check-in at the hotel (self-booked).

During the trip, we will mainly navigate by sea on Norwegian-made PolarCircel open sea boats. These are large, eight-meter, high-strength ones created by Norwegian shipbuilders specifically for sea travel in the Arctic.

Boats equipped with powerful Yamaha motors (200 hp), echo sounders, emergency beacons and marine radio communications. This boat is not afraid of even a very serious disturbance at sea.

For warmth and safety, you will be dressed in special emergency Arctic wetsuits from the Norwegian company Helly Hansen, which will allow you to keep warm and stop the wind, and give confidence at sea during sea crossings.

All vessels have safety certificates and all the necessary documents for coastal voyages.

Excursion to the operating mine.
An interesting and unique excursion is the only one in the world to an active coal mine. It took us about two years to prepare the route and coordinate it with all the supervisory authorities of Russia and Norway. But, it was worth it!
During the tour, you will walk through two tunnels and learn a lot about coal mining. "Surveyor", "shale dust", "lamp", "anchorage", "pickets", "airlock", "inclined passage", "lava", "face", "mountain blow" – all these terms will gain meaning and a special sound for you during the two-hour tour, which is carried out by professional miners

Visit to the husky farm and dog trekking to Cape Heer.
Friendly and funny dogs of the Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, Yakut Husky and Chukchi sled dog breeds will be happy to meet you. We will talk about what is remarkable about dogs of each breed, what contribution they have made to the history of Arctic exploration and what role they play now.
Those who wish will be able to take a short hike to Cape Heer, taking "fluffy escorts" with them. Each participant of the hike is equipped with a special belt for dog trekking, to which 1 or 2 dogs are fastened. And go ahead!
The purpose of the walk will be a Norwegian naval cannon, which during the Second World War repelled the attack of the German battleship Tirpitz.

The average temperature (according to archival data): July +4.4, August +2.8. Although these readings have been higher over the past few years. The temperature during the day is +5 +10°C, at night from +5 to -2 °C. Precipitation is possible, there is often wind, rarely, but it may snow.

Nevertheless, July and August are still Arctic summers.

The temperature goes "minus" extremely rarely in these two months, and if it happens, then at night. In the daytime, in the absence of wind, the temperature is +5 +10°It is very comfortable to carry. But, of course, it is worth understanding that clothes should be appropriate.

The breakfasts are complex: European cuisine or a buffet.

Dinners are complex: Russian and European cuisine.

Lunches (lunch boxes) on the route in the field (natural chicken or meat broth, meat and fish cuts, fried meat or cutlets, pastries, tea/coffee, sweets).

Soft drinks are also included in all meals.

If there are any dietary restrictions, please notify us in advance.

Transfers are made on two types of small sea vessels — the Barentsburg boat and the Polarcirclre boat.

The Barentsburg boat is a metal boat with a closed cabin and a small cabin.

Polarcircle is an outdoor RIB speedboat with an outboard motor of 200 hp.

When transferring to the Polarcircle, all tourists are provided with special Arctic Helly Hansen suits.

The transfer time to Barentsburg, depending on the weather, is from 2 to 4 hours, to the Pyramid — from 4 to 6 hours.

If you are expecting motion sickness on the water and "seasickness", we recommend that you purchase motion sickness remedies in advance ("Dramina" or similar).

We pay maximum attention to safety on the Arctic routes of Svalbard. All routes are coordinated with local authorities. All equipment, transport and equipment comply with the circulars prescribed by the regulatory framework.

When entering the route, the groups are equipped with everything necessary for safety and rescue. Including: satellite phone, marine radio stations, flares, emergency beacons, Arctic rescue suits that guarantee life support for 48 hours.

The instructor on the route has weapons (rifled weapons and a signal pistol) in case of defense against aggressive behavior of polar bears. The instructors have all the necessary skills to work in the Arctic latitudes, many of them have completed various additional courses.

In case of unforeseen emergencies, the Rescue Service of the Governor of Svalbard is immediately involved in rescue operations.

The tour operator has the necessary financial information.a guarantee covering all costs of rescue work by the Norwegian rescue service.

On the route, the instructors have a first-aid kit with all necessary medicines, however, we recommend that you take a personal first-aid kit and also ask you to notify the travel agency in advance if you have any chronic or acute diseases.

Airport: Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway (Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway). Local time: UTS +1 (-1 hour from Moscow)

Aeroflot operates daily flights from Moscow to Oslo, and Norwegian can fly from St. Petersburg.

If you are flying with Aeroflot and SAS, you can check in your luggage immediately to Longyearbyen and check in for both flights. If you have a combination of Aeroflot + Norwegian tickets, then you will have to receive your luggage at the transfer in Oslo and hand it over again.

You can select connecting flights within one day. There are also a number of budget flight options with transfers in Riga and Copenhagen.

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

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 3G Internet. Cafes and hotels have free Wi-Fi, but not 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, but does not support the Internet. Norwegian operators Telenor (more stable) and NetCom (less stable) are also connected. Free Wi-Fi is available in all public areas.

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!

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

In Barentsburg: all cards (including Russian ones) are accepted for payment in tourist infrastructure facilities (hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops). There is no circulation of Russian rubles. In the grocery and industrial store, payments are made only by credit cards, there is no cash payment. This is due to Norwegian law.

In the Pyramid: they do not accept cash, only cards (including Russian ones).

It is very important to remember that Norwegian laws apply on the territory of Svalbard. And despite the fact that the residents of Svalbard are very hospitable and kind, but 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.

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.

You are in a friendly, beautiful, but very harsh region – in the Arctic! Remember that not only the inhabitants of Svalbard are under the protection of the law, but also animals and nature in general.

Svalbard's environmental legislation is one of the most advanced, but strict! Instructors are responsible for tourists. Try not to let them down:

• Follow the instructions of the instructor – the head of the group on the entire route. Following the guide's instructions is a guarantee of your safety.
• Follow the safety instructions.
• Do not move away from the group and do not deviate from the route indicated by the instructor.
• It is mandatory to inform the travel agency in advance about possible illnesses or contraindications to participating in a trip with moderate physical activity. Report food intolerance, if any.
• Take care of the vulnerable Arctic nature of Svalbard!
• Don't litter!
• Don't scare the animals!

The following risk factors must be considered:

• Traumatic: violation of the rules of use of group and special equipment, violation of the rules of conduct in field conditions, carelessness when overcoming natural obstacles, non-compliance with safety regulations, etc.
• Fire hazards: smoking outside the permitted areas, making bonfires in places that are not coordinated with the instructor.
• The routes pass through sparsely populated and unpopulated territories that do not have the benefits of civilization everywhere, so you should be ready for the journey and not be afraid of hiking conditions and the adversities of the weather.
• It is not recommended for people who need constant medical supervision to travel along active routes.
• Following these simple rules will make your vacation safe and enjoyable.

Yes, a Schengen visa is required.

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.