Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions
Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions
Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions
5
Adrenaline & Extreme ToursSki & Snow ToursBike ToursNature & Wildlife ToursKayaking & Canoeing
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
About
The nature in Svalbard is beautiful, majestic, attractive and demanding. An encounter with this Arctic wilderness makes an impression on people who experience it. The team at Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions AS make the conditions favourable so that you as a whole can actively take part in Svalbard nature-based adventures.
Longyearbyen, Norway
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
552 reviews
Excellent
481
Very good
44
Average
6
Poor
11
Terrible
11
Some traveller
Heidelberg, Germany3 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
We had one hiking trip and one kayak+hiking trip by Svalbard Wildlife Expedition (plus a boat trip they acted as agent for). Having booked tours with several providers we'd definitely recommend this one above all others. The routes were chosen deliberately and were very beautiful, the equipment was reliable, but above all, the guides were super friendly, adapted well to the group and clearly knew what they were doing. We learned so much about nature and living in Svalbard and loved to be with such friendly yet professional people!
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for nice feedback. Welcome back!
Written September 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vitor
12 contributions
Oct 2022
The booking of this hike was an adventure on itself, as when we were planning our adventures prior to our flight to Svalbard, the hike was available to book, but that was no longer the case when we actually tried to book it. We feared it was sold out, so we emailed the company, Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions, and their customer service was actually quite nice and responsive – they put up the hike again available for booking, and we were quite thankful for it.
As for the hike itself, we were quite fortunate and lucky to be able to do it on a nice clear day, where we were able to make the most of one of Svalbard’s last sunsets, and with a partial solar eclipse on top. We were also lucky to find a trail of fox prints on the snow, but sadly, unable to come across the elusive artic fox. However, we did spot a lone reindeer braving the cold at the top of the place.
This particular experience was also a great choice, as it promised a full day on the snow, which it delivered. It was not a technically challenging hike, full of dramatic or dangerous landscapes, and extreme elevation gains. However, the apparent safety deceives, as this was a hike in extremely negative temperatures, where our gear and clothing choices were tested to the limit (always important to know if our gear choices will work for extreme conditions….). Poor preparation or not taking the hike seriously, would probably mean we would be exposed to a more severe outcome on this apparent easy hike, and having to drop out of such a nice experience.
The hike guide was also excellent, and she excelled in guiding us through the hike the entire time, looking after us all and always having a nice word for any of our questions. Sadly, I can’t recall her name correctly (Kaisa? Kaysa?), but she was a really great guide.
She was really patient with all the questioning the entire time, and she really did show that she cared about what she did, and that she loved what she was doing. It made the hike much more pleasant, knowing that we were in such good hands… and paws too, as she brought her dog, Gandy, along for the hike – it was an added element of fun for the day.
All in all, I was really please by the choice we made for this particular hike. The customer service pre-hike worked well, and the guide for this particular hike was really knowledgeable and a pleasant company the entire hike, looking after us the entire time. The drive back to the hotel also felt like the day was really full, and everyone was just tired for the long day. It was quiet, and good moment for chilling and contemplating the views of the place, making the most of the last moments of daylight before their polar night. It was a special day, and these are the moments we are chasing when travelling.
As for the hike itself, we were quite fortunate and lucky to be able to do it on a nice clear day, where we were able to make the most of one of Svalbard’s last sunsets, and with a partial solar eclipse on top. We were also lucky to find a trail of fox prints on the snow, but sadly, unable to come across the elusive artic fox. However, we did spot a lone reindeer braving the cold at the top of the place.
This particular experience was also a great choice, as it promised a full day on the snow, which it delivered. It was not a technically challenging hike, full of dramatic or dangerous landscapes, and extreme elevation gains. However, the apparent safety deceives, as this was a hike in extremely negative temperatures, where our gear and clothing choices were tested to the limit (always important to know if our gear choices will work for extreme conditions….). Poor preparation or not taking the hike seriously, would probably mean we would be exposed to a more severe outcome on this apparent easy hike, and having to drop out of such a nice experience.
