1. BOOKINGS
Trips can be booked directly on our website, through www.visitsvalbard.com, and by emailing or calling us. For overnight stays please contact us by email or phone.
After booking a trip, we will send you two invoices by email:
For amounts less than NOK 3000 or bookings within 60 days before arrival, a single invoice will be issued. Single invoices must be paid within 7 days from the issuing date.
If payment is done by bank transfer, the confirmation of payment (screenshot) must be sent by email.
Every invoice has an administrative cost of NOK 50 each.
2. PAYMENT OPTIONS
Your booking may be cancelled if we do not receive payment by the due date. Please note that we do not normally send reminders.
3. CHANGES, CANCELLATIONS, AND REFUNDS
Cancellations must be sent in writing by email. Depending on when we receive notice of cancellation, we will refund the price of the tour less the following percentage of the price to cover our expenses associated with the cancellation*:
* For sailing boat trip Voyage in the Arctic (7 or 10 days) the time-frames are different: more than 120 days prior to departure: 20%; 120-61 days: 50%; 60-16 days: 80%; 15 days or less: 100%.
**These percentages are applied to the total amount of the service (trips and overnight accommodations).
The day we receive your cancellation notice is considered as the first day, counting until the day before your trip or overnight stay.
If you wish to make changes to your travel arrangements after they have been confirmed, we will do our best to accommodate them when possible. Any request for changes to an existing arrangement must be made in writing by the person who made the original booking. The first change will be free, for further changes you will be asked to pay an administration charge of NOK 200 per invoice.
This rule applies if the arrangements are made after the invoice is issued and requires:
4. IF WE CHANGE OR CANCEL YOUR BOOKING
We reserve the right to change any of the details and correct any errors in brochures or invoices related to your service at any time.
We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel or change your travel arrangements for the following reasons:
Most alterations will be minor and we will do our best to notify you or your travel agent of any changes as soon as possible if there is time before your departure.
Occasionally we may have to make a significant change to your confirmed arrangements. Significant changes include the following:
In the case of a cancellation made by us, trips will be fully refunded (for example due to dangerous circumstances such as avalanche risk or terrible weather conditions, or due to logistical issues).
In case of significant changes in terms of hours in a trip or changes to lower accommodation, we will provide partial refunds.
We will not pay any compensation in the following circumstances:
5. FORCE MAJEURE
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Terms and Conditions we are unable to accept liability or pay compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligation is prevented or affected by reason of circumstances amounting to ‘force majeure’ i.e. any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include, but are not limited to, war, threat of war or civil commotions, riots, global pandemic/epidemic, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, flood, drought, government action, airport and port regulations and closures (not meant as strikes, flight delay or flight cancellation - covered by personal travel insurance) or events outside our control.
If a cancellation due to Force Majeure occurs after the cancellation terms to get a refund (total or partial) we will provide a voucher of the amount issued by you, which can be used within a year from the date of cancellation.
6. INSURANCE
All of our trips include Search and Rescue (SAR) insurance. This means that every rescue operation linked directly to our tours will not be charged to the guest*. The cost of every other event which requires an insurance policy, even if occurring during the trip itself (i.e. injuries), must be covered by personal travel insurance (not provided by Poli Arctici).
In particular, personal travel insurance usually covers flight cancellation or flight delay (even due to strikes), lost or stolen luggages, medical expenses for injuries or illness, repatriation in case of serious injuries, as well as cancellation for unforeseen reasons, such as the illness or death of a close family member. Travel insurance is highly recommended in order to avoid any loss of money.
*This doesn’t apply in case of neglecting behaviour of the guest or rescues due to medical conditions which our company was not aware about before the departure (See Section 7).
7. FITNESS TO TRAVEL, PREGNANCY, DISABILITY OR REDUCED MOBILITY, MEDICAL/MOBILITY EQUIPMENT/ALLERGIES
In order to ensure the safety of every guest, all participants must warrant that they are fit to travel by snowmobile, foot, boat, or ski and that their conduct or condition will not impair the safety of the trip or cause inconvenience to other guests.
Guests must provide information about possible reduced mobility or any other medical condition. We reserve the right to refuse customers who are not fit enough for the trips or are not in the required physical or psychological condition. There will be no refunds in this case as the guest must be aware of their own abilities before booking a trip, based on the information provided on our website (See Section 4).
Boat or snowmobile trips are not allowed in case of pregnancy. For trekking trips, it is highly recommended that you seek medical advice prior to travel at any stage of pregnancy. In this case you will be required to produce a medical certificate of fitness to travel (in English).
