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So welcome to Franz-Josef Land where
you will have a pleasant journey. Here we will
find the lands of the midnight sun, icebergs
in all shapes and sizes. Dramatic glaciers
and an endless cap. This beautiful region is
becoming a favorite for those who seek
adventure and freedom. We hope to give you a
glimpse of what awaits you here in this unspoiled
land of beauty and extremes. A world of
breathtaking beauty and strength on top of our
planet is waiting for you!
Day 1: Your independent arrival to
Longyearbyen is followed by embarkation the
ice-strengthened vessel “Polaris” and… our
Arctic expedition starts with an independent
exploration of the ship – shouldn’t we know
more of our floating home for the next 2
weeks.
In the evening it’s time to meet our
Expedition staff members and crew officers;
the presentation of the staff is followed by
instructions on zodiac activities – welcome to
a Real Expedition.
Day 2: You shouldn’t wait long to
demonstrate your zodiac theoretic skills: the
same day we plan to have zodiac tour to the
sparkling 14th of July Glacier at Krossfjord.
Weather permits we’ll land right onto the
glacier for a great walking tour.
Day 3: If the weather is on our side
today we’ll try landing on Kvitoya Island. It
is almost completely ice-covered (White
Island) and belongs to the Northeast Svalbard
Nature Reserve. On the ice-free parts there
are moss beds which can be very colorful.
Arctic terns and some other birds breed here.
Polar bears and walrus are frequent visitors
in this area.
In the evening we are leaving the archipelago
and heading for Victoria Island.
Day 4: Today the outstanding Arctic
show will be performed for you. We expect to
watch Total Solar Eclipse this morning not far
from Victoria Island. Our masterly Captain
will try to catch the best point for the ship
to observe this majestic natural phenomenon.
This is the unique event which will probably
divide our voyage (and may be not only the
voyage) into “before” and “after”.
Well we have much of interesting in the latter
part of our expedition. If we have favourable
weather conditions we’ll explore Victoria
Island with its large population of walruses.
Naturalists are not the only creatures
attracted here by these Arctic animals - polar
bears visit the area frequently to have their
“walrus dinner”. We hope to meet them both
here while cruising near on our zodiacs.
Day 5: We expect to reach Franz Josef
Land archipelago this morning. A landing is
planned on Bell Island to visit the house
built by Lee Smith expedition in 1881.
Let’s go on learning history of Arctic
discoveries during our landing at Cape Flora
on Nordbrook Island, discovered by Lee Smith
expedition in 1880. They had to winter on this
island after the steam yacht "Aira" had been
crushed by ice and sunk near the coast.
Jackson expedition (1894-1897) dwelled here
longer than any other one and made a major
contribution to the exploration of the
archipelago. In 1897 a memorable meeting of
Jackson and Nansen took place on the island.
Several memorial steles were erected on the
island to commemorate the daring Arctic
explorers. A huge sea birds colony finds home
on the cliffs towering over the southern side
of Cape Flora.
Day 6: We start the day with a visit to
Wilczek Island. On the southern tip of the
island we’ll find a lonely grave of the
machinist Otto Krisch. He was the only victim
of the Payer Wayprecht Expedition. “Peace For
His Ash” is written on a small plaque attached
to the cross at the grave.
Our next possible stop is Hall Island, Cape
Tegetthoff. The island sights are very
impressive: huge cliffs resembling dorsal fins
of gigantic sharks submerge into the depths.
The remains of the wooden structures built by
the Wellman expedition (1898-1899) add colors
to the vivid panorama.
We are at Alger Island. Our goal today is to
land at the wintering place of the American
Arctic expedition headed by A. Baldwin. If
weather permits we will lower our zodiacs to
sail among drifting icebergs. Polar bears are
frequent visitors here; probably we’ll succeed
in catching some… with our camera lenses.
Day 7: Today we plan a landing at Cape
Heller on Wilczek Land Island. In 1899 two
sailors, members of the Welle expedition
wintered there, waiting for the core of the
group that was trying to conquer the North
Pole. As everywhere on Franz Josef Land, we
are very likely to witness Polar bears and sea
mammals.
We are at Stolichky and Appolonov Islands. Our
expedition activities here are highly depend
on weather and ice conditions. If we are lucky
to have favourable conditions we plan a zodiac
trip near the islands. The main attraction of
the islands is walrus rookeries. Our zodiac
drivers will do their best to get to the
rookeries as close as possible.
Day 8: A magnificent Champ Island in
placed in the very center of the archipelago
like a diamond in a precious tiara. The
landscape of Champ is majestic: the cliffs and
ice-capped mountains are the highest on the
archipelago. Here we’ll see the unique nature
creations: the stones of ideal spherical shape
(up to 3 m of diameter).
It’s a remarkable day for birds lovers; we go
on observing bird life in Tikhaya Bay on
Hooker Island. The famous Rubini Rock, a huge
cliff in the bay, is the shelter for thousands
of sea birds. We will try to approach the
cliff as close as possible to watch kittiwakes
and other Arctic birds. There is an abandoned
polar station on the shore of Tikhaya Bay. If
weather is favourable we will go ashore to
visit the station.
Day 9: We are on our way back to
Longyearbyen. There will be enough time to
share your impressions with your companions
and our experienced lecturers.
Day 10: If the weather and ice
conditions are favourable we plan a landing in
the region of Sjuoyane Islands. We plan to
visit the island of Rossoya, the northernmost
point of Norway.
Day 11: In the morning we arrive to
Longyearbyen, disembark the ship and go to the
local airport for the flight to Oslo. |
