Wildlife Wilderness Camp - Explore the Glacier

📷 John Niclas Forsmark, Jarle Røssland, Christopher ONeil

Difficulty level (out of 5): 

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*Minimum 4 (out of 6) participants above 18 years old:

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• July to August
• At 07:30am
• 3 days (change to 4 days)
• 16 years*​

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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.

Price includes:

• Transport round trip
• Food
• Tent
• Sleeping mat
• Personal kayak clothing such as a drysuit and life jacket
• Necessary equipment for glacier hiking
• Guide with necessary safety equipment

Recommend to bring:

• Good, warm and sealed hiking boots
• Warm clothes
• Cold drink
• Camera in waterproof bag
• Backpack
• Sleeping bag*

*NOK 600 sleeping bag rental

After booking confirmation, you will receive our complete recommended equipment list for this expedition.

We serve hot meals. Bring your own packed lunches if needed.

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Larger luggage can be stored in our warehouse or in your accommodation's luggage room.

Extra clothing and equipment: Arctica

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.

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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.

Day 1:

*Remember to ask for an early breakfast if you're staying at hotel or guesthouse!

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.

On our way back to Longyearbyen, we pass the russian settlement Barentsburg as well as the abandoned mining town of Grumant before arriving at bustling bird life along the cliff face of a bird mountain known as Fuglefjella. Estimated arrival in Longyearbyen is 19:00.

The schedule for this tour may be altered due to weather and size of the group. On Svalbard, the weather shapes every decision. Polar bear in the camp will also lead to changes as we are bound to protect its existence.

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.