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Our Expeditions
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Walk to the North Pole (helicopter + ski)
Code: NPW
Duration (Barneo-Barneo): 3 days/ 2 nights
(Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen): 6 days/5 nights
All flights are weather dependent
1st day |
Meeting at Longyearbyen airport. ( Spitsbergen , Norway ), transfer to hotel.
Collection of your polar clothing kit.
Information meeting, where our staff will brief you on the current situation at the Barneo Ice Camp, inform about flight departure time, and answer any questions you might have.
Free time. |
2nd day |
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Barneo Ice Camp.
Flight from Longyearbyen to Barneo (approx. flight duration: 2 hrs 30 min).
Arrival to Barneo, acquaintance with Barneo Ice Camp, located at 89 degree North.
Accommodation will be provided in the heated tents of the Ice Camp (each tent comfortably accommodates 10-12 persons).
Full catering during your stay at Barneo Ice Camp.
Free time . |
3rd day |
MI-8 helicopter will bring you to the expedition starting point at first chance (approx. flight duration: 40 min). We will land 3-5 km off the geographic North Pole and ski the last few kilometers.
Celebrating of the arrival to the North Pole. You have an opportunity to make a short phone call to your friends or relatives via satellite phone. Expedition tents will be pitched nearby the North Pole for overnight sleep. |
4th day |
Striking the camp, meeting helicopter, and return to the Barneo Ice Camp (by MI-8 helicopter, approx. flight duration: 40 min).
Flight from Barneo to Longyearbyen on the AN-74 aircraft (approx. flight duration 2 h 30 min).
Transfer to hotel. |
5th day |
The North Pole Certificate ceremony. Time and place are to be discussed with expedition participants and announced in advance. |
6th day |
Free time. You have a chance to take part in Svalbard entertainment programmes (for additional costs, advance booking required). Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
End of our service. |
* Barneo Ice Camp operates Longyearbyen time.
Changes and amendments may apply to the programme, depending on the weather, ice or other conditions. It is important to consider possible delays or alterations, and take them with patience. We strongly recommend you to acquire insurance against full or partial cancellation of the expedition.
Important: Each expedition to the North Pole is the ultimate adventure full of random factors. Though we are making all possible efforts to accomplish every expedition, VICAAR reserves the rights to change or cancel an itinerary due to weather and / or ice conditions, group fitness, political situation, strikes, wars, revolutions, terrorism and / or other factors beyond its control. Such changes are to be made in our customers’ interests and with regards to their safety. Please, see Terms and Conditions.
Schedules and costs of the Walk to the North Pole expedition
Season 2008
Expedition code |
Periods of the expeditions |
Flight dates
Longyearbyen - Barneo - Longyearbyen |
Price |
Status |
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Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen |
Departure from Longyearbyen |
Departure from Barneo |
Euro, € |
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NPW_1 |
10th - 15th April |
11th April |
13th April |
16,800 |
Available |
NPW_2 |
13th - 18th April |
14th April |
16th April |
16,800 |
Optional |
Attention:
1. Our agency does not guarantee expeditions starting on optional dates to be conducted if the group has insufficient number of participants. Please, see Terms and Conditions.
2. In accordance to the paragraph 4.3 of Terms and Conditions, prices are based on the tariffs and exchange rates operating at the time of publication and therefore are subject to change. Please, check the latest prices before booking.
