3-day Isfjord Adventure by RIB - Grumant Arctic Travel Co.

Isfjorden's past and present. Travel through Svalbard's geological history at Festningen geotop, see massive thousand-year-old glaciers, hike to a trapper's hut, and dive into the Soviet era atmosphere in the ghost towns Grumant and Coles Bay.

The high Arctic, Svalbard, Spitsbergen island... Located midway between continental Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard is the dream of many explorers. The nature is wild and grandiose!

You will go through a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and visit the stunning bays of Isfjorden inaccessible otherwise than by an open boat such as a Polarcirkel. Visit the abandoned settlements of Grumant and Coles Bay to dig yourself into the atmosphere of the past. You will follow the traces of the famous Arctic explorers and hunters and afterwards get to catch your breath in the cosy interiors of the hotel and restaurant of the modern Russian settlement Barentsburg to get ready for cutting the sea waves further on. Admiring the gigantic glaciers that descend from the dramatic summits into the sea, hiking across valleys or canyons and passing between majestic colourful mountains. Animals, rather than human beings, inhabit this land: a wild reindeer grazing on the valley's floor, seals and walruses basking on the ice floes - in other words, the pure wilderness is concentrated in this place.

The trip is an intense experience for true adventurers!

About the tour:
- English- and Russian- speaking guides will accompany you throughout the whole tour from start to finish.
- Departures every Monday
- Small groups with no more than 6-8 persons in each group.

Included:
- Bus transfers from/to your place of accommodation (or to the airport) in Longyearbyen on Day 1 and Day 3
- Activities and boat transport by open RIB boats PolarCirkel (Barentsburg, Isfjord Radio Station, Grumant, Coles Bay, Esmark glacier, Festningen geotop)
- Accommodation according to the program (2 nights)
- Meals according to the program (2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinners, 1 beer tasting)
- Guided tours around the settlements: Barentsburg, Grumant and Coles Bay
- Visit to the husky kennel in Barentsburg
- Hiking according to the program
- Rent of survival suits from Helly Hansen and safety equipment incl. portable radio set, satellite phone, GPS-navigator, warning bacon, etc.
- Insurance covering search and rescue, evacuation costs in case of emergency

Program

Day 1.  Monday
The day starts at 8:30 when our guides will meet you, pick you up at your hotel in Longyearbyen and drive to the expedition center Russkiy Dom. You will go through the briefing prep of the safety and technique rules and will get into the special suits. We will head to the harbour to our open RIB boat to travel to Barentsburg, across the second biggest fjord of Svalbard – Isfjord. Then we will make a stop-over in a settlement "frozen in time" – Coles Bay and then Grumant which were the first Soviet coal mining settlement in Svalbard. Upon arrival to Barenstburg you will go for a guided tour around the town to hear the stories of then and now and to visit our husky kennel. Optionally, you can even try yourself as a real musher and do dog sledding on wheels. Now it's time for dinner in the brewery, restaurant and bar Red Bear where you'll taste a locally made beer brewed on glacier lake water and English malt. Overnight in the hotel in Barentsburg.

Day 2.  Tuesday
After breakfast we will have a trip by open RIB boats along picturesque shores of Isfjorden. If the weather permits, the first stop-over is possible at the cape Festningen where you will see a lighthouse close-going ships navigate by, and to have a walking tour passing by the cape Starostin to reach the coast of Russekeila bay. The place is full of history! After a picnic, we will visit a former shore radio and weather station called Isfjord radio and then head back to Barentsburg. Overnight in the hotel in Barentsburg.

Day 3.  Wednesday
This day there is an option to visit the mine of Barentsburg, an active coal mine you can view on a tour with a guide. Later on, go for the boat trip across Isfjord to explore magnificent Arctic glaciers with tall glacial walls. Get a chance to dip into the incredible ecosystem and to see it from a different angle. During the stop-over, you will see places full of history going back to hundreds of years ago. Experienced guides will prepare you with the safety and technical rules, will tell stories and depending on weather conditions serve a delicious picnic in the field before departing to Longyearbyen.  

Note! In Svalbard, weather conditions change quickly so that is why for the safety and comfort of our guests, the tour program might be changed regarding the itineraries and destinations.

For booking and details please see: www.goarctica.com/isfjord-adventure