spitsbergen travel

We at Spitsbergen Travel are sorry to hear that you had problems with your flights due to bad weather. This is a very unfortunate situation and we understand that you are disappointed to not have reached Spitsbergen. Due to our responsibility to our suppliers, many of which are family owned businesses, we are required to have cut-off dates for cancellation of activities. The Norwegian travel authorities recommend that all visitors take out travel insurance appropriate to their planned itinerary, in order to reduce out of pocket expenses in case of the unexpected. This advice is also given by the Norwegian Embassy in Lisbon (www.noruega.org.pt/Travel/touristinfo/#.VP72kY6mmVo). We hope you will have the opportunity to visit this fantastic area on a future trip.

We are so sorry to hear that you felt that our team did not take your situation seriously, and wish to extend a sincere apology for this. While the regulations connected to strike-effected passengers are not always easy, what is clear is that the booking airline is responsible for getting guests to their booked destination, and as there were tickets available on alternative flights for quite some time your airline should have rebooked you onto these so that you could enjoy your trip. Spitsbergen Travel has a responsibility to our suppliers, and as such we need to look into all special situations individually. I hope thatyou will forward your booking confirmation to us on info@spitsbergentravel.no, so that we can look into this for you as soon as possible.

This was a really great day! We did our trip on 19th February and were in 2 groups with 3 guides between us. On the way to Barentsburg our group of 9 were led by Vegard. He was fantastic! Really encouraging for nervous first time drivers and clearly very experienced. On the way back we travelled as one group and special thanks to Jonathan for pulling our snowmobile out of some water. The trip took much longer than the 8-9 hours billed due to conditions and throughout all 3 guides were great and handled all situations smoothly and professionally. This is not a 'trip' in the relaxed sense, it is a real adventure, the scenery and surroundings are stunning and it was wonderful to see reindeer (at a distance). Not easy, it is challenging, or certainly to us coming from a city way of life.Crucial is having enough warm gear in layers under the suit, boots and gloves that are provided (along with helmet). We had foot and hand warmers which worked on exposure to air or when shaken, depending on brand, and they were really good especially for passengers who don't benefit from the warmed handlebars of the snowmobile.

Although we couldnt finish the trip to elveneset due to the weather conditions it was a great adventure and unforgettable memories we had . During the trip the hot cocktail was delicious. But i forgot its name. Thanks Alex our tour guide.i recommend spitzbergen travel everyone.

Fair enough - but where is the hospitality and the small extra? At the negative part - they first of all promote their own activities - and hardly assist if you have other wishes. They don't show up at your arrival. you are to yourself in a world you have never before experienced.The positive side - the know Longyearbyen and Svalbard very well - through the year. They are serious in what they do. I do wish that they could have been some more creative outside their own activities!

I contacted this office from Canada asking them questions and for help in making arrangements. I was helped by Mia Mannström who was fabulous and arranged a dog sledding excursion for me.

I used Spitsbergen travel to book 2 tours for my June trip to Spitsbergen. First trip was cruise to Piramiden which happened without problems and was quite enjoyable.Another trip was photo safari. Here is where things went wrong. I arrived at the reception of Spitsbergen Guesthouse to find out that the trip is cancelled. I was told that Spitsbergen travel tried to contact me by phone (and it was indeed unknown phone call at 11:15 that day but no voicemail was left). Bottom line - I was told that my tour is cancelled too late for me to book alternate tour (which still is within their cancellation policy - which basically states that tour can be cancelled at any time). In my opinion, for a place that is ~1500 miles away and is not exactly Paris where one can entertain oneself even not on the organized tour, cancelling the tour at the day of travel is absolutely unacceptable and leaves traveller stranded in Longyearbyen without anything to do.To their credit, once I sent an email to them, I received reply from their CEO with apologies and I received refund - but this did not cover the fact I spent a day there without anything to do. They also promised to send some merchandise to compensate for the incident but nothing arrived more than one month since.Bottom line: when booking with Spitsbergen Travel make sure you understand their cancellation policy - that is that your tour can be cancelled at any time; be proactive and visit/call their office day before to enquire whether the tour is still running; and in worst case have a "plan B" to explore on your own if tour will still be cancelled.Bottom line - when they operate it is very good. When they don't, it is unacceptable - resultant rating 3.

