My Failed Trip to Pyramiden in Svalbard

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Fact:  I never went to Svalbard to see polar bears.  I actually went to Svalbard to visit Pyramiden, which is an abandoned Soviet mining town on Spitsbergen.

Pyramiden is home to the world’s most northern Lenin statue and just houses a unique side of Soviet history- one I am deeply enamored by.  I was very busy with constant travels before the trip and left the booking of getting to Pyramiden up to someone else.  It was easily reachable by boat, particularly this year because the warmer temperatures came at a much earlier time than usual.

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I was booked through Henningsen Transport & Guiding.  The trip was 1550 NOK per person (around $250 or so) and was an all-day trip leaving Longyearbyen by boat and heading to Pyramiden, where travelers were permitted to walk around and tour the abandoned town.  I also got to visit some glaciers (although were never allowed to get off of the boat) and other small sights.  But truth be told, I was only on this trip for one reason and that was to visit Pyramiden.

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<This is the best shot I could get miles away on my lousy camera of Pyramiden.>

The company sent a bus to pick us up at our hotels in Svalbard around Longyearbyen and we are then taken to the docks and board the boat.  Once on the boat, and pulled away from the shore, we are informed that the chances of us getting to go to Pyramiden are slim as recent, more Arctic-like temperatures have caused significant amounts of ice to form blocking passageway to the city.  We were not to know for sure until arriving, but the chances were pretty good that we were not going to be getting off the boat.  I asked the tour director when this was known and he told me the previous trip had the same problem.

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Now here is my thing:  This is a non-refundable tour.  I get that.  BUT… knowing that people have limited time when up in Svalbard and will probably only travel there ONCE in their lifetime, wouldn’t it be wise to inform people of this prior to getting on the boat and taking to sea?  So what if I was out $250 (even though I think that was bogus)?  My problem was that I had spent an entire day on a boat when I could have been exploring something different.  I could have taken a snowmobile trip out to where polar bears were.  

I could have gone to another Russian city (that is not abandoned) called Barentsburg and enjoyed a unique experience there.  Instead, I was stuck on a boat, which I’m not entirely a fan of anyways, where the tour director was constantly talking about how global warming is a myth and polar bears are doing better currently than they have ever done.  He also went on a rant against people who don’t eat whale meat (which would be me) because the minke whale is overpopulated.

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No one seemed phased or to care that we never made it off the boat and to Pyramiden- apart from me.  I don’t believe that anyone even knew the first thing about Pyramiden, in fact.  Which is fine, but it was very disheartening to know I spent an entire day on a boat seeing things from a distance as opposed to being right close to a place I’ve always wanted to travel to.

I finally had the guts to say to the tour director how disappointed I was with everything.  He assured me that once we got back to land that he would try to hire a helicopter and take me to Barentsburg.  When I was stunned that he would do this for me, he noted that we would just fly over Barentsburg and not actually land in the city.  Ok?

Needless to say, he must have been drinking when he stated this because it never happened and was never mentioned of again after that point.

The tour served whale meat for lunch, but also had some dried out, inedible salmon that was an alternative to people like me who don’t fancy whale.  The salmon was so gross and dry that I ate a cabbage salad instead.  Yep, just a cabbage salad for eight hours.

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The problem with this trip wasn’t so much that we couldn’t make it to Pyramiden.  I understand that there was ice there and it was dangerous to try to make it out that way.  My problem was the fact that we were not informed of this until after we were already on the boat, not giving us a chance to opt out of going.  I would have not gone on this trip and tried for something different.  Or even another way to get to Pyramiden, or even to Barentsburg for the day.  

I could have rented a snowmobile and gone to see polar bears (not a guarantee but everyone I know who went on this tour saw them in excess).  There are so many things I could have done than being locked up on a boat for eight hours when I am not a fan of being on a boat in the first place.  If this had been any other destination, I feel I could have done a better job at making the best of a shitty situation.  But this was Svalbard.  This was a unique destination.  It is one that is not easy to get to and not particularly a place for the budget traveler.  I can’t just fly there every weekend.

I don’t know when I will make it back, but I can assure you that I will NOT be booking a tour with Henningsen Transport & Guiding.  If you’re here looking for information on Henningsen Transport & Guiding, the best advice I can give is to find a different one and refrain from giving them your money if your goal is to see Pyramiden.  If your goal is just to see some scenery from afar on a boat, then this may be a decent option for you.

You might also like:  Things to do in Bergen, Norway   /   Day  Trips from Bergen   /   Vøringsfossen Waterfall   /   How to Move to Norway   /   Svalbard Photos   /   Visiting Adventfjorden in Svalbard   /   Faroe Islands Hotels   /   Faroe Islands Tours

30 thoughts on “My Failed Trip to Pyramiden in Svalbard

  1. Shaun says:

    Sorry you didn’t make it. I was in Svalbard in July 2017 and spent 3 days at Pyramiden staying at the Hotel Tulpan.
    Here is what you missed:
    https://shaunoboyle.squarespace.com/pyramiden-svalbard/

  2. Dempsey Cappelle says:

    Hi,

    We stopped by Pyramiden when doing our kayak expedition in Svalbard. May isn’t the best time to visit it because of the ice unfortunately. We arrived at 8pm at Pyramiden so we could have a look in town and some of the building on our own.

