Dog Sledding in Bolterdalen
Your guide will pick you up at the hotel and take you to the kennel which is located approximately 10 kilometers outside the town. Here, close to 300 eager huskies are waiting for their next tour. Who will be the lucky ones to get on your team? Electro, Ginger, Duma or Briz? You will be equipped with an exposure suit, boots and mittens, before you help the guide to harness and prepare the dogs. The barking and howling can seem a bit chaotic, but that will change after a short while. As soon as the dogs start to run, they become completely silent. They are completely focused on pulling the sled through the snow, and you can enjoy the magical landscape around you.
The guide will drive first with two guests. The following sleds will be driven by two guests, who can swap between driving and sitting in the sled. We will follow the river bed that heads into Bolterdalen, a beautiful valley surrounded by mighty mountains. The experience is like a natural roller coaster ride, going up and down between the moraine formations.
We often see Svalbard reindeer on this tour, and sometimes even ptarmigans or polar foxes. At the moraine, we will turn our sleds and head back towards the dog yard. Once back you will be invited in for waffles and something warm to drink, and last but not least some puppy cuddles! After finishing the coffee break, you will get driven back to Longyearbyen.
Between November and January it is polar night on Svalbard – it is dark 24/7. The polar night is a very special time of the year, and dog sledding under the star-filled skies with dancing northern lights or glittering moonlight is an experience you should not miss. If the skies are clear, the contours of the beautiful Svalbard mountains will appear. If we look to the south, we might see it is a little lighter towards the horizon. It is incredible how much you actually can see, even though you've left the lights of the town behind.
From March to May is the season we call "sunny winter". After many months of darkness, the sun returns to Svalbard at the end of February and throughout the season the days become brighter and longer. In mid-April we get the midnight sun and you can enjoy the sunlight around the clock. Driving a dog sled in this season is a magical experience. The mountains in Bolterdalen are lit up by the sun and while the dogs pull you into the walley you are surrounded by unique and beautiful landscapes in all directions.