Wildlife scouting around Longyearbyen

Wildlife scouting around Longyearbyen is a three-hour van tour run by Frostbite Expeditions. It stays in the Longyearbyen surroundings and drives into nearby valleys and coastal plains, where animals on Svalbard tend to be most active. The route is adjusted to the weather and to where wildlife is present.

Guests look for Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes and ptarmigans, plus a range of birds in summer. The guide tells stories about how animals live in a harsh environment and about the adaptations that let them survive north of the Arctic Circle. The outing is described as different every time. The group has two to eight participants, and there is no minimum age. The page rates the difficulty as two.

The tour includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, insurance for liability and SAR, hot drinks and snacks, and a guide who carries safety equipment. Guests bring warm boots, wool base layers, a windproof jacket and outdoor pants, an extra warm layer such as a sweater or puffy jacket, a hat, a buff, windproof mittens or gloves, and a water bottle.

The tour runs from February to October.