Arctic Snowmobile Adventure to the Ice Pingo

This snowmobile tour runs through Adventdalen, the large valley outside Longyearbyen, to the Pingo, an ice-cored hill formed inside the permafrost about 20 km from town. It takes place during the Polar night. Snowfox Travel runs it every day from 1 December to 31 January, and the page rates its level 2 out of 5.

Guests ride in the dark and watch for wildlife such as Svalbard reindeer. At the Pingo a guide talks about this periglacial landform while the group has hot drinks and sweets. On the way back there is a stop at the former Longyearbyen airfield, near the wreckage of a World War II plane. Guests can drive their own snowmobile, or share one if more than one person books, and swap drivers along the route. No earlier snowmobile experience is needed, and the guides give instructions and begin gently.

The trip lasts about 3.5 hours, from 09:00 to 12:30, and covers roughly 40 to 50 km by snowmobile. The page does not state a group size. Included are a guide with safety and communication equipment, transport to and from the hotel, a snowmobile with petrol, a suit, boots, gloves, balaclava, helmet and goggles, warm drinks and snacks, and search and rescue insurance.

The page recommends several layers of wool under the suit, plus thin gloves or mittens to wear inside the driving mittens. A valid driving licence for a car, motorcycle or snowmobile, valid for Svalbard, is mandatory. The minimum age is 6 years, and everyone under 18 must be with an adult. Children who cannot sit as a passenger ride in the heated sled. Pick-up is at the guest's accommodation around the time on the confirmation.