    I’ve written a post about it. Hope you like it. https://dagboekvaneenavonturier.com/2017/08/23/pyramiden/ (translation will be posted in a few weeks, but pics are already there ;))

    PS. They have better companies atm offering Pyramiden trips, so it might be the right time to book a new trip to Svalbard ;)

  3. Robert says:

    Update from Svalbard – based on Megan’s caution, I called the office of the company running the tour a few days before departure and they informed me that ice had recently been keeping the boat from making it to Pyramiden, so I decided not to book the trip. Thanks Megan for the warning or I never would have thought about this – there wouldn’t seem to be a problem in booking the trip at the last minute if conditions do look promising. This last month has apparently had abnormally cold weather – the boat was able to make it through in March and April but not in May. I agree with the others that if one really wants to see Pyramiden it’s best to come in July or August, perhaps I’ll return for it.

    Svalbard is such a fantastic place though there are no lack of other great activities. May is end of the snowmobiling season, I’d highly recommend the snowmobile trip out to the glacier combined with spelunking into the ice cave beneath it. Going in a coal mine is a great experience at any time of year, and for a taste of Russia I believe Barentsburg is much more accessible.

    • Megan Starr says:

      Oh wow! I am so glad you called ahead on this one… it is really horrible to think that people travel all the way for these types of excursions and don’t realize how weather dependent that they actually are. And just like you noted, it can be clear and fine in spring but then in May it can freeze over (precisely what happened with me). I am still longing to go there though. One day. And it will definitely be in August or July hahah!

      The glacier trip sounds wicked. I have had a hankering to get back there soon and explore further. My boyfriend is really keen on such a trip and I recently updated my Svalbard travel tips guide, sparking the sudden interest again. I will keep that ice cave in mind… and of course, Barentsburg. My friend recently went to Barentsburg and has some killer pics of it! Thanks again for sharing :) Happy travels to you!!!

  4. Robert says:

    Hi Megan – your blog was invaluable to me as I was preparing for a trip to Abkhazia a few years back, and now that I’m planning a Svalbard trip I find myself here again, thanks for doing this. My Svalbard trip is set for May, and of course I’d love to go to Pyramiden (seems reminiscent of Pripyat near Chernobyl). Given the uncertainty of the ice, do you think it would be possible to just book the trip the day before, rather than far in advance? Also, for Svalbard generally, do you think it would be better to pack full (high calf) winter boots, or would good hiking shoes suffice? Many thanks.

    • Megan Starr says:

      Oh my goodness I am SO sorry for the delay here- I have been on the road virtually non-stop since. I thought I sent you an email over this comment a while back but I may not have.

      I know this may be too late, so I apologize… but if it is not, I would recommend booking in advance. I have no idea how much these trips will fill up (and Svalbard is becoming more and more popular) and you will risk not even being able to get a trip once there. I know this offers nothing definitive and I am so sorry- dang ice and weather is so unpredictable. If I can offer this up- the boat trip was really pretty and if it hadn’t cost so much, it, alone, would have been worth it!

      Shoe wise, if you’re not hiking for hours on end, it is not overly cold (okay, I am used to reallllly cold weather so maybe this is just me!) I would say the average temperature when I was there was like 5C. That was the end of May and it was 24 hours daylight at the time. If you’re planning to go on a snowmobile safari, however, you may be cold! I didn’t do anything aside from this boat trip the entire time I was there :( Definitely need to get myself back!

    • Robert says:

      Hi Megan, thank you very much for your note, I did receive response from you a while back but don’t know why it didn’t show up here.

      If I go I’d be taking a boat on May 24 – also the beginning of the season so the risk of not being able to go to Pyramiden will be fairly high, and thankfully your post forwarned me or I’d have no idea. Whether I end up attempting the trip or not, I’ll definitely provide an update after my visit to Svalbard. I would be quite a waste to spend an entire day stuck on a boat and not arriving at the destination, as like most people I’ll spend only a limited time in Svalbard and there are plenty of worthwhile activities to do.

      If you’re a fan of high Arctic adventures, there are two other trips in Canada I’d highly recommend – the ice road from Inuvik to Tuktoyuktuk (which will shortly be no more once the highway is completed), and going up to Pond Inlet in Nunavut – striking scenery, great geological formations and polar bears in their element. Happy travels – your blog is great inspiration for esoteric trips of my own. Kyrgyzstan here I come…

    • Megan Starr says:

      Hi there!!!

      Yep, May is such a difficult time to get to Pyramiden (ugh) as it is just unpredictable! The week prior to my journey to Pyramiden, everyone was able to go there…. then the ice froze up again. I guess you just never know! Please do keep me posted :P

      Arctic Canada is SO high on my list, actually!!! I am so fascinated by it and I really want to get up there (more or less the only provinces I haven’t hit up are the northern ones!

      Have a wonderful trip to Kyrgyzstan! I am actually writing about Osh later today!!!

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