Photography & wildlife hiking tour around Longyearbyen - See & Explore

Our tours stand out SIGNIFICANTLY from other walking and hiking tours in and around Longyearbyen.

Our walks are dedicated exclusively to observing and experiencing birds and wildlife, and are designed as SLOW TOURS. This means we move at nature’s pace — sometimes staying in one spot while waiting for wildlife or birds to appear. Because of this, we do not follow a fixed route that must be completed within a strict timeframe.

Our guides are also skilled photographers with extensive knowledge of the local birdlife and Arctic wildlife, giving you a deeper and more rewarding experience in the field. We spend a great deal of time sharing wildlife sightings within our team, which allows us to focus our time at the most active locations.

Our primary focus, on this hiking tour, is photography and to find good views for eyes and/or the camera. Our focus depends on the season and which species that are in the area at the moment. We start the tour with pick up, and then we drive out to one or several locations during the tour.

Please note that from October to March, the focus is solely on nature, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer, and Svalbard ptarmigans (which are difficult to find from November to January). In April, the snow bunting, eider ducks, king eiders, and guillemots also arrive in the bird cliffs. Geese arrive in mid-May, and during May, waders, divers, and several other bird species also arrive. Arctic foxes start shedding their fur in early May and don't have their summer coats until late June. The birdlife is abundant in June and July, and during these two months, we focus a lot on birds. In late June, the female reindeer appear with their new calves, and by July, the males have large and magnificent antlers.

On this trip we will go to the areas close to Longyearbyen to seek the best lighting conditions and the best experiences for photography. This trip focuses on watching and photographing. We move between different locations by car and carry out stops and walk from a few hundred meters up to 2/3 kilometres one way.

Our activities will also allow you to experience our Arctic wildlife and nature, both in summer and winter conditions, in both good and wild weather conditions, in the safe hands of our photo guide, where your safety and respect for the nature are our highest priorities. We will serve hot drinks and cookies.

NB! Polar bears are generally rarely or not found in and around Longyearbyen, so we do not focus on it. We will serve hot drinks and cookies. From October to mid-February, regarding wildlife, it´s all about the arctic fox, Svalbard reindeer, Svalbard rock ptarmigan, northern lights and beautiful landscapes and winter photography.

The duration of the tour, start and end, what we meet out there all depends on the period, season, daylight, weather conditions, and not least depending on whether the wildlife is playing along with us or not.

This tour is limited up to 8 persons. Depending on the season, period and on request, we can accommodate larger groups, send us an email for questions about this.

- Wheelchairfriendly upon request (Must be a foldable wheelchair, and the guest needs to be able to sit in a regular carseat)

Minimum number of participants: 2

The tour will may not be provided with only 1-one participant- if this happens you will be contacted minimum 18 hours before the tour is starting

See & Explore are based in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Founder Oddgeir Sagerup has 35 years of experience behind the camera and, as one of several guides, will facilitate your ability to take great and unique photos of nature, for example, and the rich animal and bird life in and around Longyearbyen.

NB! We have three guides, and in addition to Oddgeir, you will may also meet Iver, Pernille, Odd Christian and sometimes Ola and Luc

We can also offer you different photo guide packages, from short day trips, also during the Arctic polar night from November to March, to our exclusive photo guide product, with a limited number of participants from 1 up to 4 person, or our extremely exclusive tour, and perhaps the best, where we'll be your personal photo guide just for one - 1 person.

We also provide service for film teams.