The hike guide was also excellent, and she excelled in guiding us through the hike the entire time, looking after us all and always having a nice word for any of our questions. Sadly, I can’t recall her name correctly (Kaisa? Kaysa?), but she was a really great guide.
She was really patient with all the questioning the entire time, and she really did show that she cared about what she did, and that she loved what she was doing. It made the hike much more pleasant, knowing that we were in such good hands… and paws too, as she brought her dog, Gandy, along for the hike – it was an added element of fun for the day.
All in all, I was really please by the choice we made for this particular hike. The customer service pre-hike worked well, and the guide for this particular hike was really knowledgeable and a pleasant company the entire hike, looking after us the entire time. The drive back to the hotel also felt like the day was really full, and everyone was just tired for the long day. It was quiet, and good moment for chilling and contemplating the views of the place, making the most of the last moments of daylight before their polar night. It was a special day, and these are the moments we are chasing when travelling.
Written November 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
betterlatethannever4
Los Angeles, CA3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
My wife, sister and I did a hike and exploration of the ice cave with Mirko and Nikoli. Expedition was fantastic and enjoyed pushing ourselves a bit further into the cave and doing a bit of ice climbing which other tour operators do not do. Mirko and Nikoli were both professional, personable and clearly had the experience to know what they were doing. Mirko was also particularly patient helping us climb back out of the cave (my wife was the only one truly able to do it without significant help lol).
Thanks Mirko and Nikoli for the great time and memories, we hope to be able to be back in the future!
Thanks Mirko and Nikoli for the great time and memories, we hope to be able to be back in the future!
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for nice feedback.
We will inform the guides :-)
Written February 29, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Luca T
Spinea, Italy4 contributions
Mar 2020
We booked with them two different activities: the Hike to Sacrofagen and the Hike and Climb Ice Cave challenge. The first one effectively last around 4 hours, the second around 7 and half. The guides were well prepared and confident, no excessive risks have been perceived to be taken and the pace was adapted to the capacity of all the participants. The Ice cave challenge was pretty tough but definitely worth the effort! Thank you guys, we will come back for sure for more adventures with you!! 100% Satisfied and Recommended
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pedro Medeiros
40 contributions
Feb 2021 • Solo
I did the tour up to Platåfjellet with Martin and Tequila today. It was a full group (8). The problem with this kind of tours is that everyone has a different pace... Half the group was Norwegian and the other half was not Norwegian. The Norwegian people went quickly up the mountain while the others stayed a bit behind, including me. But the guide was very welcoming and considerate and provided for a very safe and enjoyable trip for everyone. It was fun and in the end, Martin suggested to go to Svalbard gallery when we passed by it and I also enjoyed my visit there a lot. Amazing views from the tour and good organization from the company. Highly recommended!
Written February 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Togland
Oslo, Norway1 contribution
Apr 2019 • Couples
We had a great adventure to the East Coast with Mirko as our guide. Mirko wanted us to experience the best of the East Coast and see ice bears, but at the same time showed great respect for the wildlife and nature. We learned a lot and had a super time together!
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for positive feedback! I'll forward to guide Mirko :-)
Written February 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
David Erdal M
2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We did the blomsterdalshøgda hike with the seed vault.
When starting, both my gf and I got cramp-ons so dull that we could barely walk, they were so slippery. Felt like ice skating, but ice skating on a steep incline is not much fun. Previously, wearing our own $5 cramp-ons from amazon we were completely fine walking on even pure ice. The guide admitted that the cramp-ons were simply, accidentally, too worn out. I had to stay next to my gf for the whole hike to catch her in case she slips because of them, which was never a problem on any of our other hikes before. I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of this though.
