Snow mobile tour to the east coast: Mohnbukta

The east coast of Spitsbergen is hard to reach in summer, but in winter, it is a day trip as a snow mobile tour from Longyearbyen. The classic route follows the large valleys, Adventdalen and Sassendalen – easy and frequently used snow mobile routes. The most common route to the east coast takes you from Sassendalen up the glacier Rabotbreen and across the small but nevertheless very impressive ice cap of Nordmannsfonna and down to Mohnbukta on the east coast.

If the sea there is frozen solid as it should be in the late winter (March, April – but that is not reliable in times of climate change), then the glacier ice cliffs in Mohnbukta are very impressive: the combined glacier front of Königsbergbreen, Hayesbreen and Heuglinbreen is several kilometres wide and certainly one of the scenic highlights of the trip. If you have the chance to spend a while there in good weather, then this is an experience not to be forgotten! Chances to see a polar bear roaming on the ice somewhere are good, so keep your eyes open and be careful! Keeping a respectful distance and being able to move quickly will make such an experience safe, without any risk of disturbing the bear.

Tourists are only allowed to be in that area on the east coast in the company of a guide or a local, but there are guided tours from Longyearbyen pretty much on a daily basis during the main winter season. It is a long drive, demanding for beginners but technically not too challenging.