SOVIET FOOTPRINTS ON ARCTIC SNOW
Private Tours Only • In addition to our regular group departures to the Soviet North, we to offer on-request tailored travel services for the Svalbard Archipelago, available exclusively on a private basis. Get in touch with us for more detailed information on our customised Svalbard Tours!
“This was the largest city on Svalbard, and the only one with skyscrapers. It was an old city, built over several hundreds of years. Aida had heard about the legendary skyscrapers on Svalbard ever since she was little. People talked about them with awe. The skyscrapers were just as tall as the ones in the ancient cities of New York, Toronto, and even the stunning ones in Dubai. Skilled engineers and architects had built the towering buildings to withstand the harsh winds of the Arctic Sea”
DAY 1 • Longyearbyen
Meet-and-greet at Longyearbyen Airport and introductory briefing about the region, the route and the set of rules to observe while travelling around the Svalbard Archipelago.
Short orientation and sightseeing tour around and about Longyearbyen and traditional Arctic dinner at our hotel.
Overnight in Longyearbyen.
DAY 2 • Barentsburg
Today we’ll embark on a full-day trip to Barentsburg, the second-largest settlement on Svalbard, with a population of about 470 inhabitants, almost entirely made up of former Soviet citizens.
Since 1932 the Barentsburg coal mine and the namesake settlement have been controlled by the once Soviet and now Russian mining state-enterprise Arktikugol.
This unique geopolitical status (once shared with Pyramiden and a few other mining hamlets on the archipelago) means that here you’ll feel more like back in the USSR rather than in a Scandinavian country.
Barentsburg highlights will include: the second northernmost Lenin monument on Earth (the first one being in Pyramiden), the northernmost diplomatic representation in the world (Russia still maintains a consulate here), the über-interesting Pomor Museum (mostly focussed on the obscure Pomors – early Russian settlers from Novgorod and the White Sea), a quaint wooden Orthodox church and, of course, a vast plethora of Soviet-era architectural shapes and monumental artworks.
En route to Barentsburg, we’ll also stop in Grumant and Colesbutka, two abandoned Soviet mining settlements abundant in photo opportunities for USSR-buffs and urbexers alike.
Overnight in Longyearbyen.
DAY 3 • Pyramiden
Northbound excursion to Pyramiden, an extremely remote coal mining settlement originally founded by Sweden in 1910 and then sold to the Soviet Union in 1927.
Pyramiden, whose name derives from a nearby pyramid-shaped mountain, was closed in the late 90s and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place, the cold climate preserving much of what has been left behind, including the world’s northernmost Lenin statue, a wide array of Soviet-era signs, original socialist-style apartment blocks, and a surprisingly well-functioning USSR-era hotel, wherein we will of course spend the night.
Overnight in Pyramiden.
DAY 4 • FAREWELL TO THE ARCTIC
After enjoying a last Arctic meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Longyearbyen Airport for your trip back home and/or your connection to yet another exciting Arctic destination such as Franz Josef Land or Novaya Zemlya.
You can also prolong your stay on the Svalbard Archipelago and indulge in adventurous snowmobile or dog-sledding adventures around the isles; please contact us to learn more about this option.
End of the tour.
3950 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), transportation (car/minivan/boat), all activities and entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
