Isfjord svalbard
Hiking tour at Svalbard.
Price standard cabin
price COMFORT cabin
day embarkation
time embarkation
harbor embarkation
day disembarkation
time disembarkation
harbor disembarkation
€3.150,-
€3.450,-
01-10-2025
14:00
Longyearbyen
08-10-2025
12:00
Longyearbyen
The trip
Travel through the autumnal Arctic with the expedition ship Meander in October 2025 and take advantage of this exclusive offer for an unforgettable hiking trip. Captain Mario Czock, the crew and tour guide Alexander Lembke are enthusiastic polar explorers who have been planning and carrying out boat trips in and around Spitsbergen for many years.
In October 2025, they have planned a hiking trip where you can experience the varied landscapes and diverse light moods in the fjords, valleys and mountain peaks of the Isfjord during the hikes. Participants travel in a small group and take their time to follow the light, perhaps discovering unknown places or simply observing a glacier in the evening light. During the trip, the Meander will be your home and we will plan our route through the Isfjord in the best possible way according to the weather conditions. Sailing is also possible in favourable wind conditions.
Hiking Isfjord
The side fjords of Isfjord, Svalbard’s largest fjord system, offer countless opportunities for hiking and activities. With a small hiking group (max. 12 participants) we set off on extended tours through glacial valleys at the beginning of October, enjoy wide views from mountain peaks and explore tundra and fjords. The focus is on hiking, but other activities such as glacier trips, nature observation from the boat or a campfire on the beach in good weather are also possible. During the hikes, the focus is on discovering and experiencing and the impressions that we want to collect along the way and for which we take time.
As a rule, we travel as a group and assume that all participants are enthusiastic hikers. Of course, photo equipment is part of a Spitsbergen trip, but it should be as transportable as possible. This tour is aimed at participants who are looking forward to tours of up to 10 kilometres or a few hundred meters in altitude, whereby the pathless, often stony Arctic terrain makes the kilometres seem longer. One kilometre on a stony moraine or a scree-covered slope is much more strenuous than one kilometre on a groomed hiking trail in the Alps. Participants should be sure-footed and not shy away from looking down from the mountain.
Since the days are already shorter in October, you can spend the evening and night hours in the warm and cozy salon and chat with your fellow travellers over a cup of tea, read a book or exchange stories with Alexander Lembke. Time on a sailing ship in the Arctic runs slower in autumn and therefore this trip is under the motto of slow discovery and taking your time without having a fixed route. Often the most beautiful moments arise unplanned and with the Meander we have the opportunity to get involved with them flexibly. Of course, with a bit of luck we will also experience some animal sightings such as reindeer or arctic foxes, and with a lot of luck polar bears, but the focus is not on a photo safari, but on hikes in the Arctic in autumn on a small but capable expedition ship.
Itinerary
Regarding the itinerary, we do not have a fixed itinerary/program for our tours. The Arctic is volatile due to the many local weather systems. This means that conditions can change within minutes and kilometres. That’s why we always work with a flexible schedule, but we will discover a new place every day. As this is a hiking tour, the focus of the activities during the day is on hiking. At night we anchor in beautiful bays, so sunrises and sunsets, the starry sky and, with a bit of luck, the Northern Lights can be observed from the deck. In the different branches of the Isfjord you will find a wide variety of landscapes and each place has its own character. The captain will determine the route in collaboration with the guide, depending on the current weather conditions, but always with the aim of ensuring a pleasant and beautiful trip.
Fitness
This trip requires a certain level of physical fitness. While there are no real climbs or technical sections, the distances and altitude of the climbs on some stages can be challenging for the inexperienced. This route is suitable for hikers who have already climbed some mountains. If in doubt, please contact us. This tour is not suitable for hikers with existing injuries (knees, ankles, etc.). Or other health restrictions. We will send you a questionnaire for this purpose.
The tour guide
Alexander Lembke is a tour guide and photographer specializing in Spitsbergen and Scandinavia and has worked for GEO, Geolino, Mare, Brigitte and ZDF/ 3Sat, among others. For 16 years, he has been traveling regularly to Spitsbergen as a tour guide and has lived there all year round for several years. He currently lives in Finland most of the year and works on various projects related to sauna.
Accommodation
The Meander has 6 cabins, two of which (comfort cabins) have en-suite bathrooms. For the other cabins there are 2 showers and 2 toilets available. The cabins are equipped with stacking beds and all have a sink next to the beds. Upstairs in the saloon there is space to relax between landings or possibly read a book. There are also plenty of opportunities outside on deck to sit down and watch the scenery pass by.
Recommended equipment
Wool underwear as a base layer, pants and sweater / midlayer on top, two layers of socks (thin and thick wool socks), waterproof and windproof layer on top, 1 pair of gloves (better 2, 1 pair of wool and 1 pair of waterproof and windproof are recommended), warm hat (windproof), possibly scarf, warm insulating layer for the breaks on the hikes or for the time on deck, high hiking boots and good hiking rubber boots for the landings with the Zodiac, possibly small headlamp, hiking thermos flask
Good to take with you: on-board shoes, casual clothing for indoors, toiletries, sunglasses, binoculars, camera, backpack for personal equipment during the hikes.