Trip to Svalbard 8 days

Travel out of Longyearbyen "town" is not possible without tour companies given polar bear safety considerations. So basically everytime you want to leave town you need to have something booked...

The best way to experience Svalbard is by boat but that is quite expensive. Everything there is expensive really. I hope student=cheap travel.
With 8-10 days that should give you enough time to get a tour on a boat but they get booked out very quickly so I would not wait any longer.

I agree with the prior post. Longyearbyen is a small town - one main street and a couple of side streets. The polar bear risk is very real so it's not recommended that anyone just wander outside of town. We were there shortly after two girls were killed just outside of town. It's normal to see locals walking up the street with weapons and signs on store windows asking you to leave your weapons with the clerk when you shop.

As far as a boat trip goes, they are expensive and, if you are willing to risk not getting on one, an option is to hang around and see if a berth opens up at the last minute on one of the ships. Companies that do these trips include Quark and Lindblad. Both are good companies with Quark being less expensive.

I found the LP section on Svalbard to be very good and you could use this to contact lodging, etc. in Longyearbyen to see what you might be able to book.

Final comment - Longyearbyen has a zero tolerance for drugs, drunkenness, etc. From what our guide told us it's an instant trip back to the mainland even for residents.

All this said, we thought is was an interesting town with a very frontier feel. I hope you have a great trip.
Brock in San Diego

I already have the flight tickets but I am struggling to find the solution for travel inside the country.
We are 2 students and would like to have the opportunnity to see polar bears and walruses.

It is a good idea to do this research before booking flight tickets.

Although there is a polar bear risk in/near Longyearbyen, the chances of seeing one in the vicinity, when you want to see one, are very poor, likewise on organised day trips and other short trips available out of Longyearbyen. The risk is sufficiently low in the immediate vicinity that there is an unfenced campsite. To get realistic chances of seeing them, you need to go on the longer cruises, at least 5 days, which are not arranged to student budgets. Early August is a peak season for these cruises, because it is at this time of year that you can sail further around the archipelago. So the cruises tend to be longer at just that time as well. So it is unlikely you will get a discount offer just then. And unfortunately you might find that your already booked travel dates are inconsistent with the dates of cruise options that offer a realistic chance of seeing a polar bear.

Because of the polar bear risk, you just can't go and cheaply hike in the wilderness there, unless you are armed, and have radiocomms, and otherwise know what you are doing. Treks are not even intended as a way of spotting polar bears. Unlike other kinds of bears which see humans as a threat, polar bears see humans as food. So if you do see a polar bear while on trek, this is not a welcome wildlife experience, it is a dangerous situation potentially requiring emergency evacuation, as shooting the bear must be avoided if possible.

Polar bears can be seen on more student-like budgets in Canada, eg Churchill, though in rather less scenic conditions.

I expect you will either have to reduce your expectations of what you can achieve by going there on a budget, or else spend a lot of money.

a very difficult one - I looked into all the options and there wasn't really anything to achieve what you are after. There are some cruise boats that do quite short trips for 4 or 5 days which should get you part way round the island and even if you don't see polar bears, you should see seals, walrus and some great landscapes and birds. You could prebook or take a chance and just show up. You never know but you need to be prepared for disappointment!