5 days | Independent tour | May-Sep | Svalbard
Experience the magnificent High Arctic up close a summer adventure to beautiful Isfjord Radio at Cape Linnè. Embark on a journey to Isfjord Radio by boat, and on your way you will have time to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery, the mighty bird cliffs and the animal wildlife. Far away from the civilization in Longyearbyen, you will learn more about the history, biological diversity and geological conditions that make Isfjord Radio such a fascinating place to visit. The former radio station is situated at the outermost part of the Isfjorden, with majestic mountains overlooking the Arctic ocean.
In combination with the unique accommodation option, you will enjoy a level of quality and comfort that is unexpected so far into the wilderness.
As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North has designed this tour using handpicked local hoteliers and suppliers who share our ethos of delivering services and activities of high social and environmental standards.
The CO2-e per person per day of all tours is carefully measured following each season. We fully offset all emissions of our tours on your behalf, and we constantly look at ways to reduce emissions where possible.
(All other drinks paid locally)
On arrival at Longyearbyen airport, and shuttle transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, experience the thrill of a dog carting tour led by enthusiastic huskies! You'll help harness the dogs and join them on an exciting ride using wagon wheels. Before and after the tour, enjoy time in the dog yard getting to know the huskies and learning about their training and care.
We recommend dinner at one of the excellent restaurants in town (not included/should be booked in advance).
Your guide taking you to Isfjord Radio will meet you in the reception of your hotel early afternoon. You will get information about the trip, equipment and outfit details. Transport to the quay, where Polar-Ekspressen closed boat is ready to start the safari tour towards Isfjord Radio. On the way, we have time to enjoy the fantastic fjord scenery, animal wildlife and Arctic seabirds.
Your hosts will warmly welcome you upon arrival at Isfjord Radio and invite you for a walk of the station where you will learn more about the fascinating history of this unique destination. Enjoy your spare time in the afternoon by exploring the library, warm up in the sauna or simply appreciate the living room view.
In the evening enjoy a a 4-course dinner. Accommodation in comfortable double rooms at Isfjord Radio.
Breakfast is served from 8.00 am. After the breakfast board the boat for an exciting safari to the west side of the fjord. The route will go towards east along the coastline before crossing Isfjorden at Kapp Starostin and go straight to the mighty bird cliffs of Alkehornet with thousands of nesting birds. In Trygghamna you go ashore and enjoy expedition lunch on the beach. After lunch, explore the area before heading to the fantastic Esmark Glacier in Ymerbukta. If you are lucky, you might observe whales, seals or even get a glimpse of “king of the Artic”, the polar bear.
In the evening a 4-course dinner is served at the restaurant at the Isfjord Radio. Accommodation in double rooms.
Enjoy breakfast before heading out on a new adventure. Join your Isfjord Radio guide on one of our favourite tracks along the old radio poles of the station given three optional route and activity alternatives. The hike will be approximately 10-16 km long depending on route.
The first choice of route is hiking to Linné Lake where canoes lie ready to take you out onto this beautiful part of Nordenskiøld Land. We will paddle or walk along the shoreline surrounded by stunning geological grounds. Around the lake you can often spot the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan and the Arctic Fox in its summer coat. If we reach the area of Kongressen, we are in a nice place to search for fossils and stop for lunch. Mountains surround you and it feels like you are in a magical world. A more stunning setting for a picnic is hard to come by!
Another choice of route is to follow the coast south towards Båtodden. You will walk by beautiful Greig mountain and looking out on the ocean your view is towards Greenland. You will stop by big whale bones and a small trappers hut for lunch before reaching a beach where there potentially is a walrus colony. They have returned to this Nordenskiold Coast for the last few summers, and fingers crossed, they are there waiting for you.
Afternoon embarking the Isfjord-Ekspressen back to Longyearbyen.
Depart after Breakfast or stay a few extra nights to fully explore Svalbard on land.
All prices listed are per person, based on two people sharing a room.
Note: This itinerary runs on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. For last minute bookings: prices are subject to availability.
Note: This trip is not suitable for persons suffering from back pains. Pregnant women cannot participate on any snowmobile, dog sledding or boat safaris. Basecamp takes no responsibility to any health issues, due to neglecting this advice.
In general there is no phone or internet coverage outside Longyearbyen. On some places, like on top of glaciers or mountains, you might catch a signal, but in regular bases there is no use for phones on longer trips. All our guides have satellite telephones with them for emergency purposes.