At the sunmit we had to listen to the guide endlessly talk about how global warming is affecting the fjord and how much warmer the island is now and yet, after the hike when we got to the seed vault, he had the car engine running for THE ENTIRE time we visited. Nuts. Straight up for about 15 minutes. You cannot make this up. I even politely asked him at the start if I should perhaps turn the engine off, but he told me it was better to keep it running (this is a myth that applied to cars from the carburetor era 30 years ago, but is simply not true anymore). I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of these though.
The guide simply hasn't learned to wrap a sentence up. I'm very interested in everything local and usually ask a ton of questions, but our guide had single sentence answers so long that I had to stop asking because his answer breaks were so long that the whole group was freezing from being stationary for 15 minutes at a time listening to him. I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of these though.
A few days later we did the Trollsteinen hike and there was a booklet to write our names in at the summit. So chatting to our guide he asked if we also wrote our name in the book in Blomsterdalen.
?!?!
Turns out, there was a book at the summit of Blomsterdalen too that our guide didn't tell us about even though we had to listen to him blabber on for 2 hours?!?
Totally useless in every respect.
When starting, both my gf and I got cramp-ons so dull that we could barely walk, they were so slippery. Felt like ice skating, but ice skating on a steep incline is not much fun. Previously, wearing our own $5 cramp-ons from amazon we were completely fine walking on even pure ice. The guide admitted that the cramp-ons were simply, accidentally, too worn out. I had to stay next to my gf for the whole hike to catch her in case she slips because of them, which was never a problem on any of our other hikes before. I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of this though.
At the sunmit we had to listen to the guide endlessly talk about how global warming is affecting the fjord and how much warmer the island is now and yet, after the hike when we got to the seed vault, he had the car engine running for THE ENTIRE time we visited. Nuts. Straight up for about 15 minutes. You cannot make this up. I even politely asked him at the start if I should perhaps turn the engine off, but he told me it was better to keep it running (this is a myth that applied to cars from the carburetor era 30 years ago, but is simply not true anymore). I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of these though.
The guide simply hasn't learned to wrap a sentence up. I'm very interested in everything local and usually ask a ton of questions, but our guide had single sentence answers so long that I had to stop asking because his answer breaks were so long that the whole group was freezing from being stationary for 15 minutes at a time listening to him. I wasn't going to write a bad review just because of these though.
A few days later we did the Trollsteinen hike and there was a booklet to write our names in at the summit. So chatting to our guide he asked if we also wrote our name in the book in Blomsterdalen.
?!?!
Turns out, there was a book at the summit of Blomsterdalen too that our guide didn't tell us about even though we had to listen to him blabber on for 2 hours?!?
Totally useless in every respect.
Written October 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi David, thank you for the review. First of all we are sorry that the hike to Blomsterdalshøgda did not live up to your expectations.
Regarding the spikes you used on the hike we will now go through all of them and change out the pairs that are worn out. Of course they should be useful even on the ice layer we have at the moment, so thank you for this heads up. Safety is our first priority so this will be fixed ASAP.
Also I will have a talk with the guide about letting the car running like you write in your review. We as a company wish to have the smallest possible impact on the environment as possible, therefor this is not how we normally do this or how it should be done.
The rest of your feedback I will take with me to the guide of this trip so we and the guide can learn from this feedback. We always try to do our best and will try our best to learn from this as well.
We hope you enjoyed your hike to Trollsteinen and the rest of your stay.
Written October 30, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cathrine JH
Copenhagen, Denmark1 contribution
Feb 2020 • Couples
We just got back from the best day with randonne ski trip to Trollsteinen. A beautiful trip with magic scenery and our guide Mirko was the best. He made us feel safe, warm and happy all the way to the top and back. We recommend everybody that visits Svalbard to go to Trollsteinen with Mirko at Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions!
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for great feedback, and welcome back to Svalbard!
Written March 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jay K
4 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
My partner and I did three activities with Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions: (i) two hiking; and (ii) ice cave. We enjoyed all the activities, although it was cold outside. Our guides, Felix and Martin, were extremely professional & friendly and took care of clients who were not use to the cold weather. In one of the hiking, we saw the daylight northern light, which you could also watch in Svalbard. We would highly recommend Svalbard Wildlife Expeditions. Many thanks, Felix and Martin.
