Every bookable Svalbard snowmobile tour, from a 3.5-hour ice-cave run to a ten-hour east coast expedition. Licence rules, real prices, and which trips need a full day.
See all 9 snowmobile listings →
Nine real listings, $526 to $807 for a day trip. Small samples, shown honestly: 11 reviews across the five that carry a rating. A category B car licence is required to drive, and you have to carry it.
Listings checked by Lars Hansen, Norway tour specialist
Short answer
Snowmobiles are winter transport in Svalbard, not a theme-park ride, and the season runs roughly late January to mid-May while the snow holds. Nine real listings leave Longyearbyen, from a 3.5-hour photo run into the fjord to a ten-hour east coast expedition and two multi-day trips. You need a valid category B car licence to drive one, and you have to carry it with you.
Svalbard has around 40 km of road and roughly 2,000 registered snowmobiles for 2,500 people. That ratio explains everything about how these tours feel. You are not being entertained on a groomed loop, you are using the machine the way residents do, to cross valleys that have no other route through in winter.
The nine listings run from short and cheap to genuinely committing. Two are multi-day expeditions with overnight stops. The rest are single days out of Longyearbyen, most of them heading up Adventdalen and then splitting east towards Tempelfjorden or south towards Van Mijenfjorden. Ice caves appear on several of them, because the same machine is what gets you to the glacier snout.
Ratings and review counts are the platforms' own figures, read off each live listing. Where a listing has no reviews yet we say so rather than leaving a blank. Prices are the from-prices shown at the time of reading and move with your date and country.
Most reviewed in this category
Embark on a snowmobile adventure and explore an ice cave on this tour from Longyearbyen. Learn how to operate a snowmobile, explore the Arctic wilderness, and marvel at the ice cave.
A private seven-hour snowmobile run out of Longyearbyen with an ice-cave stop at the Tellbreen glacier. Snowmobile, fuel, suits, headlamps, hot drinks and search-and-rescue insurance are included.
The same operator sells this experience on GetYourGuide too, so it is worth checking both listings for your date.
Capture the beauty of Longyearbyen and surrounding on a private photo tour. Learn composition tips, discover hidden gems, and hear the history behind each location you photograph.
Snowmobile adventure from Longyearbyen toward Isfjord Radio, traveling through historic Arctic routes and breathtaking landscapes, with wildlife spotting opportunities and an experienced guide.
Journey to the edge of the known world.Full-day snowmobile safari into Svalbard’s wilderness,180 km across frozen valleys and sea ice in polar bear area. Expert guide, complete gear, lunch included.
Embark on a snowmobile expedition from Longyearbyen to a frozen waterfall and a hidden ice cave. Enjoy a warm lunch on the glacier and learn about the Arctic from your guide.
Embark on a 2-day snowmobile expedition to Nordenskiöldbreen close to’ Pyramiden. Visit a glacier, and travel through dramatic Arctic terrain.
Embark on a 3-day Arctic adventure in Longyearbyen. Explore the Arctic wilderness by snowmobile, visit the Global Seed Vault, and discover the history of Arctic mining.
Ride into the polar night on a snowmobile across Adventdalen, fully kitted out in thermal gear after a safety briefing. The valley goes silent and dark, and Svalbard reindeer sometimes move through the headlights.
Real durations and from-prices off the listings. Longer is not automatically better here; the ten-hour expeditions are cold, committing days.
| Trip | Time out | Terrain | Real from-price | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo run to the fjord | 3.5 hours | Adventdalen and the fjord edge, gentle | $526 | First-timers, and anyone who wants the machine without a full day out |
| Ice cave by snowmobile | 3.5 to 7 hours | Valley floor to a glacier snout, then on foot underground | $473 | The best value combination on this list: two experiences, one booking |
| Isfjord Radio day | 9.5 hours | Long west run to the old radio station on Kapp Linne | $807 | People who want distance and a proper destination |
| East coast expedition | 10 hours | Across the island to the pack-ice edge | $715 | Experienced, cold-tolerant riders. This is the serious one. |
| Multi-day expedition | 2 to 3 days | Nordenskiold glacier, east coast, overnight stops | $2,302 | Photographers and anyone treating the snowmobile as the trip itself |
| Season | Roughly late January to mid-May. It ends when the snow does, and warm springs have shortened it in recent years. |
|---|---|
| Licence | A valid category B car licence, physically with you. Drivers are typically 18 or over. Passengers can be younger, but the minimum varies by operator, so check before booking for a family. |
| Experience needed | None for the shorter trips. The ten-hour expeditions assume you can handle a machine for a full day in cold and wind, and operators say so on the listing. |
| What is supplied | Snowmobile, fuel, thermal suit, boots, gloves, balaclava, goggles and helmet on every one of these. Several include search and rescue insurance, which matters outside the settlements. |
| Riding two-up | Most listings price per driver, with a passenger seat cheaper. Two-up is warmer and cheaper; solo is more fun. Say which you want at booking. |
| Cold | Moving at speed in minus twenty is a different order of cold from standing in it. The suit handles the body; your face and fingers are the failure points. |
Yes. A valid category B car licence is required to drive, and you have to carry it with you on the tour. Motorcycle and some other categories are also accepted. If you do not hold one you can still ride as a passenger, which costs less and is warmer, but you cannot take the controls.
Roughly late January to mid-May. It starts when there is enough snow and enough light to move safely and ends when the thaw makes the valleys impassable. March and April are the reliable core of it: deep snow, returning daylight, and the full programme running. Do not plan a snowmobile trip for June.
Yes, and more so than the air temperature suggests, because you are moving at speed. Operators supply a full thermal suit, boots, gloves and a helmet, which handles your body. Faces and fingertips are where people suffer, so a balaclava and liner gloves under the supplied mitts are worth packing.
The ice cave combination, at 3.5 hours and around $473, gives you the machine and the glacier interior in a single booking and carries the strongest ratings in this category. If you want distance rather than variety, the ten-hour east coast expedition is the real one, but treat it as a full committing day rather than an activity.
As passengers on some listings, yes, but minimum ages vary by operator and several of these are adults-only. Nobody under 18 drives. If you are travelling with children, message the operator through the listing before booking rather than assuming, because the answer differs from tour to tour.
Worth a look for the glacier interiors these machines reach.
Worth a look for the aurora version of the same ride.
Worth a look for the summer route to the same fjords.
Reading first: the licence, insurance and wildlife rules · which half of the year you are booking · the base layers the operator does not supply
Compare all eight categories by season or go back to every Svalbard tour.