Hike, Snowmobile and Wild Camp Through Svalbard in Winter

Camping in the Arctic is a completely safe and hugely enjoyable experience with the correct preparation. Your hosts in Svalbard are expert wilderness guides, the majority of whom are originally from the island itself, and you'll be perfectly safe in their hands.

You will need to pack correctly for this trip. There are various specialist pieces of kit included in the trip cost, as well as other items available to hire when you get to Svalbard - see the Kit List on this page for a full breakdown. The other items on the kit list are important to bring along too, so perhaps do a dummy-run packing your bag a couple of weeks before the trip. Then you can buy anything that you might be missing. There will be outdoor adventure shops in Longyearbyen to plug any gaps, but items will be considerably more expensive to buy in Svalbard. Your host will run a check of everyone's preparedness for the camping expedition before heading out into the wilderness on Day 3.

The camping equipment provided is specifically designed for extremely cold conditions, to ensure everyone has a safe and comfortable few nights camping in the Arctic. The preparation and equipment will let you relax and enjoy this amazing experience.

Your guides will be carrying GPS, emergency beacons, satellite phones, first aid equipment, flare guns and rifles (rifles must be carried by law outside Longyearbyen). For concerns on polar bear safety and any ethical considerations please read the FAQs: 'What does Polar Bear Lookout entail?' and 'What about polar bears being killed by tour guides?'

Sustainable Tourism provides an economic incentive to protect, rather than exploit, vital wildlife areas. Over the years, seven national parks and 21 nature reserves have been created to protect the Svalbard archipelago.

Thankfully, the local population of polar bears and various marine species have increased and Svalbard tour operators - including your host - have worked alongside environmental groups such as the WWF and Friends of the Earth to block any unsustainable development such as new roads, mining and fossil fuel exploration. Every visitor to Svalbard also pays £15 which goes directly to an environmental protection fund to manage the protected areas.

Of course, we are aware that the flight to Svalbard is damaging to the environment and the Arctic is visibly feeling the effects of climate change. As there are currently no viable, sustainable travel alternatives available, Much Better Adventures mitigates 4 times the carbon emitted by your flight to Longyearbyen through our partnership with Cool Earth. The adventure itself - mostly self-powered activities and wilderness camping - is about as low carbon as it’s possible to get, especially when compared with the myriad cruise ships that visit Svalbard.

The only non-self-powered activity on this trip is a day onboard a snowmobile. Snowmobiling is a part of modern life in the Arctic, and for many months of the year it is the only way for locals to travel between settlements. Your host uses the most modern snowmobiles currently available in Svalbard to ensure as high an energy efficiency and noise level reduction as possible. Your journey follows a frequently used route along a valley floor leading to Tempelfjord. This limits the disturbance to wildlife by avoiding going 'off-piste'. Any local or visitor to Svalbard wanting to venture deeper into the national parks has to apply for permission to do so. Travel by snowmobile by tourists is a highly-monitored activity in order to avoid negative impacts on Svalbard's wildlife.

For more on this topic you can read our article on tourism and conservation in Svalbard, where our very own Stuart Kenny interviews Arne Kristoferson, your host for this trip and resident of Svalbard for nearly three decades.

Also, here’s how our very own co-founder Sam answered the question ‘Is it responsible?' after we launched our winter Svalbard hiking and snowmobiling tour.

Absolutely! We would advise getting in touch with a Kit Hire specialist. In the UK, you could try Expedition Kit Hire or Outdoor Hire who are usually very helpful. They are likely to be able to help you with the key items i.e. jackets, salopettes and also the boots needed - just let them know which trip you're doing and the conditions listed here so they can provide the right items.

Important: 'insulated Arctic hiking boots' are not regular hiking boots, even those hiking boots designed for winter will not suffice – you won't be able to fit double wool socks inside and they won't let your feet breathe enough. Your host recommends winter Sorel boots that have an inner felt liner - these can be found on various outdoor sites or can be hired by an expedition kit hire specialist as per the above FAQ. They are perfectly adequate for hiking in and waterproof enough for the conditions you will encounter. They are also a joy to wear as they are easy to get on and off and to layer your warm socks inside.

Each member of the group will take it in turns to look out for polar bears while the rest of the group sleeps. The experience of being on the lookout is one of the most memorable parts of the trip and has been described as "like being a crew member on a David Attenborough documentary".

You'll be given a full briefing and safety instructions and a shift roster will be developed between you all. Only one person is generally on lookout at a time. Lookout shifts are generally around two hours. However, if the group size is larger than four, you will have at least one night without needing to take a shift.

While on this trip you will be in the hands of expert wilderness guides. Your host has been operating wildlife expeditions in the area for over 25 years and has never had a close call with a polar bear. This is all down to their knowledge and expertise. There are polar bears in the area and they have come close to camp before, but the guides know exactly what to do in all cases.

Over the years there have been incidents of polar bears being killed in self defence, however, your host has been running trips across Svalbard since 1993 and has never had to kill a single bear. The guides travel with flare guns to scare bears away if they get too close, and if needed will follow this up with a warning shot from a rifle in extreme situations. You should be aware that Svalbard regulations state that firearms shall be half-loaded. The wilderness camp, meanwhile, has special storage units for food so as not to entice bears towards the camp and a perimeter tripwire that activates flares if triggered.

Your guides are also expert wilderness guides, many of whom are from Svalbard itself. They have safely led adventure travellers, scientists, filmmakers from the BBC and National Geographic photographers across the region. Their knowledge and experience means they know what to do in all situations to keep both adventurers and bears safe.

Many of the negative encounters with polar bears have occurred during excursions led by less experienced guides, particularly cruise ship-based ones, who bring guests to shore but aren't fully experienced in what to do should an encounter occur.

Our local host has also created an association for Svalbard-based guides and small travel companies that developed certification for sustainability and safety, and only recommends operators who look after the adventurers, the polar bears and the wilderness.

Yes. A driving licence is required to drive a snowmobile. If you do not have a licence then it is possible to skip the activity and have free time in Longyearbyen, or you can request to ride as a passenger with another person driving the snowmobile (please note that this is not always possible as it depends on the group size - please ask you host in advance).

The water in Longyearbyen is drinkable. At the wilderness camp you'll have a supply of water brought in, as well as the option to melt snow for drinking water. This Arctic ice water is perfectly safe to drink and super refreshing!

You can leave any excess luggage in Longyearbyen before heading to the wilderness camp. There is storage at your hotel and also at your host's secure warehouse.

Svalbard is a cash-free society – cash is not accepted and there is no bank. Only card payments are accepted, so you'll need to bring your credit and/or debit cards with you.

This trip includes locations or elevations where conditions can be extremely cold. Daytime temperatures may drop below freezing (0°C/32°F), and nights are often significantly colder. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of exposure-related issues, such as frostbite or hypothermia.

Your guide is trained to manage these risks, adapting activity intensity and monitoring group wellbeing. However, it's important to take personal responsibility – bringing the right cold-weather gear (see Kit List), staying hydrated and well-nourished, and recognising early signs of cold stress.

We recommend assessing your personal comfort and resilience in cold environments, and consulting a medical professional if you have health conditions that may be affected. Arriving early can also help you acclimatise to the colder conditions, especially if you're coming from a much warmer climate.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

You are visiting Svalbard in what they call the 'light winter', as the archipelago emerges from the months of 24-hour darkness. In March you'll have around 12-13 hours daylight and during April it doesn't get truly dark at all. In March you'll experience lows of -20ºC / -4ºF and highs of -13ºC / 9ºF, while April warms up a touch to a balmy -9ºC/16ºF.