Guests interested in sustainable travel and eco-friendly tours, will enjoy this unique way to experience the natural beauty that are the Northern Lights. Book these clients with Northern Lights travel experts Off the Map Travel, who have taken their popular all-day Aurora itinerary in Svalbard and added an environmental twist, making it the lowest impact Arctic Northern Lights adventure ever. Using e-snowmobiles powered by renewable energy from the Arctic winds and the Midnight sun, guests indulge their green sensibilities at any hour of the day while searching for the Northern Lights on the eco-friendly A Truly Green Aurora holiday.
The new adventure is based in Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard at 78° North, an island designated as a Sustainable Destination. Travel for this itinerary is recommended from November to January when the skies over the island are almost permanently black, forming a perfect backdrop for searching the Aurora both daytime and nighttime.
“Although the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and are never guaranteed, you need clear, dark skies to optimize your chances to see them,” says Jonny Cooper, Arctic travel expert and founder of Off the Map Travel in press material. “Svalbard’s dark skies and extended Aurora viewing are due to the sun’s being at least six degrees below the horizon. This means it can be dark all day so the Northern Lights can appear at any time. In effect, the sun never rises.”
In addition, while on this eco Arctic adventure, guests will also journey into the wilderness on a snowshoe trek and hunt for the Aurora while driving a dogsled. The activities and experiences minimize travel impact and encourage connection with the environment and culture. The new holiday is in line with the reason Svalbard and Longyearbyen were designated a prestigious Sustainable Destination where travel experiences are designed to care for nature, culture and environment as well as strengthen local social values.
“The new eBikes are snowmobiles that use electric motors that are great for the environment as well as are totally quiet permitting a closer connection with local wildlife and nature,” adds Cooper. “The quiet engine allows for gentle searching of the Northern Lights, reindeer, ptarmigans and polar foxes. Exploring some of the most uncharted areas of our planet has never been more eco-friendly.”
Every adventure with Off the Map Travel can be tailor-made to fit the requirements of any guest. As an example, a 4-day, 3-night A Truly Green All Day Aurora itinerary, is priced starting from $1,407 pp, not including flights. This includes private transfers and three nights at Funken Lodge on a B&B basis,Northern Lights evening at Camp Barentz, use of an electric snowmobile under the Aurora, dog sledding under the Aurora, snowshoeing to an ice cave, and a tour to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an underground bunker where seeds, nuts and plant species are stored and protected against global crisis.
For more information, visit offthemap.travel/green-aurora.
