Journey South: 2-Day Snowmobile and Wilderness Expedition, Snowfox Travel

This is a two-day snowmobile expedition from Longyearbyen to the southern part of Spitsbergen. The route leaves town through Adventvalley, turns into the valley Todalen, crosses a glacier and deep valleys, and reaches the sea ice. It heads toward Van Mijenfjorden, with Camp Morton, an ice cave and the mining town Barentsburg as named stops. The group is small.

On day one the group stops several times while the guide talks about the area, and has a warm lunch and drinks on the way. The night is spent at a wilderness camp with a stove in the tent, a dinner, and a sleeping bag and mat or hammock. Everyone takes part in a polar bear watch at night. On day two the group has breakfast, visits the ice cave, and rides back along the coast past Barentsburg, ending with a climb up a glacier above Longyearbyen.

Included are the guide, transfer to and from the hotel, a snowmobile with petrol, a suit, boots, gloves, a helmet and goggles, all meals, warm drinks and snacks, and search and rescue insurance. Guests bring warm layers, preferably wool, thin gloves or mittens to wear under the driving mittens, and a small backpack, since not every snowmobile has a storage box. A driving licence for a car, motorcycle or snowmobile that is valid in Svalbard is required.

The level is 4 out of 5 and no earlier snowmobile experience is needed. Guests may ride alone or share a machine if booking with more than one person. The minimum age is 14 years, and anyone under 18 must be with an adult. The season runs from 15 FEB to 15 MAY. Pick-up is early in the morning at the guest's accommodation.