Guide · Costs

Svalbard polar bear tour cost, from walks to snowmobiles

What a day in polar bear country costs from Longyearbyen, what you get for the money on snow and on water, and how to add up a group budget before booking.

Check availabilityfrom $718 · free to cancel

Editorial team, svalbardpolarbeartour.comUpdated October 16, 20267 minutes to read12 sources

The tour that goes with it Svalbard: Snowmobile to Van Mijenfjorden 8 hoursSmall group, max. 10Pickup included from$718per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Prices at a glance

01Snowmobile day: This site's 8-hour trip starts from $718.
02Ice cave: A 3.5-hour snowmobile trip starts from $476.
03Boat day: A 6-hour Arctic boat trip starts from $378.
04On foot: A 5-hour wildlife walk starts from $249.
05Low budget: A town walking tour starts from $84.

What a Svalbard polar bear tour costs

The Svalbard polar bear tour cost depends far more on how you travel than on any promise of a bear, and no tour on Svalbard is built around finding one.¹ What you pay for is a guided day in polar bear country: a vehicle or a boat, fuel, a guide who carries polar bear protection outside town, and often pickup from your hotel.² Prices on this page are from-prices and change with the date and the seats left.

Snowmobile days sit at the top of the day-trip range. The trip this site books, a snowmobile day from Longyearbyen into Reindalen and towards Van Mijenfjorden, lasts 8 hours and starts from $718 per person, in a group of at most 10. A 7-hour snowmobile adventure with an ice cave starts from $686. A shorter ice cave trip by snowmobile takes 3.5 hours and starts from $476.

Boat days in summer cost less per trip but still reflect the remote setting and the small groups. A 6-hour Arctic boat trip with a glacier and wildlife starts from $378. A 9-hour boat day to Pyramiden and a glacier starts from $503. A 1.5-hour scenic cruise from Longyearbyen is the cheapest way onto the water, from $121. Shorter trips suit a first look at the fjord before a longer day.

Booking

From booking to the day out

When you book

Reserve, pay later

The snowmobile day lets you reserve now and pay later.
Up to 24 hours before

Free cancellation

Cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before.
On the day

Pickup

Pickup from your accommodation is included.
Before you ride

Safety briefing

A safety briefing is part of the trip.
Out on the snow

8 hours

The whole trip lasts 8 hours with a guide.

What the snowmobile day includes

The snowmobile day booked through this site lists pickup from your accommodation, a safety briefing, the snowmobile ride and a guide as its inclusions, with live guiding in English, Italian and Spanish. You can drive your own snowmobile or share one with a friend, and no previous snowmobile experience is needed. A valid driving licence is required to drive, and drivers must be 18 or over.

Bring warm clothing, snow clothing and winter sports gear, as the listing asks. Those are things you may already own or can rent in Longyearbyen, and they are worth factoring into your budget if you are travelling light. Check the listing on GetYourGuide for the latest details before you book, and ask the operator about anything that is not clear, from equipment to the exact start time.

The booking terms add flexibility. Payment can wait until after you book, and cancelling is free until 24 hours ahead of departure. The listing has no reviews yet, which is normal for a new product, and the operator may adjust the route for weather, snow and ice conditions. That kind of change is part of Arctic travel and does not change what the price includes, from the pickup to the guide.

From-prices

Day trips from Longyearbyen by price

price

$718 Snowmobile dayPyramiden boat: $503 $503 Pyramiden boatIce cave trip: $476 $476 Ice cave tripArctic boat trip: $378 $378 Arctic boat tripWildlife walk: $249 $249 Wildlife walkTown walk: $84 $84 Town walk

From-prices on GetYourGuide; the price for your date may differ.

Prices compared

Guided trips from Longyearbyen by from-price

Trip	Duration	Group	Price
Snowmobile to Van Mijenfjorden	8 hrs	max. 10	from $718
Snowmobile and ice cave	7 hrs	max. 8	from $686
Ice cave by snowmobile	3.5 hrs	max. 4	from $476
Pyramiden and glacier by boat	9 hrs	max. 8	from $503
Arctic boat, glacier and wildlife	6 hrs	max. 8	from $378
Wildlife safari on foot	5 hrs	max. 8	from $249
Scenic cruise	1.5 hrs	open	from $121
Town walking tour	2.5 hrs	open	from $84

From-prices and group limits as listed on GetYourGuide.

Price bands

Budget, mid-range and top end

Longyearbyen: Wildlife Safari & Slow Hiking Photography Tour

Budget

Wildlife walk

On foot near town

Price: from $249
Duration: 5 hrs
Rating: 4.65

Check price

Longyearbyen: Arctic Boat Tour with Glacier & Wildlife

Mid-range

Arctic boat trip

Glacier and wildlife

Price: from $378
Duration: 6 hrs
Rating: 4.40

Check price

Svalbard: Snowmobile to Van Mijenfjorden polar bear kingdom

Top end

Snowmobile day

Towards Van Mijenfjorden

Price: from $718
Duration: 8 hrs
Group: max. 10

Check price

Decision helper

Which budget fits your trip?

Tap what matters most

Town walking tour

From $84, 2.5 hours.

Wildlife photo tour

From $236, 3 hours.