We decided late on to take a short trip to Spitsbergen during our stay in Tromso. The people at Spitsberge travel were very helpful indeed, providing information and making the arrangements for us.The realities of flights meant that we would arrive mid-evening on Saturday and leave mid-afternoon on Sunday, so we needed to fit in all that we could in a short space of time.Spitsbergen Travel arranged for us to be picked up by an English-speaking taxi driver at the airport (he was a retired air traffic controller) and given a two hour tour. Despite being warned that our driver would conform strictly to the two hour limit, he actually looked after us for about two and a half hours at no extra charge, taking us to our accommodation, helping us with our bags and introducing us to the island.Our driver could not do enough for us and was always offering to take photos of us and make additional stops. We could not have had a better guide.As our preferred dog-sledding trip was fully booked, they arranged us an alternative trip in the Adventdalen Valley. This was pure gold.All in all they did a superb job for us and even offered to arrange our flights too.

We took the "Maxi taxi" tour to mine #7 and the Seed Vault. Finn was a great driver talking all the way as we spent two hours together wandering the countryside. He was very accommodating to stop for photo ops...we saw reindeer in the fields and sled dogs at work along the roadways. We drove up a switch back to the entrance to mine #7... A working coal mine with spectacular views of the fjord and glaciers. Finn shared his vast knowledge as we drove. The International Seed Vault is something you see from the outside only but it is quite remarkable and great views again. It was a nice way to get to know more about the area.

I decided to visit Svalbard at the last minute and grabbed a flight from Tromø. I was in Longyearbyen for 4 days in August and booked 3 tours with Spitsbergen Travel soon after arriving. I was travelling on a budget and was not on one of those circle island cruises, but was keen to see more of Svalbard than just Longyearbyen. If you check the website you can check out the full range of what is on offer in Summer and Winter. I did one excursion per day - the fossil safari (1195 Nok - half day), Barentsburg cruise (1550 Nok - full day) and Husky Sledge (890 Nok - half day). The fossil hunt trip was the best - you are kitted out in inflatable suits, gloves and hats - and taken out in a small group in zodiac boats. The boat ride wasn't very bumpy - they warn people it could hurt your back - but it is pretty thrilling so you forget such things. It is great when puffins are flying alongside you. When you reach shore you are given hammers & goggles and can keep any fossils you find. I found a few, they are crumbly so take care looking after them on the ride back.The full day cruise to Barentsburg was a chance to see another settlement besides Longyearbyen. Suddenly you are in a little piece of Russia - with the Cyrillic alphabet everywhere and even a statue of Lenin in town. You also get taken to the head of the Esmark Glacier. Highlight was seeing a Polar Bear - or Ice Bear as they call them here. It was a long way off but the captain of the ship keeps a keen look out.I didn't know what to expect with the dog sledding given that there was no snow. My group of 6 ended up in a crazy wheeled wagon, pulled by 12 adorable dogs. You are pulled along a road which runs down Adventdalen - just outside Longyearbyen. There is a coffee break and change of dogs before you head back to town.I would recommend any of these tours - I stayed in the Nyhaven Guesthouses just out of town and found I could easily book the trips and got picked up from my hotel on each occasion.

Thank you so much for sharing your review of our Spitsbergen Isfjorden Kayak Expedition here on Tripadvisor. We are so glad to hear that you had such an enjoyable trip, and will also alert Stephane to this review. We hope to welcome you back to Spitsbergen again in the future.

We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the Isfjordsafari to von Post, and thank you for sharing your comments here. We hope to see you back on Spitsbergen in the future!

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. We will be sure to pass along your comments, and hope to welcome you back to Spitsbergen in the future.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post a review of our tours here. We will pass your comments along to our team and especially the sightseeing guide, who I know will be glad to hear that you enjoyed his trip.

We booked our flight and hotel via Spitsbergen Travel, and also made arrangements for a dog sledge tour. The staff at the travel agency gave good service. Might be good if the answering machine told when the office is closed, such as at new year and Christmas holidays.