8 days Spitsbergen Kayak expedition The Artic landscape of Isfjorden1

8 days Spitsbergen Kayak expedition: The Artic landscape of Isfjorden

with Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions

The summer on Svalbard offers a varied experience of scenic landscape, wildlife, historic cultural remains, and last but not least the feeling of peace and quiet in untouched nature. A journey through the arctic landscape is best experienced with sufficient amount of time and quiet to sense and take in the impressions. Seven days of kayaking will give you the time and quiet to have an unforgettable journey.

In double kayaks, we will head for the fjords in the heart of Svalbard. During our arctic sea journey, we will venture into the untouched nature and will face numerous nature and cultural experiences – from grand mountains through wide open plains to spectacular glacier fronts – from 300 year old cultural remains to the modern-day trapping.

8 days Spitsbergen Kayak expedition The Artic landscape of Isfjorden3
5 days Billefjorden Kayak expedition Pyramiden and Nordenskiold Glacier

Here follows a brief description of the area and program for the expedition:

During the days we will spend our time in Ekmannfjorden, one of the most beautiful fjords on Svalbard with its idyllic bays, small islands, exciting geology and history. We will follow the eastside of the fjord to Tolmodbukta and Coraholmen. We will go ashore on Coraholmen, where we find snow white beaches with countless corals and a fascinating landscape with small lakes.

We will explore the inner regions of Ekmanfjorden, where we will paddle to the Selfstrøm Glacier and make several exploratory trips ashore to look at old trapper stations. The mountains surrounding us are characteristic red sandstone, and if the weather permits we may hike to the top of the mountain “Colosseum”.

From the glacier, we will cross over to the Westside of the fjord and head towards Flintholmen. We are now half way on our journey, and it might be a good time to stop by natures’ own “shower and bath facility”. Here, we can wash off four days of sweat under the waterfall or go for a swim in the fjord.

We will then continue our journey towards Sveaneset, and soon the view of the majestic Svea Glacier and the bay filled with calved ice from the glacier will unfold. We will establish our camp on the beach with a view towards the glacier with the calving glacier as our background music. The trip in front of the mighty glacier front of Sveabreen is considered to be one of the highlights of the expedition. At a safe distance we will have a glimpse of this exiting and thrilling element.

We will continue towards Bohemansneset. The waters here are shallow, and we may thus get some rough seas. The whole time, we will have a nice view of the areas in which we have kayaked the past week. At Bohemansneset, we will establish our last camp with a great view over Isfjorden and Nordfjorden. Along Boheman neset, we will make stops and visit the old mining site of merchant Zakariassen, the site on which coalmining started on Svalbard in the middle of the 19th century

 

Practical Information

  • Transport round trip

  • 2-person kayak

  • Personal kayak clothing such as a drysuit and life jacket

  • Food

  • Tent

  • Sleeping mat

  • Guide with necessary safety equipment

  • Warm socks

  • Warm clothes

  • Cold drink

  • Camera in waterproof bag

  • Backpack

  • Sleeping bag*

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

*NOK 500 sleeping bag rental

TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. VALIDITY: These conditions shall apply to all orders unless otherwise agreed to in writing.

2. ORDERS/PRICES: Orders may be placed through your travel agent or in writing to our office, or our web address www.wildlife.no and using the activity calendar at top right side of our web page which covers online booking. We will send you separate order forms for our long trips/expeditions/cruises. Any arrivals after the start of the event and/or departures prior to the end of the event shall not entitle participants to any reductions in the price of the trip, unless this has been explicitly agreed or stated in advance. Nor shall participants be entitled to any price reductions due to circumstances beyond our control, such as e.g. weather, wind, flight and boat delays, changes in ice conditions, forgotten drivers license etc. See section 6.

3. PAYMENT CONDITIONS: Upon placing an order for our expeditions and camps, a deposit of 25% of the price of the trip must be paid. We will send an invoice for the remaining amount to the customer due for payment 30 days prior to departure. Upon late order placement, the full amount will be charged. A receipt of payment of the amount must be sent to us by e-mail info@wildlife.no. After the due date, a late payment interest of 2.5% per month will accrue. For bookings our daytrips, the full amount will be charged upon booking online or manually. Tailor-made activities, we send payment link or give bank details. For each manual payment there will be required a fee from NOK 75 to NOK 150. This applies to all bookings.