3. Note: Costs of the expeditions increase at 10% for booking made after 1st February 2008.
Price includes: |
Price does not include: |
• Meeting at the Longyearbyen airport ( Spitsbergen , Norway );
• 2 transfers airport-hotel-airport;
• Aircraft flights Longyearbyen - Barneo - Longyearbyen;
• Helicopter flights Barneo - North Pole - Barneo;
• 1 satellite phone call from the North Pole (2 min maximum, if battery capacity is sufficient);
• Using Barneo facilities;
• Full catering at Barneo Ice Camp and at the North Pole camp;
• Disposable plates, spoons, forks and cups (2 sets per visiting a mess-tent per person);
• Accommodation in the heated tents at Barneo according the programme;
• Rent of the expedition gear, incl. tent, sleeping bag, individual sleeping bag liner, sleeping mats, cooking stove, skis with binding, ski poles, expedition sledge;
• Safety equipment (communication, navigation aid, weapon);
• Stove fuel;
• Certificate of the North Pole visit;
• Festive ceremony at Longyearbyen;
• Guides' and VICAAR representatives' service;
• Personal polar clothes kit (boots, trousers, coat, thermal underwear, mittens, hat);
• 15 kilos of luggage. |
• Travel costs from your place of residence to Longyearbyen ( Spitsbergen , Norway ) and back;
• Accommodation in Longyearbyen;
• Catering in Longyearbyen;
• Transfers in Longyearbyen (excl. airport-hotel-airport for travel home and hotel-airport-hotel for travel to the North Pole);
• Activities in Longyearbyen (dog-sledge rides, tours to the glacier, excursion to the coal mine, depending on the weather);
• Alcohol drinks ;
• Full medical-evacuation insurance with minimum coverage for evacuation - 50,000 Euro, required;
• Insurance against full or partial cancellation of the expedition, luggage insurance, life insurance (strongly recommended);
• Private belongings;
• All the unforeseen costs related to the flights delays;
• Souvenirs and postal expenses;
• Overweight luggage - 20 Euro/kilo. |
Qualification of the expedition members.
Participation in the expedition Walk to The North Pole is not extremely difficult, if you do not have a disability. There are no any special requirements to potential members of the expedition. If you are able to fly on the regular flights, it is most likely you can fly on the charter aircrafts. AN-74 is a simple yet reliable and comfortable airplane, and MI-8 helicopter, though having a plain interior, meets all the necessary safety requirements. Barneo Ice Camp meets all the standards of the winter base-camp. It is equipped with heated tents for sleeping accommodation and large and comfortable saloon tent providing hot meal three times a day.
We provide you with polar outer clothes suitable for temperatures between –20 and –35 C, all the necessary gear for sleeping in the cold environment, and our guides would give you basic skills of cooking. You only should not forget your bowl and spoon and pick up the garment from our list. Please, let us know in advance if you require some specific items of this sort – we might be able to help you.
Staying at the Barneo Ice Camp and the North Pole includes walks in the surrounding, exploration of the local ice summits (ice-hummocks of 1-2 m high), photographing and things like these.
Generally, you don’t have to worry about anything; our friendly and experienced guides would always take care of.
List of equipment for the expedition 'Walk to The North Pole' |
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You should bring your own: |
• Fleece jacket and trousers made of Polartec 300 or Polartec 200 |
• Mittens or gloves you are usually using during the winter: 1 pair |
• 0.5-1 L stainless steel thermos: 1 |
• Sunglasses 100% UV & IR: 1 |
• Sun protection cream: SPF 40 |
• Hygienic lipstick: SPF 40 |
• Personal medical kit: medicine, you normally take along with aspirin, plaster, bandage, etc. |
• Large bag or rucksack for your gear: 1 or 2 |
• Casual look garment for civilized places |
• Shoes or Gore-Tex socks for using inside the tent |
• Tableware: plastic mug with press-on cap, strong plastic spoon, plastic bowl of 2-3 cups capacity, knife |
• Wide-mouthed plastic bottle for using as an urinal in the night: 1 |
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P.S. Polartec 300 or 200 jacket and trousers could be replaced with your usual winter pullovers and long knit pants if worn over the thermal underwear. |
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Received from us and becomes your property: |
• Thin thermal underwear made of Polycolon: 1 set |
• Winter coat and trousers with Thinsulate insulation: 1 set |
• Expedition footwear: 1 pair |
• Expedition mittens: 1 pair |
• Thick expedition socks: 2 pairs |
• Woolen hat with Windstopper membrane: 1 |
• Sleeping bag liner: 1 |
• 35 L backpack: 1 |
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Free rented from VICAAR: |
• Ski with binding and skins |
• Ski poles |
• Expedition cargo sledge |
• Expedition class (-30 C°) sleeping bag |
• Sleeping mats 40 mm |
• Expedition tent (1 for 2 persons) |
• Cooking stove with fuel |
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Other useful things you might bring: |
• Compression bags and sacks |
• Chemical hand- and foot-warmer bags |
• Photo and video equipment |
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