Pulling king crab through the fjord ice near Kirkenes
When the fjord near Kirkenes freezes hard, the crab safari moves onto the ice. A snowmobile pulls you out on a sled, a fisherman opens a hole above the traps and you help haul up the catch. An hour later it is on your plate at the Snow Resort.
Pickup and the Snow Resort
The winter trip begins with a pickup at your hotel in Kirkenes. If you are staying at the Snowhotel or have your own car, you can meet the group at the Snow Resort at Bjørnevatn instead.
The resort lies about 15 minutes' drive from town, on the edge of the fjord. The meal is served there too, which means the whole trip begins and ends at the resort.
Dressing for the ice
Before going out you are fitted with the operator's cold-weather kit. It is thorough, and it is one reason the winter fare costs more than the summer one.
- A thermal suit worn over your own clothes
- Winter boots and warm socks
- Mittens and a balaclava
- A helmet for the sled ride
What you wear under the suit still matters on a day well below freezing. Our guide to layers covers wool and fleece as well as where to keep a phone warm.
The sled ride across the fjord
You sit as a passenger in a wooden sled hitched behind a snowmobile. The guide or the fisherman does the driving, so this is not a snowmobile driving tour, whatever the photos suggest.
The ride is steady rather than wild, across a flat white fjord with low hills around it. In the darkest weeks the light is a long blue twilight, and the snow carries what little of it there is.
Pulling the traps through the hole
At the fishing spot everyone steps out onto the ice. The fisherman opens the hole above the traps, and the group helps pull the line until the cage comes up from the dark water.
Then comes the moment most photos are taken, holding a red king crab with its long legs spread. The guide talks through the crab's biology and how it came to live in this fjord.
The red king crab is not native here. It was set loose by Soviet scientists on the Murmansk coast in the 1960s and has worked its way west since then. Our page on how king crab reached Kirkenes tells the full story.
A sled, a hole in the ice and a crab meal
Snow Resort Kirkenes' winter safari across the frozen fjord, with the traps pulled by hand and the catch cooked at Teina. The thermal kit with a helmet is included, as is the hotel transfer.
The meal at Teina
Back at the Snow Resort the guide prepares the catch at Teina, the resort's king crab restaurant. The legs come the Northern Norwegian way, piled next to buttered bread with mayonnaise and lemon.
A warm room and a full plate feel very welcome after the cold. Drinks are sold separately, and the crab meal guide explains what to expect on the table.
Snow Park entry is in the fare as well, so you can see the reindeer and the dog yard. Ask the guide whether there is time to walk round it before your transfer back to town.
The Snowhotel Kirkenes stands at the same resort and is rebuilt from snow and ice each winter. If you want to see its rooms, the day plan for Kirkenes shows how to fit the hotel around the safari.
What to carry on the ice
The borrowed kit covers your outer layer, so pack light. Cold is the enemy of batteries and fingers, and both need a little planning.
- A thin wool layer and a fleece under the thermal suit
- A phone kept in an inner pocket close to your body, since cold drains batteries fast
- Sunglasses for the glare off the snow when the sun is up
- Lip balm and a spare pair of thin gloves to wear inside the mittens for photos
Thick mittens make phone screens hard to use. Take your photos in a quick burst, then put your hands away again before your fingers go numb.
How long it takes and who can join
GetYourGuide lists the trip at 3 hours and Viator at about 4. Groups can reach 50 people on GetYourGuide and 36 on Viator, a far larger cap than on the summer boat.
Children under 7 cannot join. Anyone else who can sit on a sled and stand on ice for a while should manage, though the cold is the hard part.
When the ice holds
The listings give no fixed dates. The sled goes out once the fjord ice will bear its weight, which usually means the coldest months. When that window opens and closes varies from one winter to the next.
Check the booking calendar for your dates before you plan around it. Northern lights can appear over the ice on a clear evening in the dark months, though no trip can promise them. Our best time guide covers the calendar.
The catch of the winter trip
The winter safari starts at ~$376, clearly more than the boat trip. Only 18 reviews sit behind it so far, 13 on Viator averaging 5.0 and 5 on GetYourGuide averaging 4.6.
- The cold is real, often well below freezing out on the open ice
- You sit on a sled rather than drive the snowmobile
- Dates depend on the ice, so the trip may not run in your week
- The crabs from the hole go straight to the kitchen, not back into the fjord
If your dates fall in summer, the RIB safari is the alternative. Our season comparison and the price page set the two trips side by side.