Northern Lights Safari by Snowmobile
with Svalbard Adventures
About the tour
As you enter this expansive and contrasting Arctic wilderness, where the wind and weather are constantly changing, you will quickly understand why snowmobiles rule here. Snowmobiling is the best way to travel in the snow-covered landscape and it is great fun, too. We don’t need to head far out of town before we experience the feeling of a close-up encounter with nature and the Polar Night.
— The dark Polar Night in Svalbard provides the ideal conditions for experiencing the mysterious Northern Lights, even during the daytime.
Read the full description
On our way to the pingos, we pass historic places such as the mountain Operafjellet, the old airport and Longyearbyen’s old Northern Lights station. Norway is a leading nation in the field of Northern Lights research and first instrumental measurement in Svalbard took place as early as 1883. The dark Polar Night in Svalbard provides the ideal conditions for experiencing the mysterious Northern Lights, even during the daytime. Svalbard is one of the best places on earth to research this celestial phenomenon. The Northern Lights Observatory at Breinosa, outside Longyearbyen, is the most state-of-the-art facility in the world for measuring and analysing the Northern Lights.
The silence of nature
We switch the engines off so we can appreciate the unique Arctic silence. You may catch a glimpse of a small cabin on top of the ice phenomenon pingo, which adds to the uniqueness of this special place. Pingos are cone-shaped mounds of earth-covered ice, which only occur in areas with permafrost and glaciers. Svalbard has permafrost year-round. Perhaps the Northern Lights will put on a natural light show while we warm up with a hot drink.
Physical Requirements/Difficulty Grading System
Suitable for most without any snowmobile experience, very easy and flat terrain
Practical information
Included in the trip
Dress in layers – it’s the best way to stay warm. Remember: it is better to be too warm than to be too cold. And also – there is no bad weather, just bad clothing!
- Transport to and from the accommodation
- Winter suit, boots, mittens, helmet, goggles and balaclava
- Guide with safety equipment
- Search and rescue insurance
- Warm lunch, hot drinks and biscuits
Important Information
- The participant is obliged to ensure that the driver’s license is valid in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, and to contact the responsible authorities in case of any questions. The guide will check each participants’ driver’s license and will refuse participation if necessary. No refunds will be given due to an invalid driver’s license.
- We do not recommend this tour if you are pregnant or have back problems
- We recommend warm clothing to wear under the winter suit such as wool underwear, wool socks, thick sweater and extra mittens
- A small backpack for extra clothing and other items
- For participants driving on this excursion, it is required that you speak and understand English or a Scandinavian language
- For safety reasons, the route may change due to weather, wind and snow conditions.
- Non-Norwegian digital driver licenses are not valid for driving in Norway.
Driver’s License
- To drive a snowmobile or ATV in Svalbard, you must have a driver’s license for passenger car/class B.
- For snowmobiles, driving entitlement for categories A, A1, A2 and S (snowmobile) may also be accepted.
- The driver’s license must have been issued in a country that is a party to the Geneva Convention of 1949 or the Vienna Convention of 1968 on road traffic. Digital certificate is only valid if it is issued in Norway.
- You do not need additional documentation if your driving licence meets the model requirement under one of the conventions. All driving licences from EU/EEA countries meet this requirement.
- If your driving licence is from a country outside the EU/EEA, you should check if it meets the model requirement under one of the conventions.
- If your driving licence does NOT meet the model requirement, you will need the following in addition to your driving licence:
- An authorised Norwegian translation of your driving licence, or
- An international driving licence that meets the model requirements
- Driving licences from countries that are not party to the Geneva or Vienna Conventions
- You may use your driving licence for three months if it meets both of the following criteria:
- It meets the model requirement under one of the conventions.
- It is in a Scandinavian language, English, French or German.
- If your driving licence does not meet both requirements, when driving you need to carry with you both your regular driving licence and an international driving licence that meets the model requirements.
- The following countries have not signed one or both conventions:
- Afghanistan
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Chad
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Grenada
- Guinea Western Sahara
- Guinea-Bissau
- Hong Kong
- Libya
- Macao
- Mauritania
- Mayotte
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Panama
- Réunion
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sao Tome & Principe
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Taiwan
- Timor-Leste
- Yemen
- *Please note that this list is advisory and not necessarily exhaustive. It’s your responsibility to ensure your driver’s license is valid for use in Svalbard when joining our guided snowmobile or ATV safaris.
- ** The information on this page is based on information provided by The Norwegian Public Roads Administration at the time of the last update to this page. (03.04.2025, 13:00)
- This info is based on the following sources:
- The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Driving Licenses in Svalbard
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1949 Geneva Convention
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic
Cancellation Policy
22 days prior to arrival gives a 95% refund
8-21 days prior to arrival gives a 50% refund
0-7 days prior to departure gives no refund
If you need to adjust your booking, let us know. If available, we gladly guide you on another day of your preference, only if we have availability and possibility to do so and only 3 days before or after the original date. However, if you need to cancel, please notify us in writing.
We are not able to offer a refund due to route changes, sickness, cancelled or delayed flights or any other circumstance outside our control.
