We are delighted to announce the first safari that combines both land and sea exploration of Svalbard! Journey by snowmobile through the remote wilderness of Spitsbergen to Isfjord Radio on a three-day expedition, before embarking on the R/V Kinfish and navigating the Svalbard Archipelago, seeking out epic Arctic landscapes and potential wildlife encounters.
Day 1: Arrive Longyearbyen
Your Arctic adventure starts in this small Norwegian town where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Originally called Longyear City, the town was founded by John Longyear in 1906, and renamed Longyearbyen in 1926.
Day 2: Longyearbyen - Isfjord Radio
Today your guide will meet you for a chat about the coming trip, possible routes and the safety briefing, before heading to the snowmobiles. After a lesson in snowmobile driving and safety, you will head out to the wilderness towards Kapp Line and Isfjord Radio, stopping on route for an expedition lunch. We’ll spend the day snowmobiling through the vast white landscape, making plenty of stops to take in your beautiful surroundings and have a chance to witness Arctic wildlife in the remote Svalbard wilderness.
Arrive at Isfjord Radio, a remote boutique hotel and the last frontier accommodation before Greenland. This evening try a warm sauna and quick swim like a true Polar Adventurer, before a delicious Arctic inspired dinner.
Day 3: Snowmobiling
Spend the day exploring the beautiful landscape of Spitsbergen. Head toward Fritjovsbreen and Van Mijenfjorden glaciers, driving past vast mountain ranges, over glaciers, taking in the remote wilderness and experience true Arctic silence once everyone’s turned off their snowmobiles.
Day 4: Isfjord Radio - Longyearbyen
In the morning it’s time to jump onto your snowmobile and head back to Longyearbyen. Expedition lunch is served on the way and you’ll be back in town during the afternoon, ready for your next Svalbard adventure onboard the Kinfish!
Day 4: Setting Sail
We’ll board our ship, Kinfish, late afternoon and head out into the fjords. With room on board for just 12 passengers, the ship has an intimate atmosphere, and her small size allows her to access some of the smaller fjords and coves along the coastline.
Day 5 - 7: Exploration
We’ll spend the next three days exploring the Svalbard Archipelago, seeking out encounters with Arctic wildlife and experiencing the pristine icy wonderland with snow covering most of the land, and ice as far as the eye can see. Our journey through Svalbard will be largely dependent upon weather conditions, the density of the pack ice and wildlife opportunities. Flexibility and a sense of adventure is key to a successful expedition here.
We’ll visit iceberg-filled fjords framed by breathtaking mountains; sail past gigantic glaciers crashing into the icy seas and witness the beautiful sunsets that streak across the skies, lighting up the ice with glowing pinks and purples. We’ll also seek out colonies of walrus lounging on ice floes, watch for a glimpse of the white Arctic foxes as they hunt along the shores, take to the zodiacs to explore the ice and we may even sight a Polar bear as they emerge from their dens as Svalbard begins to come to life after a long winter. We will arrive back in the port of Longyearben on the evening of April 11th ready for departure the following morning, but not before a final three course Captains dinner to commemorate the end of our journey!
Day 8, 12 April 2025: Departure
This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred either direct to the airport for your onward flights home, or back to the centre of town depending on the time of your departure.
Pricing per person:
"I’m truly excited about this pioneering expedition as we combine for the first time a snowmobiling and sailing adventure. One of my favourite highlights of any trip to Svalbard is embracing the silence of the frozen north and waiting to see what can be seen. Driving your own snowmobiles over the Arctic tundra and on-board the expedition ship, you will be on the lookout for wildlife, hoping to see polar bears, walrus, seals and reindeer alongside the epic Arctic landscape in some of the best light conditions. Svalbard is always an extraordinary adventure!"
Small Ship Size
Thanks to the smaller size of the R/V Kinfish, we are able to enter some of the more untouched and inaccessible areas of Svalbard. Combined with smaller Zodiac boats, you can gain closer access to the area’s best natural attractions.
Wealth of Experience
We work with some of the best guides in the business; from polar researchers to expert naturalists. All of our expedition leaders have been carefully selected for their experience, personality and in-depth wildlife knowledge.
Onboard Lectures
Your expedition leaders will host informative lectures on various local topics. These informal lectures will range from the history of the region, to the effects of climate change on the habitats of Arctic wildlife, offering you a greater understanding of the areas you will visit throughout your trip.
I had the most amazing time with NWS in Svalbard; the expedition leaders Mats and Hadleigh were great and got us really close to the wildlife and landscapes - the bear encounters were incredible (close and were able to watch them for literal hours demonstrating all sorts of behaviours), as were the opportunities to see walruses, seals, foxes and all sorts of birdlife. The ship was awesome, the open bridge policy was great and the crew were all lovely to chat to. The regular app updates on flight information, being able to see the travel docs etc. whilst on the boat (i.e. with no wifi) was also really useful.
The guides and Kinfish crew made the trip perfect as much as the wildlife sightings we had. The Kinfish is so unique and the crew are very special which makes this trip stand out miles above other trips. We had such amazing, interesting and down to earth wildlife guides who went above and beyond for everyone. The bespoke combination of exclusivity and uniqueness of this is what makes the trip really stand out from the rest. The access to the wildlife is second to none and you do really feel like you are having the same access as the professional documentary makers receive.
Gemma and Chloe were both excellent for helping me to book this trip! Our guides, Hadleigh and Mats, were knowledgeable, kind, and engaged throughout our trip. Their expertise was the key to our incredible wildlife encounters which made for a truly once in a lifetime trip. We'd love to travel again, the combination of pre-trip planning, great communication right before and during the trip, fantastic expedition accommodation, wildlife, wildlife and more wildlife was great!
Our destination specialist, Gemma, was terrific! Gemma - and her colleague Chloe - were always quick to respond to our inquiries and provided very helpful information. We are very grateful they alerted the Polarfront crew (especially chef) to our need for a gluten-free diet. We didn't know what "muck boots" were and Gemma helped us figure out how to equip ourselves. Ten stars for Gemma! We had a great trip! Our guides, Hadleigh Measham and Mats Forsberg were phenomenal guides. They figured out the best daily plans given the weather and then the outlook for wildlife sightings. They said we were very lucky to have seen so many polar bears and cubs, plus great interactions with walruses and polar bears. But we know it was more than luck. They knew where to go to maximize wildlife viewings. They also kept us safe from polar bears. We also appreciated their knowledge when we visited historical sites. The NWS app is great! Kudos also to the terrific Polarfront team. The food was innovative, delicious, and tantalizing at all meals. Chief Stewart, Lydia, was so welcoming and helpful. The Captain was informative and friendly. The whole crew took on the immense challenge of anchor problems with an amazing team effort that was amazing to watch. Just a great job by everyone which made for a fabulous trip! We really appreciated the organization and attention to details of the NWS team. The App is great. Each member - from Gemma and Chloe to everyone on the Polarfront - was top-notch. A really impressive group all around.
Everything about the trip exceeded our expectations - which were pretty high to begin with! Great experience! We'd love to travel again as the destination suggestions and choices are great, as are the planning and execution of our trips. Everyone at NWS is a pleasure to work with.