Summer season starts from the beginning of June, and continues until the end of August. From late May until mid June there can still be quite a lot of snow in the valleys and mountains around Longyearbyen. Further north, on the other side of Isfjorden, the winter season for skiing and dog sledding can extend to June.
Meltwater from the mountains and glaciers keeps the terrain quite wet thoughout the summer. Towards the autumn both the tundra and the rivers are starting to dry, and this is normally the best season for longer hiking trips. September is usually a very good autumn month in which you can still do all the summer activities. Normally the first snowfall comes sometime in October. Midnight sun shines thoughout the whole summer season until 23rd of August, and especially for photographers the first sunsets in August are something marvelous to shoot.
July is the warmest month of the year, with average temperature of a balmy +6° Celsius. During the summer months, temperatures stay above zero around the fjords and near the coastline. Days above +10 degrees are somewhat rare, as are days below +2 degrees. Days suitable for wearing T-shirts and shorts in Spitsbergen are about as rare as snowfall in Dubai. Therefore, you should bring with you a variety of warm clothes and leave the lightest summer layers back home. Indoor temperatures in Longyearbyen, on the other hand, are pretty high in all buildings, so you might find good use for a T-shirt or light long-sleeved top while in town.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Weather conditions may occasionally affect certain activities, and as a result, the schedule may be adjusted to ensure the best possible experience for all guests. For multi-activity stays, often the order of the activities will be confirmed locally on arrival. Activities might vary slightly in their duration or location due to the weather and local conditions. Any activities that are unable to be re-scheduled due to weather conditions, will be refunded as a general practice, as determined by the activity provider.
Hot air ballooning in Lapland whilst watching the Northern Lights, hiking up volcanoes, glamping in Greenland, a private meeting with Santa or climbing three peaks in Norway - see our collection of unmissable travel experiences across our Nordic and Scandinavian region.
Resident of Longyearbyen, our friend Maria Rossi shares with you her 'top ten things to see and do in Svalbard'. Regardless of season, the magnificent outdoors, high standard in hotels and fine dining options (along with the jolly old pub) will cater for all your requests.
Take a glimpse of some wildlife tours that we offer in the Nordic region. Which one are you most interested in – polar bears, brown bears, whales or puffins?
Yes, you can see polar bears in the wild in Norway, on the Svalbard archipelago, though never on demand and never up close.
Have you always dreamt of observing or photographing the king of the Arctic, the polar bear, in its natural habitat? On the Svalbard archipelago (also known as Spitsbergen) off mainland Norway, it is possible, with the right trip and a little luck. Here are answers to the questions we are asked most often.
The Svalbard Archipelago, situated in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Norway, is one of the few places in the world where you can see polar bears in the wild. The Svalbard area polar bear population is estimated at around 300 living on Svalbard year-round, rising to a likely maximum of just under 1,000 when including bears on the sea ice to the north, part of a wider Barents Sea population of around 3,000. A large number of polar bears reside in the islands east of Spitsbergen, the only permanently populated island in Svalbard, but polar bears can be encountered anywhere in the area.
Overall, there are approximately 22,000-31,000 polar bears left in the world, the biggest populations being found in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia. They are classified as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, mainly due to climate change and the related loss of natural habitat.
The best period to travel to Norway and Svalbard to see polar bears is from June to September, with the earlier summer months usually the better choice. With the midnight sun, when the sun doesn't set below the horizon, the Arctic starts to melt, making it possible to navigate through the archipelago. As there is less packed ice than in the winter months, polar bears tend to stay in more concentrated areas. Most expedition cruises, which offer the best chance of a sighting, run within this window, concentrated around July and August when the ice has retreated enough to reach the north and east of the archipelago.
In contrast, when the archipelago freezes over in the winter, polar bears tend to be far out on the sea hunting for seals. With the darkness of the polar night over them, it is next to impossible to reach or observe them.
There are three main ways to travel through the areas where polar bears live, and they differ mainly in length and in how far they can take you from Longyearbyen. A safari is a day trip on land or by snowmobile, staying relatively close to town, and offers the lowest chance of a sighting. A boat trip is also usually a day trip, tracing the coast and fjords near Longyearbyen, with a limited chance. An expedition cruise runs for several days or more and reaches the remote north and east of the archipelago, where bears are most likely to be, so it offers the best chance of all three. The sections below explain each in more detail.