Arctic boat trip

From $378, 6 hours.

Snowmobile day

From $718, 8 hours.

Pyramiden private tour

From $1,218, 8 hours.

Keep in mind that you should not venture out from the settlements in Svalbard without being accompanied by a professional guide from one of our local activity providers.

Visit SvalbardSource 3

Cheaper ways into polar bear country

Not every good day in Svalbard needs a snowmobile. A 5-hour wildlife safari with slow hiking and photography is rated 4.65 from 49 reviews and starts from $249. A 3-hour Arctic wildlife photo tour starts from $236, limited to 8 people. Both stay closer to town and look for reindeer, foxes and birds rather than covering long distances on snow, and both include pickup in town.

In town, a guided walking tour with a local guide starts from $84 and is rated 4.74 from 14 reviews. The historic coal mine tour at Gruve 3 has 489 reviews on GetYourGuide and starts from $146. These shorter outings make a good first day and give you a feel for Longyearbyen, its history and its weather before you commit to a long day out on the snow or the water.

Remember that walking outside the settlement on your own is not a budget option. Visit Svalbard advises visitors not to leave the settlements without a professional guide from a local activity provider.³ Residents who go out carry a firearm as protection against polar bears.⁴ The guide's protection, knowledge and communication gear are part of what every guided price pays for, and they are worth every cent of it.

Checklist

In the price or extra?

Included on the snowmobile day

Pickup from your accommodation
Safety briefing
Snowmobile ride
A local guide

Plan for yourself

Warm and snow clothing
Winter sports gear
A valid driving licence to drive
Meals and drinks in town

Cost calculator

What your trip costs your group

Pick a trip and a head count for the starting price of your whole party.

Snowmobile day8 hoursfrom $718 Arctic boat trip6 hoursfrom $378 Wildlife walk5 hoursfrom $249 Town walking tour2.5 hoursfrom $84

People 2

Total from$1,436

pp from $718

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Arctic tour costs use the lowest listed GetYourGuide price per guest at the ECB conversion rate; the final total appears when you book.

Video

A day as a tourist in the World's Northernmost Town | $$$ + Local tips | Svalbard Travel Guide

The film streams from YouTube only once you start it.

The top end: private trips and expeditions

At the top of the day-trip range sit private trips, where the group is yours alone. A private photo tour to Pyramiden with transfer lasts 8 hours and starts from $1,218. A private northern lights tour by car in the dark season starts from $233 and is rated 5.00 from 13 reviews. A private guided walking tour of Longyearbyen starts from $456 for 3 hours.

Expedition cruises are a different budget altogether. They sail for days around the islands and towards the sea ice, and their fares depend on the ship, the cabin and the season. We do not quote cruise fares on this page, since they change from line to line and year to year; ask the cruise companies directly, and compare what each voyage includes, from landings to meals and guiding.

A cruise gives you more time near the sea ice, where polar bears hunt, travel and rest.⁵ It does not change the rules: every ship must keep at least 300 meters from a bear, and 500 meters from 1 March to 30 June.⁶ ⁷ More days near the ice raise the hours you spend in bear habitat, but even then a sighting cannot be predicted, and no fare, however high, buys a guaranteed bear.⁸ Weigh that honestly before you book.

Working out the total for your trip

Start with the trips, then add the extras. A typical winter plan might combine the 8-hour snowmobile day with a shorter outing such as the town walking tour or the coal mine tour. The calculator further down adds up a starting price for your party, and remember that the price for your date can be higher or lower than the from-price shown here today. Add meals, gear rental and transfers in town to get a realistic total.

Then think about the season. Snowmobile days belong to the Sunny Winter, which Visit Svalbard dates from 1 March to 16 May.⁹ Boat days belong to the polar summer, from mid-May to late September.¹⁰ Prices, availability and what is possible change between the seasons. Plan your trip around the activity you want first and the budget second, and you will spend your money on the days that matter to you.

Finally, leave room for the weather. A trip may change its route for wind, snow or ice, and in the Arctic a spare day is often the smartest investment you can make. The free cancellation on the snowmobile day, up to 24 hours before the start, helps if your plans shift. Check the latest price on GetYourGuide before you book, as from-prices move with demand and the time of year in Svalbard.

Is a polar bear tour worth the money?

It depends on what you expect for your money. If you want a guaranteed bear, no tour on Svalbard can sell you one, and Visit Svalbard states it plainly.¹ If you want a long day in a wild, remote landscape that you can reach on a short holiday, with a guide who knows the terrain and the rules, the money buys exactly that, along with stories you will tell for years after you fly home.

The snowmobile day heads into Reindalen, the largest of the ice-free valleys on Spitsbergen, and towards Van Mijenfjorden, a national park set up to protect one of the last fjords on the west side of Svalbard with stable sea ice.¹¹ ¹² Those are landscapes you will remember for years, whether or not a bear walks across them on the day you go, and they are hard to reach any other way.

If you are unsure, start smaller. A half-day wildlife walk or a short boat trip gives you a taste of Svalbard's nature at a lower price, and you can add a longer snowmobile or boat day once you know what you enjoy. Whatever you choose, book with an operator that respects the distance rules, and treat any bear you see as a rare gift, never as a purchase.⁶ Your guide will feel the same.

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