Wildlife Kayak Tour to Hiorthamn

Your guide will pick you up at the hotel and drive you to a kayak storage close to the sea. Here you will get your personal kayak equipment for the day. We continue down to the beach, where you will be given kayaking instructions and a safety briefing. Then we start the tour!

We paddle at a comfortable pace, about 3 km towards Hiorthamn. Along the way, we will take several breaks, and the guide will tell many interesting stories both about history and life in Longyearbyen today. Maybe you will spot a bird or two bobbing in the water, as you slowly paddle past them. When sitting in a kayak, you have a wonderful and unique perspective, as you sit so close to the surface of the water.

Once we arrive in Hiorthamn, we go ashore and explore the local area. You will be surprised how much history this place has. Hiorthamn was formerly a mining town, established in 1917. You can still see the entrance to the mine, which is located approximately 500 meters up in Hiortfjellet (the "Hiort Mountain"). Around the beach we often see Svalbard reindeer grazing in the summer grass. We also pick up some garbage with us if we find some. The many ocean currents bring a shocking amount of waste from all corners of the world – something that does not belong in the untouched Arctic nature of Svalbard.

We then enjoy a traditional Arctic lunch at the beach. Hot drinks, such as coffee and tea, are of course included as well. After the break, we head back to town, and the guide will drop you off at your hotel.