Written January 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review! We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed your hikes with both of guides. Sounds like you got the most out of your time here on Svalbard. We hope that you want to come back and explore more of what Svalbard have to offer.
Written January 9, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JessicaS31
Lier Municipality, Norway84 contributions
May 2021
A hike to the ice cave. It is exactly what they describe it, if you are not in good shape reconsider your choice. We had an amazing guide Niclas, who had lots of information about everything we asked and went to. He took a good tempo and we were the only ones which made it even better. First we were picked up at the hotel, took a short tour to the building and good some equipment. There is even the possibility to rent some equipment for 100 nok if you don.t have your own. The other guide took us with Niklas to Nybyen from where the tour starts. It was a solid 1,5 hour-2 hour walk up. We got some ice shoes which gave us good grip. The weather was amazing and the ice cave, well just experience it yourself... Incredible. This was one of our highlights on our trip to Svalbard. I don,t think you can do this trip with claustrofobia, so don`t just try it out, the entrance can be quite small. The shame is for the inside. For us it was not a problem at all. Highly recommend!
Written May 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks a lot for nice feedback :-) And the river at summertime makes ice cave changing every year.
Welcome back.
Written June 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I’m looking for a full day tour for 4 on 25 August 2023. Would love to do a wildlife tour. We will be arriving on the Viking Neptune 8 am.
Written July 27, 2023
Hello ..two people visiting Svalbard in Feb or early march ..chances to see wildlife?We can adjust trip as per the probability
Thnx
Written December 5, 2018
You haven't specified what you mean with wildlife, but I'll try to provide an answer anyway. You'll most likely see Svalbard reindeer, they are wild but not very shy and they can typically be found close to tow. Polar foxes are also quite easy to encounter if you are up early or late and take a trip out of town (foxes are nocturnal animals). With respect to polar bears, they are very rarely encountered close to Longyearbyen. Whenever that happens, the government will chase them away so they don't pose a threat to the population. There is a possibility to see them if you take a long snowmobile tour to the east coast but to get close the best chance to spot them is probably to go on a longer boat cruise.
Written December 5, 2018
We're thinking of visiting Svalbard in January ..is there any chance of seeing a polar bear?
Written November 10, 2018
It's fully dark 24/7 in January so if you see one, it's probably the last thing you'll ever see. In spring/summer when it's light, it's still very very unlikely to see one in Longyearbyen. However, if you take a boat trip out to Barentsburg or Pyramiden (or up to the north which is much more expensive) it's not unlikely. Apart from the polar bears I couldn't recommend Svalbard enough although January probably isn't the best time to go (apart from the northern lights perhaps).
Written November 10, 2018
Me and my husband are planning to be in svalbard on September 6th, 7th and 8th. We would love to go for a wilderness camp with kayaking and wildlife. Look forward to your recommendations. Thanks
Written June 10, 2018
Hello,
the best option is to visit our website and have a look at all the possibilities.
Olena
Written June 27, 2018
Hej
Jag planerar ett besök till svalbard .
Jag behöver ta lite fina foton på pyramiden helst med lite norrsken i bakgrunden till en kommande bok.
Hur ordnar jag detta enklast??
mvh thomas
Mora Flygfoto
Written March 24, 2018
hallo,is deze tour te boeken in december en wat is de prijs? Voor 1 persoon
Written November 5, 2017
wildfreed0m
Tromso, Norway
What is recommended for the middle of october? Is it possible to do kayaking?
Written September 11, 2017
I'm planning a trip to Tromso and Svalbard next August. I'd like to book a wildlife expedition in the Svalbard area. Can you recommend some options?
Thanks
Written December 3, 2016
Great news, shrcrn! We will recommend our Wilderness Camp in Ymerbukta. Please read more at Wildlife.no.
Welcome to Svalbard!
Written January 12, 2017
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