Christmas in the polar night - Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen

Can you think of a better place to celebrate Christmas than a snow-covered island in the arctic? Where you can experience wildlife from your doorstep. ​​​​​We have tailored a six-day Christmas adventure for you, your family and friends. A week filled with winter activities and experiences, to make sure you get a memorable vacation.

Can you think of a better place to celebrate Christmas than a snow-covered island in the arctic?
Where you can experience wildlife from your doorstep. ​​​​​We have tailored a six-day Christmas adventure for you, your family and friends. A week filled with winter activities and experiences, to make sure you get a memorable vacation.

Day 1: 
Welcome to Longyearbyen! At arrival, we recommend using the airport bus to Basecamp Hotel. Tickets are sold onboard, payment by cash or card. The bus leaves when everybody has received their luggage and it is approximately 6 km to Longyearbyen and Basecamp Hotel. Once settled in your hotel room, our reception host will help you with a map of Longyearbyen. Let us give you the best advice for an afternoon to get familiar with your hometown for the holiday. We are also there to help out booking a dinner reservation at one of the many restaurants in Lonyearbyen.

Day 2: 
Start out with a delicious breakfast at our Traveller’s Club. Maybe you still have some Christmas gifts to buy? Explore some of the cosy shops, which provides local hand craft at taxfree prices. We also recommend a visit to Svalbard Museum for an interesting insight to the amazing Arctic culture, history and nature.

In the evening we will meet up in the reception of Basecamp Hotel and enjoy a hot cup of Trapper’s Brew before we head to Traveller’s Club where we will enjoy a 2 course Trapper’s inspired dinner. Your host will tell you stories of the harsh conditions our ancestors lived by and the tranquillity that spread when Christmas came.

Day 3:
Christmas peace has finally fallen over Longyearbyen.​Today, on Christmas Eve itself, expectations are soaring in the air. Locals join family and friends at the church for Christmas services. Also, a must according to local tradition is to put their wish list in the red mailbox at Mine 2, which in December is also known as Santa's home in Longyearbyen.

If the snow conditions are good we'll go on a 4-hour snowmobile trip in Adventdalen. We will scout for northern lights, and perhaps we are lucky enough to see reindeers looking for food on exposed parts of the tundra. All visitors in Longyearbyen are welcome to attend the Christmas service in the afternoon. Get dressed in your Christmas outfit and join us for celebrations and a delicious Christmas dinner at Polfareren restaurant this evening.

Day 4:
Merry Christmas!
The day starts with a late breakfast between 09-11 AM, where we enjoy the quiet morning hours before the afternoon is filled with crisp air and dog sledding with a headlamp, as it is total darkness 24/7 in Longyearbyen in December.

Our guide will meet you at the reception of you hotel at 12.00. We will head back to the Trapper’s Station in Bolterdalen, where our 100 friendly Alaska huskies are eagerly waiting to join you for a ride.
The guide will give you a quick introduction to dog sledding and to how you harness your own dog team. Two people will be responsible for a dog team with 6 huskies, and you will have the opportunity to be a passenger and a driver on the sled throughout the trip. The guide heads into Bolterdalen followed by the other teams and soon we'll find ourselves out in the Arctic wilderness. Well back at the Trapper’s Station, you'll have the opportunity to get to know the huskies and their different personalities - do you already have a favorite maybe?
We will have a cup of hot drinks, take some pictures and cuddle with the dogs as a thank you for the trip before we return towards the city again. Today it is Huset restaurant that will be serving Christmas Day dinner.

Day 5:
After you have enjoyed your breakfast, we get ready to go on adventures in the polar night.
The guide will meet you in the reception at 10:00 AM.
It’s important to remember to dress in several layers of warm clothing, and choose shoes with good ankle support for a hike in the snow. Before you start, you will be informed about the hike and you will be given a headlamp and snowshoes/crampons if necessary. Since the weather conditions in Svalbard can change quickly, we recommend that you bring some extra warm clothes in a small backpack and a bottle of water. The guide will give you a quick introduction on how to put on snowshoes and will choose the route of the day based on local weather and snow conditions in Longyearbyen.
A delicious expedition lunch will be served along the way and we you will be back at the hotel around 3 PM. 
For dinner, the choice is yours. Our receptionists are happy to give you recommendations.

Day 6:
Memories for life and new acquaintances are made!
This is the last day of your Christmas celebrations in the Arctic, and after breakfast, it is time to check out of the hotel.
It is time to reflect on the past year and make new plans and dreams for the year ahead. There will also be time for a final stroll around town before departure. The airport shuttle starts the round about 2 hours before departure and stops at all hotels on the way to the airport.

We wish you a safe flight home, and welcome you back for a midnight sun adventure!

As part of Basecamp Explorer Spitsbergen's efforts to be climate neutral, we are adding a CO2 and environmental investment to our overnight trips. The amount is donated in its entirety to good projects that contribute to a sustainable future at our destinations.

Can't find suitable dates or do you have special requests for your trip? Contact us at spitsbergen@basecampexplorer.com for alternative dates and tailor made adventures.