Wildlife safaris in Longyearbyen

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Svalbard has only two native land mammals, the Svalbard reindeer and the Arctic fox. Both live around Longyearbyen all year, together with the Svalbard rock ptarmigan, and these three species are what the wildlife tours here search for first. Nearly every tour picks you up at your hotel and drives a short way out of town into Adventdalen, Bjørndalen or along the coast. Visitors do not set out on their own here. Anyone leaving the settlement must carry equipment to scare off polar bears, and Visit Svalbard advises never to leave town without a local guide.

The tours differ in how much time you spend in the vehicle and how much on foot, and in how much help you get with a camera. None of them leaves the area around town, so a tour of three to five hours fits into half a day.

By van, on foot or with a camera

The van tour run by guides who also speak Polish, Norwegian and Czech covers the most ground. Over four hours it moves between valleys and coastal plains looking for reindeer, foxes, ptarmigan and, in summer, birds. Reviews mention a stop at the Global Seed Vault and a short walk on the way, and cruise passengers describe being picked up at the ship.

The five-hour photo walk works the other way round. After the drive out of town the group walks slowly over flat ground, sometimes for up to three hours, and the guide helps with camera settings. Pickup is from hotels only, not from private rentals. Warm clothing, boots, hat and gloves are your own; ice spikes and a headlamp are lent when needed. Reviews praise the guide's knowledge of where foxes are likely to be, while some guests found the vehicle cramped and in poor condition, and one wrote that the drive stayed very close to town for the price.

For photographers who prefer a smaller group, the safari in Adventdalen and Bjørndalen takes at most eight people and plans its route around light, weather and recent sightings. It serves coffee, tea and toddy along the way.

Short walks on the tundra

Two tours by Arctic Footsteps combine wildlife with a walk and an optional plunge into the sea, without a sauna afterwards. The Bjørndalen walk drives along the coast and crosses the tundra on foot in about three and a half hours including transport. Several reviews say the start time was moved at short notice, that the tour was shorter than listed and that it felt more like a stroll than a hike. The tour with a panoramic viewpoint follows a similar pattern and hands out an "Arctic diploma"; non-swimmers and children under 6 cannot join, and reviews mention few animals on some days.

What you can expect to see, month by month

Reindeer turn up in most of the reviews for these tours. Arctic foxes are harder: reviews from the summer often report one, but guests on an October van tour searched without success, and another reviewer noted that pickings are slim by mid-October.

Summer is the busiest season. Visit Svalbard describes how birds arrive in huge numbers to nest, while walruses, seals and whales move into the fjords. The photo walk gives late May to mid-August as the period for birds, and the summer photo tour by another operator names May to July. Reviews from May to August mention walruses and, in one case, belugas close to the shore. Those were lucky moments, not part of the programme. For whales and walruses the better odds are on the water; see the boat trips from Longyearbyen.

Winter changes the conditions more than the species list. The sun stays below the horizon from 27 October 2026 to 15 February 2027, and from 13 November to 29 January there is not even twilight at midday. The photo walk is listed for the whole year and lends headlamps when they are needed. From March the light returns quickly, and by late April the midnight sun begins.

Polar bears and the distance rules

Around 300 polar bears live on Svalbard all year, and they can turn up anywhere on the archipelago in any season. Visit Svalbard is clear that sightings cannot be predicted and that there are no polar bear safaris. No tour on this page includes a bear in its description, and you should not book one hoping for it.

Since 1 January 2025 the Governor of Svalbard requires a distance of at least 300 metres to a polar bear, and 500 metres from 1 March to 30 June. Luring, following or actively seeking out a bear is forbidden. At sea, boats must keep 150 metres from walrus haul-out sites. Outside the settlement your guide carries the polar bear protection that the law requires. Our page on polar bear safety explains the rules for walking around Longyearbyen.

Clothing and practical points

Most wildlife tours do not lend outdoor clothing. Visit Svalbard gives 3 to 7 degrees as the summer average and warns that wind makes it feel colder, so bring a windproof jacket, wool layers, a hat and gloves. For walking, Visit Svalbard recommends rubber boots or hiking boots with gaiters. The summer photo tour rents hiking boots locally if you do not have any.

Drones are banned within 5 km of the airport, which covers the whole of Longyearbyen. Leave stones where they are and do not build cairns; the local community guidelines ask visitors to leave no trace.

A wildlife tour in the morning pairs well with an afternoon at the Svalbard Museum or the coal mine at Gruve 3. Most tours offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, which helps if the forecast turns bad.