Published on Jan, 2024

This was my second visit here, but first time in the winter season. I wanted to experience the 24-hour darkness period, hopefully see the Aurora Borealis, visit the only brewery in the Arctic and go dog sledding. I had two 1/2 days to accomplish these goals. Upon stepping outside the terminal I was greeted by a blast of wind (-17.5 Celsius/ -27.5 Celsius wind chill). Good thing I wore the right cold weather gear! It was 1400 and pitched black out. I quickly found the shuttle bus that would take me to the Svalbard Hotell-Polfareren. I stayed here before and knew I would be treated warmly and friendly. The Svalbard Hotell-Polfareren provides a delicious breakfast to help start your day. The hotel is next door to the Tourist Center where I was able to book my Arctic dog sledding with Basecamp Explorer and a tour of the Svalbard Bryggeri (Brewery) and sample some of their beers. I would have to depend on Mother Nature on whether or not I'd see the Aurora Borealis. Basecamp Explorer picked up me and six others from our hotel the morning of dog sledding adventure and drove us first to their office. There we were fitted with snowmobile suits, hat, mittens and boots, a baclava, a half facemask, a headlamp and goggles. They ensured we would be warm. After going over the initial safety briefing we all got back into the van and were driven to the dog camp. We got to meet the sled dogs (around 70 of them); shown how to harness them (which we did); how to drive the sled and use the two brake systems. There were a total of five sleds going out on this ride and each of us would get the chance to "drive" the sled and dog team. We started sliding out the camp gate down the hill into the valley we'd be sledding around. It was a blast - riding as a passenger and more so driving. It was dark, but you could see the outline of the mountains letting us know the sun was out there way south of where we were. The dogs thoroughly enjoyed carrying us across the snow packed valley and we had to lightly apply the "light" brake to slow them down so the sled wouldn't surge past them! At the end of the 10 Kilometer ride we arrived back to the camp; unharnessed the dogs and returned them to their respected dog houses. Then we got a special treat of meeting around two dozen dog sled puppies in their pen. It was utter bedlam as the puppies jumped all over us trying to greet us, chew on anything dangling, and have total fun. Afterwards, we were driven back to the office to return all the gear, put our own gear back on and returned to the hotel. This is definitely another adventure I'd do again. For beer lovers and those who want to learn about some neat recent Longyearbyen history visiting the Svalbard Bryggeri is worthwhile. You learn how this brewery came into being (basically getting Norway to change the law against brewing beer here), the amazing life story of its founder, Robert Johansen, and tasting their favorable beers. It's a good evening tour. There are numerous shops, places to eat (i.e. Cafe Huskies; try chocolate candies from Fruene - made in Longyearbyen), and a grocery store to resupply if needed. The history of Longyearbyen is amazing and all around for you to explore on your own. I definitely want to come back here again to experience this winter wonderland.

Published on Aug, 2023

Geiranger (and the surrounding areas) is beautiful, and the tour with Myla was excellent. Myla was able to drive on roads that didn’t include tour buses and, stop in places for pictures without large crowds. The love she has for the area is clear, and made the tour that much more enjoyable. Lunch was at a small family run restaurant, where we tried local specialties. Definitely a place we would have never found on our own. The tour ended in a spot that allowed us to walk down several steps alongside a waterfall. There are many landings, so you are able to stop for pictures, and not interfere with others walking up and down the steps. If we didn’t want to walk down, she could have driven us to the bottom. This is definitely a must-do tour.

Published on Aug, 2023

Absolutely stunning scenery accompanied with a very friendly and informative host, who by the way takes great pictures