Dog sledding in Bolterdalen - Green Dog Svalbard

In pairs, you will take turns mushing (driving a dog sledge team) a team of 5-6 dogs. You will experience the dynamics of the dog-sledge team and will most likely be surprised to see that dogs as tough as these can be so kind and adoring.

In pairs, you will take turns mushing (driving a dog sledge team) a team of 5-6 dogs. Two guests will be sitting in the guide sledge, riding with 10-12 dogs. We will pick you up at your accommodation and take you to our kennel, right next to the snowmobile-free area in Bolterdalen, 12 kilometres outside Longyearbyen. Here you'll be dressed up with suit, boots, hat, mittens – and a neck gaiter, which is yours to keep after the tour.

Then you will meet the dogs and your guide will give you a thorough briefing about dogsledding, before we start putting harnesses on the dogs. At this point there will be plenty of activity in the kennel as all of the dogs will want to come on the trip. You may take part in the harnessing of the dogs if you want to.

Throughout the day you will begin to be able to tell the difference between the dogs in your team and to get to know their personalities. You will experience the dynamics of the dog-sledge team and will most likely be surprised to see that dogs as tough as these can be so kind and adoring. This trip does not require any previous experience with dogsledding.

The trip goes through beautiful Bolterdalen, which offers unique arctic scenery and good chances of observing artic wildlife, such as reindeer and ptarmigan. Back at the kennel we'll serve some coffee, tea, and even some cognac if someone wants that - together with some waffles, and we'll show you our latest generation of small puppies.

We sled for around 1,5 hours, depending on conditions. We normally go in small groups with maximum 8 guests and always with the guides own dogs, to give you the best and more personal experience.

Our tours are run with small groups of maximum 8 guests per tour, and always with the guides' own dogs.

Our guides are all very professional and passionated in their work with the dogs. They are certified and participate in the yearly SGO course (Svalbard Guide Course).

Included: 
- Pick up/drop off at hotel in Longyearbyen.
- Green Dog provides suits, boots, gloves, hats, neck gaiters, goggles.You need to wear a warm inner layer and extra socks.
- Coffee, tea, brandy, bisquits are served in our heated log cabin after the trip and you else get to meet the youngest puppy generation.

Important information​​​​​:
- Pick up from your hotel at 8 AM/drop off at 12; pick up at 9 AM/drop off at 13; pick up at 14/drop off at 18; pick up at 15/drop off at 19. 
Please note that the guide will start picking guests up from the hotels at 8, 9, 14 and 15 o clock and therefore may be a few minutes delayed, depending on which hotel you are staying at.
- Min/max no of guests: Min 1.  For Groups 8+, please contact us in advance.
- Min age: please contact us if you bring a child below 6 yrs.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Please note that this is a dogsledgetrip and that it is difficult to make longer breaks for photographing! 
- Note that we offer 4 daily departures in little groups with no more than 8 guests pr guide, to give you a more personal and safe experience. If you wish to book groups of 8+ guests, please contact us!
- On all trips, at all times, an experienced and armed guide will be around to protect you from polar bears. At Green Dog safety is our number one priority.

Cancellation fees for activities
If cancelled 22 days or more prior to departure 100 % refund
If cancelled 22-7 days prior to departure 50 % refund
Cancellation less than 7 days prior to departure is a ”no show” and does not qualify for any refund. You may apply to your insurance company for a refund if you provide a medical certificate.
If Green Dog Svalbard decides to cancel a trip due to weather or any other condition , you will receive a full refund!

Information about Covid-19
Green Dog Svalbard A/S follows rules and guidelines given by the Norwegian authorities and our infection control plan has been approved by the Governor of Svalbard. So far in the Corona pandemic, no infection has been detected in Longyearbyen and the city's tourism companies are open under strict infection control criteria approved by the Norwegian authorities.

We provide a full corona guarantee for our guests. This means that Green Dog Svalbard A/S refunds 100% of the price for activities – booked directly with Green Dog Svalbard. It is assumed that the cancellation is due to the customer not being able to arrive due to corona related circumstances, such as cancelled flights, imposed quarantine periods and closed borders. This counts for both individuals and groups.

We encourage all our guests who wish to cancel to change the dates of their booking instead. We are, as always, flexible on our cancellation terms and are happy to change dates without charging extra fees.

Being a guest on our activities
The safety of our guests and employees will always be our highest priority and we follow rules and guidelines given by the Norwegian authorities. To ensure your safety, we depend on your help. We ask all our guests to follow the advices given by the health authorities. The advice in the points below is taken from Visit Svalbard.

- If you have a fever, symptoms of a respiratory infection, feel unwell, or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with an infection, we want you to stay at home. If symptoms occur while you are in Svalbard, you should be isolated in the hotel room or where you live. It is important that you convey that you are ill to local health authorities (call Longyearbyen Hospital).

- Keep a distance of 1 meter - the most important thing we can do.

- Be careful with your hand hygiene! We expect you to wash or disinfect your hands frequently. At Green Dog, we have set up liquor dispensers

- More about the infection control guide can be found on the Governor's pages.

At all our activities, you as a guest will be told to fill out an infection tracing form. This is a mandatory requirement for us to be able to take our guests on a trip.

As a guest with us, you will receive a new neck (a garment to keep your neck warm) (which is not reused - you can keep it after the trip). Other equipment (suits, boots, mittens and hats) is disinfected after each trip.

Any person who shows any symptoms of COVID-19 (headache, fever, cough, runny / stuffy nose, sore throat) must not participate in the trip. No refund will be given if you are refused to join the tour due to symptoms. We ask you to not show up on the trip if you experience any symptoms.

Green Dog Svalbard A/S is a member of the Travel Guarantee Fund and our customers are thus assured that they do not suffer financial loss if our company goes bankrupt.