What a Kirkenes king crab safari costs, meal included
Kirkenes has two king crab safaris on our partner sites, and one company runs both. The summer RIB trip starts at ~$284 per person and the winter sled trip across the frozen fjord at ~$376. Below you can see what each fare pays for and which small costs come on top.
Two crab trips, two fares
Both safaris come from Snow Resort Kirkenes, the company behind the Snowhotel at Bjørnevatn. One goes out on the fjord in an open RIB boat, the other crosses the frozen fjord on a sled pulled by a snowmobile.
The prices below are GetYourGuide's regular "from" figures per person. The booking page shows the final price for the date you pick, and Viator's figure can differ a little from it.
| Tour | From | Length | Transport | Group on GetYourGuide | Start point | Included | You pay extra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer RIB safari (our pick) | ~$284 | 3 h (about 4 on Viator) | Hotel transfer, then an open RIB boat | Up to 12 | Your Kirkenes hotel, or 1:15 pm at the King Crab pier | Crab meal, English-speaking guide, floating overalls, life vest, Snow Park entry | Drinks, tips, airport transfer |
| Winter ice safari | ~$376 | 3 h (about 4 on Viator) | Hotel transfer, then a sled behind a snowmobile | Up to 50 | Your Kirkenes hotel, or the Snow Resort | Crab meal, English-speaking guide, thermal suit, boots, helmet, Snow Park entry | Drinks, tips, airport transfer |
Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before departure on both. GetYourGuide also offers reserve now, pay later, handy for a trip that hangs on wind in summer and on ice in winter.
Why the ice trip costs more
The winter fare sits clearly above the summer one, and most of the gap is machinery and clothing. A snowmobile and a wooden passenger sled carry you out to the traps instead of a boat.
The cold-weather kit is also heavier. You are lent a thermal suit with boots and socks plus a helmet. Mittens and a balaclava complete the kit, all of it handed back at the end.
The summer fare covers floating overalls with a life vest, and mittens with a balaclava. That is enough for wind and spray on an open boat, and you change out of it at the pier or the boathouse.
What both fares pay for
Strip away the transport and the two listings include the same core. None of it is a surprise add-on at the counter.
- Transfer from your hotel in Kirkenes and back again
- The king crab meal, served Northern Norwegian style on buttered bread with mayonnaise and lemon
- An English-speaking guide who talks about the crab and shows you how to open the legs
- Entry to the Snow Park with its reindeer and dog yard at the Snow Resort
- The outer clothing for the season, lent for the trip
The Snow Resort lies about 15 minutes' drive from town. The winter trip starts and ends there anyway, so the park entry fits in naturally on a cold day.
The cheaper way out to the crab pots
Snow Resort Kirkenes' summer trip by RIB boat passes fishing boats and wartime sites on the fjord before the crab meal. Hotel transfer and the floating suit are in the fare.
The extras you pay on the day
The meal comes without drinks, which the restaurant sells. Bring a card or some Norwegian kroner if you want wine or beer with the crab.
- Drinks with the crab, from water to a glass of wine
- A transfer from Kirkenes airport, which neither listing covers
- A tip for the guide, if the afternoon earns one
- Wool or fleece layers for under the suit, if you did not pack any
Kirkenes airport has flights from Oslo, but the hotel transfer starts in town. If you land on the day of the safari, plan a taxi to your hotel and choose a start time with room to spare.
A safari plate against a restaurant plate
King crab is one of the dearer things on any Norwegian menu, and restaurants tend to sell it by weight. A safari fare puts the boat or sled and the guide into one price together with the transfer, with the meal at the end.
Reviewers mostly leave full rather than hungry. Our page on how much crab you eat goes through the portion and what is served beside it.
The difference that people remember is that they hauled the trap first. The crabs end up as lunch, so think of it as a fishing trip rather than a wildlife cruise.
Booking on Viator or GetYourGuide
Both trips sit on both sites, run by the same company with the same pickup and the same meal. The differences are small and mostly about paperwork.
GetYourGuide shows the regular "from" price used on this site and offers reserve now, pay later. Viator often has more reviews for the same trip, and its price for a given date can land slightly above or below.
Whichever you use, read the meeting point on the confirmation. Outside the summer pier months the boat trip starts at the Snow Resort, and the winter trip can meet there too.
Ratings for the money
The summer boat has the longer record, 5.0 from 50 reviews on Viator and 4.8 from 34 reviews on GetYourGuide. The RIB safari from ~$284 is the cheaper fare and the better documented one.
The winter ice safari from ~$376 holds 5.0 from 13 reviews on Viator and 4.6 from 5 reviews on GetYourGuide. That is a thinner record, so each single review carries more weight in the average.
Which fare to choose
Season usually makes the choice for you, since the boat needs open water and the sled needs solid ice. Our summer or winter comparison sets the two shapes side by side.
If you are flexible on dates, read when each trip runs before you book. The step-by-step pages on the summer RIB safari and the crab traps through the ice show what the fare buys hour by hour.
Neither trip asks you to bring much beyond warm layers. Our clothing guide lists what goes under the borrowed suit in each season.