4 a. CANCELLATION CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT TRIPS: Cancellation of overnight trips must be done in writing. Depending on when we receive notice of the cancellation, we will refund the price of the trip minus the below listed share to cover our losses arising from the cancellation. We recommend that participants take out cancellation insurance with their private insurance company, which should cover among others cancellation due to illness etc. 48 days prior to activity 10% fee, minimum NOK 1,000 in administrative fees 47 – 22 days prior to activity 25% fee, minimum NOK 1,000 in administrative fees 21 – 14 days prior to activity 50% fee 14 – 7 days prior to activity 75% fee 7 days or less prior to activity 100% fee 4 b. CANCELLATION CONDITIONS DAY TRIPS: Up to 22 days prior to activity, fee equivalent to 5 % of paid amount apply From 21 – 8 days prior to activity fee equivalent to 50% of paid amount 7 – 0 days prior to activity fee equivalent to 100% of paid amount. CHANGE FEE: If the customer wishes to change the ordered program less than 14 days prior to arrival, a change fee of NOK 400 per change shall apply. If the trip is with another tour operator, normal cancellation conditions are followed.

5. UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS reserves the right to change departure times, minimum amount of participants and to cancel trips within 4 weeks prior to departure (or up to the starting time for day trips) in the event of an insufficient amount of participants in relation to the minimum amounts stated in brochures or on the website. Furthermore, we reserve the right to cancel trips up to the starting time of the trip due to force majeure or other circumstances that are beyond the control of the company and that prevent the completion of the trip or event. In such events, Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS shall be entitled to cancel the agreement without incurring liability beyond the amount that the customer has already paid. We also reserve the right to change the program in the course of the trip, if the planner/guide deems such changes necessary for security or technical reasons (weather conditions, scooter break-down, delays etc). In the Arctic, the weather is in charge, and the extreme conditions that can prevail in certain situations may necessitate changes to the program (also due to ongoing rescue operations); consequently, such unforeseen circumstances do not entitle customers to any price reductions. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS will attempt to the extent possible to carry out the trip as described. The safety of our guests will always be our first priority.

6. CUSTOMER LIABILITY The customer shall be responsible for evaluating his/her own physical and mental condition in relation to the contents of the trip. The customer shall at all times adhere to the instructions given by the event leader, and at no times are they allowed to bring private weapons or pyrotechnical equipment on our trips. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions as reserves the right to deny persons participation in our activities if they are considered a risk to safety, or act in such a way that it is a nuisance to guide or other participants on the trip. Scooter insurance included and max for you to pay if accident NOK 6.000,-

7. INSURANCE Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS’s activities are covered through liability insurance taken out with our insurance company. We have also furnished a guarantee towards the Governor of Svalbard for expenses in connection with potential rescue missions on Svalbard. Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS will accept no liability for damages occurring or losses incurring beyond our control. For participation in our longer trips, the individual participant must have an individual travel insurance. Such insurance may be purchased from a travel agent or from a personal insurance company.

8. PACKAGE TRAVEL ACT The Package Travel Act of 25 August 1995 governs this offer, and Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions is the operator of this offer in a legal sense. As a member of Den Norske Reisebransjeforening (the Norwegian Travel Industry Association), Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS has also furnished a guarantee towards Reisegarantifondet (the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fond) in accordance with the Package Travel Act.

9. TYPING ERRORS AND PRICE CHANGES Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS accepts no liability for any typing errors and price changes due to circumstances beyond our control.

General information: 

Be aware that the length per day, the trip and the activities may change due to weather conditions and the composition of the group. Bad weather and wind might cause us to shorten or lengthen the trips from what is described here.

Demands of participants: 

It is an advantage that you have some experience in kayaking, but not necessary. However, if you have no kayaking experience, you must like challenges and be in good physical shape. We use stable double kayaks and keep close to the shoreline where possible. You must be able to swim. The tour is medium demanding and the participants should not have any problems with their arms/shoulders.

Minimum 4 and maximum 12 participants.

If you lack sports equipment, contact the sports shop www.arctica.no/en/

Get 10% off accommodation with us at Gjestehuset 102 when booking overnight trips!