Svalbard Arctic Adventure - Polar Summer

Begin your adventure in Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard archipelago, which lies on the island of Spitsbergen. If you're taking the group transfer, you are met at the airport by a representative and transferred to the hotel. Around 6pm, say hei to your fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead from our representative.

Then enjoy a warm Svalbard welcome with a group dinner at the stylish hotel restaurant, Nansen, which serves classic Nordic cuisine. Want more time in Longyearbyen? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Upgrade to a superior or junior-suite room today – speak to your sales representative for more details. Stay: Radisson Blu Polar Hotel (or similar) (D).

Meet an eager team of well-trained huskies this morning, heading into Advent Valley on wheeled carts – a chance to enjoy the thrill of dogsledding outside the winter season. After being equipped with warm outer layers and receiving an introduction to handling the sleds, we help harness the dogs and set off behind our guide. The route follows the valley towards the old Northern Lights research station. Our local guide knows the wildlife hotspots here, so keep an eye out for Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes and seasonal birdlife.

Several short stops allow the dogs to drink before we continue deeper into Endalen, eventually circling past the old Gruve 5 Mine. At 3pm, we step inside the local coal-mining history, exploring Taubanesentralen, Longyearbyen's former cableway central. Preserved since the 1980s, this striking landmark – once the core of Svalbard's coal transport system − provides a fascinating insight into how coal once moved from valley mines to the harbour.

The machinery remains in place, and the building's hillside position provides a magnificent view across Adventdalen, Adventfjorden, and the town below. Upgrade to a superior or junior-suite room today – speak to your sales representative for more details. Stay: Radisson Blu Polar Hotel (or similar) (B).

Embark on a four-hour hike with an ascent to the mountain ridge of Blomsterdalshøgda (1,050ft/320m). The first stretch crosses soft tundra, where our local guide identifies hardy Arctic plants – also keep an eye out for the gentle Svalbard reindeer that often graze here. As the path becomes rockier and steeper, we follow their line to the summit for a clear view over Adventfjorden (Advent Bay) and the mountains carved by centuries of ice. On the way back, we look for ptarmigan and, with luck, Arctic fox among the boulders before returning towards Longyearbyen.

En route, we pause at Global Seed Vault, built deep inside the mountainside. Although the vault is closed to visitors, our guide explains how this remarkable facility safeguards crop seeds from around the world for long-term preservation – an intriguing glimpse into global conservation in one of the most remote corners of the Arctic. At 3pm, we walk 20 minutes to the historic mining house of Huset.

At this mid-20th-century gathering place, which has served as everything from post office to cinema, we learn how it shaped community life in Longyearbyen, before sampling Arctic-inspired bites paired with alcohol-free drinks crafted by a sommelier. Upgrade to a superior or junior-suite room today – speak to your sales representative for more details. Stay: Radisson Blu Polar Hotel (or similar) (B).

Board a hybrid-electric catamaran (designed to minimise disturbance to wildlife) for a full-day excursion, with a light lunch included, journeying through the Isfjord towards Billefjorden and the glacier front of Nordenskiöldbreen. Early in the season, parts of the fjord may still be edged with ice; when conditions allow, the crew switches to silent electric propulsion so we can travel quietly along the ice edge, a prime area for spotting Arctic wildlife such as seals, walruses, Brünnich's guillemots, Atlantic puffins, and maybe a polar bear in the distance.

We admire the wide blue wall of Nordenskiöldbreen and glide past the bay of Skansbukta. Weather permitting, we also view Pyramiden from afar, an abandoned Soviet mining town frozen in time. A warm soup is served on board, where you can also find a café and a bar. The end of the afternoon is free for you to relax or explore Longyearbyen. Upgrade to a superior or junior-suite room today – speak to your sales representative for more details. Stay: Radisson Blu Polar Hotel (or similar) (B/L).

Transfer to the harbour for a private fjord safari through Isfjord (2hr 30min). Travelling in a sturdy Polarcirkel boat, and provided with the appropriate equipment (goggles, life jacket and overalls), we explore sites that reflect Svalbard's complex past, from former Norwegian and Soviet coal operations to bird cliffs alive with activity in May-July. Hot drinks are served on board. If conditions allow, we land at Hiorthhamn, a short-lived mining settlement now preserved in the tundra landscape.

Returning to our hotel, there is time for lunch before we journey into the island's essential mining past as we visit Coal Mine 3. At the mine, we put on helmets and headlamps before walking through the old tunnels with an expert guide who shares stories of daily life for miners in Svalbard. Deep within the mountain, we experience total darkness – a powerful moment that helps explain the realities of working underground in such a remote Arctic environment.

This evening, we drive (approximately 20 minutes) into the quiet Advent Valley for a wilderness evening at Camp Barentz. Framed by mountains, the camp serves homemade reindeer bidos (a traditional Sámi stew), campfire coffee and dessert. After dinner, we gather around the open fire in the cabin as our hosts share stories of life in the High Arctic, alongside insights into the polar bear – the region's most famous resident. Upgrade to a superior or junior-suite room today – speak to your sales representative for more details. Stay: Radisson Blu Polar Hotel (or similar) (B/D).

You've steered huskies through Advent Valley, stepped inside Svalbard's mining heritage, and journeyed across the Isfjord to one of the archipelago's impressive glaciers, but now it's time to begin your return journey home. Alternatively, if you'd like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our range of extension options (B).