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Season: July to August
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Days: Fri-Sun/Sun-Tues
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The tours start: At 07:30am
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Duration: 3 days
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Age limit: 16 years*
*Minimum 4 adults above the age of 18 y/o
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Level: 3/5
No experience with glaciers or kayaking is required as our guide will give the individual training and guidance.
The trip is moderately demanding in terms of physical fitness. The hikes take place in rugged terrain with a lot of sand/stone as a base, so sturdy hiking boots are required.
It will also be natural for the participants to take part in the daily camp work such as polar bear watch, cooking, fetching water and washing dishes.
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Email: info@wildlife.no
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Phone: +47 79 02 22 22
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Accommodation: Gjestehuset 102
We offer discounted rates when booking our overnight tours. Use code: SWE10
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Additional equipment and clothing: Arctica
By far the most popular tour
If you have three days at your disposal for a real Svalbard experience, we recommend that you travel with us into nature and join our Wilderness Camp in Ymerbukta. This is by far our most popular tour in the summer. The trip is suitable for most people.


Polar bear watch
We fall asleep in the tent to the sound of the calving glacier and crashing waves, while the neighbouring tent keeps a polar bear watch. Everyone in the group must take turns keeping polar bear watch throughout the night. The trip starts on Friday with a return on Sunday in July/August.
The days and the routes are adjusted according to weather and conditions, and we calculate the following planned schedule:
Day 1: After breakfast, at 7:30 am, you will be picked up by the guide at your choice of accommodation. After a short briefing, we will pack the personal safety equipment to bring along on the trip. The guide will take us to the harbour where the boat waits, and we will head for Ymerbukta, where we will be set ashore at our camp by smaller boats. We settle in the camp and get ready for a kayaking trip. Dressed in dry suits and life vests, we will take place in our steady double kayaks and prepare for a trip along the shoreline to the Esmark Glacier front. Before start, the guide will teach us kayaking techniques and provide supervision. The kayak is the perfect vessel when our goal is to get really close to nature and experience the silence while looking for seals and sea birds. We will find a suitable spot to go ashore to have our lunch while enjoying the view of the glacier front. Back in camp after an active day, we will prepare our dinner, and if weather permits we will round off the day around the bonfire.
Day 2: After a solid breakfast, we pack the glacier equipment and head for the Esmark Glacier with its impressive front. Wearing crampons, harness, and ropes, we will hike onto the glacier. With supervision from the guide, we will hike on clear blue ice, over deep crevasses while linked together by rope where necessary. We will have our lunch on the glacier with a beautiful view over the mighty glacier formations and the inlet ahead. Back at the Camp, we will prepare our dinner while we let the impressions sink in. This is a relatively long day and we spend the day on the glacier.
Day 3: We will clear the camp and go for a hike in the surrounding areas before the boat picks us up to take us back to Longyearbyen. When returning to Longyearbyen, it’s smart have the hot lunch on the aft deck in case / and often some interesting observations of wildlife in the Isfjord. You can spot Barentsburg, which is the second largest town on Svalbard with approx. 500 inhabitants from Russia and Ukraine. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions strongly distances itself from the invasion and war in Ukraine. Barentsburg and Pyramiden are owned and operated by the Russian state-owned Trust Arktikugol, but most of the inhabitants are Ukrainians. By visiting the settlements, you support the Russian state's company. We will not visit any of these settlements. On the way back to Longyearbyen we pass the abandoned mining town of Grumant and a fantastic bird mountain. Estimated arrival in Longyearbyen is 19:00.
Program may be changed along the way due to weather conditions and the size of the group. In Svalbard, the weather gods decide.
Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions strongly distances itself from the invasion and war in Ukraine.
Barentsburg and Pyramiden are owned and operated by the Russian state-owned Trust Arktikugol, but most of the inhabitants are Ukrainians. By visiting the settlements one supports the company of the Russian state, so we do not visit Barentsburg or Pyramiden.
The price includes
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Transport round trip
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Food
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Tent
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Sleeping mat
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Personal kayak clothing such as a drysuit and life jacket
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Necessary equipment for glacier hiking
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Guide with necessary safety equipment
What you should bring/wear*
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Good, warm and sealed hiking boots*
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Warm clothes
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Cold drink
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Camera in waterproof bag
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Backpack
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Sleeping bag*
*After booking confirmation, you will receive our complete recommended equipment list for this expedition.
*NOK 600 sleeping bag rental
*NOK 100 rental of hiking boots
We serve hot meals. Bring your own packed lunches if needed.
Larger luggage can be stored in our warehouse or in your accommodation's luggage room.