Sightings are never guaranteed on any of them. Meeting a polar bear around Longyearbyen is rare, and most often only footprints prove that one has passed through. Even without a sighting, though, the landscape and the wider Arctic wildlife, from walruses and reindeer to vast seabird colonies, give every trip plenty to show for it.
Polar bears are wild animals, and they are protected by law. This means there are no tours that set out to find and follow bears, no "polar bear safaris" in that sense. What does exist are general wilderness safaris on which a sighting is possible but incidental. On day safaris out of Longyearbyen, travelling on land or by boat, you are unlikely to see a polar bear. Some of the longer snowmobile tours might provide a chance to observe one in its natural habitat, and you will also encounter other wildlife native to the region and learn about the flora and fauna of these islands. Please note that these trips are very limited, organised early in the season, and are the least likely option of all for spotting a polar bear.
Boat trips are usually day trips, where you travel from point A to B or enjoy a leisurely return cruise past bird cliffs and glacial ice walls. Many day trips include a lunch, but do check your tour details for more information. These boat tours also offer a limited chance of spotting a polar bear.
Expedition cruises usually last at least a week, and travellers have the chance to reach land for excursions and hikes using rubber dinghies each day. Of all the ways to travel in Svalbard, these offer the greatest chance of seeing a polar bear, as they reach the remote north and east of Spitsbergen during the summer (July and August), where bears concentrate on the sea ice to hunt their favourite prey, the ringed seal. We do not run expedition cruises ourselves, but they are worth understanding as the benchmark for sighting odds, which helps put the other options in context.
NOTE: It is illegal to follow polar bears or otherwise try to find them. Since 1 January 2025, Svalbard's environmental regulations require a minimum distance of 300 metres from any polar bear, extending to 500 metres between 1 March and 30 June, when bears are more vulnerable to disturbance. If you come across one on your trip and find yourself closer than this, you are required to retreat rather than continue observing, and you are never allowed to disturb a bear, for example by driving close by with a snowmobile. For the current rules in full, see Visit Svalbard's polar bear guidelines.
If you are not joining an expedition cruise, the next best thing you can do is spend a few nights out in the wilderness, in the areas bears range, rather than basing yourself in Longyearbyen.
Our Magic of the Arctic travel package spends two nights at Isfjord Radio, a former radio station turned wilderness hotel at the outer edge of Isfjorden, reached by boat from Longyearbyen. Days are spent out on the water and the land, including a rib boat safari toward Esmark Glacier, which puts you in bear country.
It's worth being clear about the odds. A stay like this improves your chances over a day trip from town, because you are further out and spending more time in the areas bears use. It does not match a multi-day expedition cruise, which reaches the far north and east where bears concentrate. A sighting on Magic of the Arctic is a real possibility rather than a scripted encounter, but it is never something we can promise. What you can count on is the wider Arctic setting and its wildlife, whether or not a bear appears.
For ideas and inspiration see our travel packages to Svalbard for your next adventure.
Have something else in mind? Contact our Nordic staff who will make a tailor-made itinerary to suit your needs.
Before you travel, it's worth reading Visit Svalbard's guide to everything you need to know before departure, which covers travel insurance, clothing, and safety guidelines for the archipelago.
The safety of our travellers, staff and operators is a major priority of 50 Degrees North. With an operational office in Norway, 50 Degrees North has access to an up-to-the-minute flow of information regarding the countries we work in. We are also in regular contact with the various operators we use. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
TRAVEL ADVISORIES & OTHER INFORMATION
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NOTE ON SAFETY
We rely on public transport and car hire providers to maintain the vehicles we use in a roadworthy condition, but we do not perform independent tests on public vehicles. Privately chartered bus operators/drivers are required to comply with local licence and vehicle servicing standards. We don't recommend driving in winter conditions without extensive ice & snow driving experience.
On your tour, you will have many choices for optional activities. 50 Degrees North is not the provider of these optional winter activities, the local supplier that provides these optional activities will have indemnity forms to sign and safety information accessible at the start of each activity. If you have any concerns about the safety of the activity, before or during the activity, please let someone know.
For winter departures, you will receive a comprehensive Scandinavian winter packing list before you arrive. We recommend you read this carefully before departure and speak to your guides & locals about weather conditions, walking safely on ice and dressing warmly.
We ask that you inform us or your travel agent of any pre-existing medical conditions before travelling.
VACCINATIONS BEFORE DEPARTURE
It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the health and vaccinations requirements applicable for the countries and/or regions you will be visiting.
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