Participants must provide information about allergies in advance in order to allow us to have the right meals during the trips.
8. TIMINGS AND DELAYS
Timings are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed, even if shown on our website. Times may change due to weather conditions, maintenance or technical issues, and the ability of guests to drive snowmobiles and hike efficiently. Sometimes delays cannot be avoided, but we will try to ensure your comfort during the course of any delay.
9. PRIVACY POLICY
This Privacy Information applies to the processing of personal data carried out by Poli Arctici when you travel with us, use our services, visit our websites or mobile applications, or otherwise interact with us. This Privacy Information will explain what data is collected and why. We will not pass any information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. Poli Arctici is not responsible for the privacy practices of any other companies.
We collect the following categories of data:
We process your personal data for the following reasons:
CONDITIONS AND RULES FOR SNOWMOBILE TRIPS:
1. Safety is our first priority! Participants agree to follow instructions given by Poli Arctici staff before, and at any point during the excursion. You agree to travel safely and respectfully during the entire trip. Listen and follow instructions from your guide. If something is unclear, communicate with your guide. If at any point you are uncomfortable, please stop and talk with your guide.
2. Persons driving a snowmobile must ensure that their driving license is valid on Svalbard and within any questions, contact responsible authorities. The validity of the driving license shall be confirmed by the participants in written form prior to the tour starts. The participation can be refused if necessary. No refunds will be given due to an invalid driver's license. The valid driving license is to be carried with the participant during the whole tour.
3. Participants must not be under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other medications.
4. Participants must be fit enough to safely operate a snowmobile as the driver or as a passenger. You have a responsibility to inform us about any conditions that may affect your ability to safely participate in the excursion. Poli Arctici AS reserves the right to refuse any person from participating in our trip.
5. Participants agree to follow behind the guide in a single file line. It is your responsibility to maintain a safe following distance for the entire trip.
6. Travel in the Arctic is unpredictable and dictated by weather, snow, and ice conditions. Refunds cannot be given for route changes due to weather conditions or group ability.
7. Guide doesn’t take passengers except for in exceptional cases.
8. If you book as a driver and are not able to handle your driving properly, you might be accepted as a passenger of the guide or other drivers without any compensation by us. Regardless, it is not guaranteed that you will be able to participate as a passenger.
The guide reserves the right to establish if accepting a passenger, based on safety and logistical factors such as a safe minimum number of single scooters, mobility of the participant, etc. In this case participants will not be provided with compensation for the difference in price.
9. Snowmobile trips are not allowed in case of pregnancy (See Section 7 of General Conditions).
10. If participants choose to change their booking from single to shared snowmobile
After the invoice is issued, they will be charged NOK 200 as administrative cost (See Section 3 of General Conditions).
11. If a participant paying for a single scooter has to take a passenger during the trip (due to reasons such as snowmobile breakdown or inability of other participants to drive) he/she will be refunded a compensation of NOK 500 per day.
In case of snowmobile breakdown the participant who has to become a passenger will also receive the same refund (NOK 500 per day).
12. Participants agree to pay costs incurred by Poli Arctici AS to replace or repair damaged equipment due to reckless (exceeding correct speed, etc.) or negligent behavior (i.e. not following directions of the guide, not following the tracks, etc).
Participants must pay the amount of the damage according to the cost set by the authorized mechanic workshop.
Participants have the possibility to add an optional insurance of NOK 150 per person, per day. This will cover the cost of the damage up to 2500 NOK. Thus, in case the cost of the damage is lower than 2500 NOK, participants that purchased an optional snowmobile crash insurance will not have to pay for the repair. In case the cost of the damage is higher than 2500 NOK, participants that purchased an optional snowmobile crash insurance, will pay the cost difference where 2500 NOK are deducted from the total cost of the damage.
In case the damage happened, but the crash insurance was not purchased, participants must pay the full amount of the damage cost.
Participants undertake to provide credit card details or other means to guarantee covering the mentioned costs.
Example costs for repair/replacement are described below.
All the costs mentioned below don’t include the quote made by the authorized mechanic workshop, which amounts to NOK 2500 each.
Examples of MINOR DAMAGE: Broken windshield, damaged fender, or baggage rack—cost to repair 3.500 – 10.000 NOK (€300-1000).
Examples of MODERATE DAMAGE: Damaged suspension, cracked hood, or side panels—cost to repair 10.000 – 30.000 NOK (€1.000-3.000).
Examples of MAJOR DAMAGE: Head on collision—cost to repair >30.000 NOK (>€3,000).