Cancellation policy
TERMS & CONDITIONS 1. VALIDITY: These conditions shall apply to all orders unless otherwise agreed to in writing. 2. ORDERS/PRICES: Orders may be placed through your travel agent or in writing to our office, or our web address www.wildlife.no and using the activity calendar at top right side of our web page which covers online booking. We will send you separate order forms for our long trips/expeditions/cruises. Any arrivals after the start of the event and/or departures prior to the end of the event shall not entitle participants to any reductions in the price of the trip, unless this has been explicitly agreed or stated in advance. Nor shall participants be entitled to any price reductions due to circumstances beyond our control, such as e.g. weather, wind, flight and boat delays, changes in ice conditions, forgotten drivers license etc. See section 6. 3. PAYMENT CONDITIONS: Upon placing an order for our expeditions and camps, a deposit of 25% of the price of the trip must be paid. We will send an invoice for the remaining amount to the customer due for payment 30 days prior to departure. Upon late order placement, the full amount will be charged. A receipt of payment of the amount must be sent to us by e-mail info@wildlife.no. After the due date, a late payment interest of 2.5% per month will accrue. For bookings our daytrips, the full amount will be charged upon booking online or manually. Tailor-made activities, we send payment link or give bank details. For each manual payment there will be required a fee from NOK 75 to NOK 150. This applies to all bookings. 4 a. CANCELLATION CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT TRIPS: Cancellation of overnight trips must be done in writing. Depending on when we receive notice of the cancellation, we will refund the price of the trip minus the below listed share to cover our losses arising from the cancellation. We recommend that participants take out cancellation insurance with their private insurance company, which should cover among others cancellation due to illness etc. 48 days prior to activity 10% fee, minimum NOK 1,000 in administrative fees 47 – 22 days prior to activity 25% fee, minimum NOK 1,000 in administrative fees 21 – 14 days prior to activity 50% fee 14 – 7 days prior to activity 75% fee 7 days or less prior to activity 100% fee 4 b. CANCELLATION CONDITIONS DAY TRIPS: Up to 22 days prior to activity, fee equivalent to 5 % of paid amount apply From 21 – 8 days prior to activity fee equivalent to 50% of paid amount 7 – 0 days prior to activity fee equivalent to 100% of paid amount. CHANGE FEE: If the customer wishes to change the ordered program less than 14 days prior to arrival, a change fee of NOK 400 per change shall apply. If the trip is with another tour operator, normal cancellation conditions are followed. 5. UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS reserves the right to change departure times, minimum amount of participants and to cancel trips within 4 weeks prior to departure (or up to the starting time for day trips) in the event of an insufficient amount of participants in relation to the minimum amounts stated in brochures or on the website. Furthermore, we reserve the right to cancel trips up to the starting time of the trip due to force majeure or other circumstances that are beyond the control of the company and that prevent the completion of the trip or event. In such events, Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS shall be entitled to cancel the agreement without incurring liability beyond the amount that the customer has already paid. We also reserve the right to change the program in the course of the trip, if the planner/guide deems such changes necessary for security or technical reasons (weather conditions, scooter break-down, delays etc). In the Arctic, the weather is in charge, and the extreme conditions that can prevail in certain situations may necessitate changes to the program (also due to ongoing rescue operations); consequently, such unforeseen circumstances do not entitle customers to any price reductions. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS will attempt to the extent possible to carry out the trip as described. The safety of our guests will always be our first priority. 6. CUSTOMER LIABILITY The customer shall be responsible for evaluating his/her own physical and mental condition in relation to the contents of the trip. The customer shall at all times adhere to the instructions given by the event leader, and at no times are they allowed to bring private weapons or pyrotechnical equipment on our trips. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions as reserves the right to deny persons participation in our activities if they are considered a risk to safety, or act in such a way that it is a nuisance to guide or other participants on the trip. Scooter insurance included and max for you to pay if accident NOK 6.000,- 7. INSURANCE Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS’s activities are covered through liability insurance taken out with our insurance company. We have also furnished a guarantee towards the Governor of Svalbard for expenses in connection with potential rescue missions on Svalbard. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS will accept no liability for damages occurring or losses incurring beyond our control. For participation in our longer trips, the individual participant must have an individual travel insurance. Such insurance may be purchased from a travel agent or from a personal insurance company. 8. PACKAGE TRAVEL ACT The Package Travel Act of 25 August 1995 governs this offer, and Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions is the operator of this offer in a legal sense. As a member of Den Norske Reisebransjeforening (the Norwegian Travel Industry Association), Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS has also furnished a guarantee towards Reisegarantifondet (the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fond) in accordance with the Package Travel Act. 9. TYPING ERRORS AND PRICE CHANGES Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS accepts no liability for any typing errors and price changes due to circumstances beyond our control.
Wilderness camp: 3 days of hiking, glacier walking and kayaking
*This tour requires a minimum of 4 people.