Young Pioneer Tours
Svalbard Soviet Frontier: Pyramiden & Barentsburg Arctic Ghost Towns
Join YPT on a bespoke tour around Svalbard, visiting Russian settlements and abandoned coal mining outposts turned ghost towns in the northern reaches of the world!
Our group tour starts in Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000, which despite its location – less than 1,000km from the North Pole – is easily accessible by plane from Norway.
We’ll first cruise to Barentsburg, an old Russian mining settlement still populated by about 400 people. On the way there, we’ll stop at Grumant, which was the first Russian mining town on Svalbard, founded in the beginning of 20th century. Grumant is a proper ghost town, totally abandoned. Barentsburg, on the other hand, is still inhabited but its population has decreased drastically since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The city still being a bit active means we’ll get the best of both world: an eery semi-abandoned settlement in the polar cold, but also the chance to visit the only operating coal mine in the world where you can get into with a tour.
After exploring Barentsburg and enjoying beautiful views on the Greenland sea, the tundra and majestic glaciers, we’ll cruise to the second part of our trip: the not-to-be-missed ghost town of Pyramiden. This abandoned settlement, built by the USSR, is still completely intact with Soviet style architecture and a monument to Lenin! Over 1000 people used to live in the city which was considered quite a successful community with a kindergarten, school, public swimming pool, a football field and a coal mine. In 1998 the coal mine was closed for good and the citizens were asked to vacated within a very short time. Sounds familiar?
Very few tourists visit Pyramiden, and even fewer of them get the opportunity to stay there for two days and explore the settlement in depth, as we’ll do. Truly a unique experience.
Along the trip, you’ll also have the chance to spot mink whales, bowhead whales, blue whales, bearded seals, ringed seals, and various seabirds. And, if you’re lucky, the mighty polar bear!
Our Svalbard tour ties perfectly with our Arctic Adventure: Spitsbergen & North East Greenland cruise, taking place after this tour.
Friday 23rd August – Longyearbyen
• Arrival at your convenience into Longyearbyen. The airlines Norwegian and SAS both have daily flights from Oslo or Tromso
• Longyearbyen is the main town in Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, and the northernmost settlement in the world.
• You can visit the Svalbard Museum to learn about the mining industry, Arctic exploration and the local wildlife. You can also explore the streets of Longyearbyen or hop on an ATV for a tour outside of the city limits (YPT can help organize your day).
• Meet at 6:00pm at our hotel for dinner and pre-tour meeting where you can get to know your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Relax at Barentz Pub, the world’s northernmost bar. Svalbard being tax-free, a pint here is fortunately way cheaper than the Norwegian mainland!
• Overnight in Longyearbyen
Saturday 24th August – Barentsburg
Morning
• You’ll be picked up at the hotel to the expedition center, where our local guides will get you familiar with the safety instructions during the sea passage and will help you to fit the equipment and get ready for departure
• Departure by open Polarcirkel boats to Barentsburg. You’ll enjoy the freshness of the second biggest fjord of the archipelago, Isfjorden, translated from Norwegian as «Ice fjord».
• Your first stop will be at the ghost town of Grumant, which was the first Russian mining town on Svalbard, founded in the beginning of 20th century.
• Grumant and Colesbay were connected with each other by a narrow railroad used for the coal transportation which still can be spotted from the sea. If the weather permits, we will dock near the towns at an historically important place, the hut of Vladimir Rusanov, and walk around.
• During the sear passage you’ll also pass by majestic bird-cliffs and even have a chance to spot some whales and dolphins in the fjord.
Afternoon
• After arriving in Barentsburg and checking in the hotel Barentsburg, you’ll have lunch in the restaurant Rijpsburg.
• You’ll then have a guided tour around Barentsburg, the Russian “capital” of Svalbard. Soviet builders and Russian miners left their mark here, since the settlement has been under control of the Russian State Trust Arktikugol since 1931. Your guide will get you acquainted with the town stories of then and now and show you the most interesting buildings.
• Barentsburg is not technically a ghost town, as Russian miners still live there. But since the breakup of the Soviet Union, its economy has been in steady decline, and population has decreased drastically.
• After the guided tour, you’ll have some free time to explore more of the city. You can have a look at the Russian consulate, the northernmost diplomatic mission of any kind in the world! The Post Office, with the interiors of the Norwegian post offices of the 19-20th Centuries, is also worth a look.
• Dinner and overnight in Barentsburg
Sunday 25th August – Barentburg
Morning
• Rise up and early to visit the mine of Barentsburg. It is the only operating coal mine in the world where you can get into with a tour. The tour is guided by a real miner so that you will get first-hand knowledge.
• Breakfast in the hotel
• After the breakfast, you are welcome to visit Barentsburg Husky Center, which is unique because it has almost all the Arctic sled dog breeds.
Afternoon
• Embark on the boat for a cruise to Alhorn Mountain and Esmark glacier. You’ll have lunch in the field. Hiking here is easy and diverse. You may go through gorgeous landscapes of tundra combined with the marvellous mountains sharpened by the wind or you may walk on the seaside and maybe meet a seal. This place has ahistorical foundations from the 19th Century and one of the most amazing views of the Greenland sea and of all Isfjord.
• Dinner and overnight in Barentsburg. Now is the time to check the first brewery on Svalbard, where you will taste locally made beer brewed on water from the glacier located just across the fjord.
Monday 26th August – Departure to Pyramiden
Morning
• Breakfast in the hotel
• Now is the time to travel back in time, going to Pyramiden. Our trip in the open boats will pass by Skansbukta, a gorgeous mountain which reminds of a castle.
• Lunch in the field
Afternoon
• Arrive in Pyramiden – a former coal mining Soviet settlement which is now completely deserted but hauntingly complete – this former Swedish settlement was sold to the USSR in 1927 and abandoned in 1998.
• You’ll have a guided tour around Pyramiden. Here you’ll be able to visit the old canteen, the Sport and Cultural Center, the school, kindergarten, swimming pool and apartment buildings. It’s a great way to see how the resident coal miners lived. It is predicted that because of the climate the buildings will remain largely as they are for another 500 years!
• See the world’s northernmost monument to Lenin!
• Dinner and overnight in Pyramiden. There is no internet or phone connection in the settlement, so it’s a good opportunity to share a drink with your fellow travellers.
Tuesday 27th August – Pyramiden
Morning
• Breakfast in the Hotel
• Pyramiden is a large place, and most of the tourists visiting on a day trip only get to see a little part of it. By staying longer, you’ll have the rare opportunity to do a second guided tour and visit locations around the settlement, such as an old soviet cemetery, an old livestock farm, a battle house, the helipad and the mine administration building.
Afternoon
• Lunch in Pyramiden
• In the afternoon, you’ll continue your in-depth exploration of the city.
• If you are tired of walking, we will offer a unique experience: you’ll visit an old film storage building and pick a movie to watch in the old cinema. Don’t forget the popcorn!
• Dinner and overnight in Pyramiden
Wednesday 28th August – Return to Longyearbyen
Morning
• Breakfast in the Hotel
• Departure to Longyearbyen by open boats with a stop-over at the massive Nordenskiöld glacial wall. It is a common spot for polar bears to hunt seals, so there is a chance to meet them, but from the safe distance, of course.
• Tour concludes – Airport drop-offs can be arranged for people leaving that day.
• Group members for our Arctic Adventure: Spitsbergen & North East Greenland cruise will be dropped off at our hotel.
Tour Extensions
Want to extend your YPT adventure? Join one of our great tour extensions
