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No program to
the Top of the World would be complete
without including the ultimate expedition!
Join the Russian vessel, I/B Yamal, for
this wonderful journey to the absolute Top of
the World! We are again delighted to work with
the Moscow-based shipping company, Poseidon,
and are pleased to offer their full range of
remarkable arctic voyages on our website.
Day 1: We arrive at the international airport in Moscow. Comfortable buses take us to 5* hotel, centrally located in the Moscow City. Day 2: Moscow-Murmansk. After a short Moscow city tour, the buses take us to the airport for our 2-hour flight to Murmansk. Upon arrival we are transferred to the icebreaker "Yamal". We sail late in the evening. Day 3: Today we are headed towards the Franz Josef Land archipelago. We are introduced to the ship and the sophisticated technical equipment in the engine room, as well as to the basic principles of ice navigation and the navigator's job. We also learn about helicopter operations, and we are instructed how to use safety equipment and lifeboats. Lifeboat Drill is to follow. Days 4-5: We cross 80° North latitude and penetrate the frozen world of the age-long pack ice, towering volcanic mountains, icebergs and glaciers. Discovered only in 1873 by Austrian expedition aboard the "Tegetthoff", most of the archipelago remains largely unexplored. Our onboard helicopters afford astonishing views of the area's magnificent landscape. We plan to call at Calm Bay to view Rubini Rock and its numerous nesting seabird colonies, closely approaching the sheer basalt cliff if conditions permit. There is a deserted research station close by, while enormous fragments of calving glaciers are sometimes seen offshore. We also expect to spot polar bears and walruses. Surprisingly, the polar bears often ignore the ship, and even curiously approach it, thus enabling us to take wonderful photos. We might visit Cape Norway where Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered in 1896-1897. Days 6-7: Towards the Pole. Heading north, the "Yamal" forces its way through thick, multiyear pack, riding up on top of several meters of ice that breaks under the ship's tremendous mass. Our expedition is divided into several groups to board the helicopters and watch the operation of our vessel from above. Once a solid piece of ice is found, the ship stops and we take a walk on the ice. During these days scientists, travelers, and explorers who have dedicated their lives to this austere world deliver series of interesting lectures. Day 8: North Pole. Today in the evening the expedition expects to reach the geographic North Pole. This time of year the weather is usually mild, with air temperatures of 0 - 1° C (32 - 34° F). As our vessel steadily approaches 90° N, we meet on the bridge of the "Yamal" to celebrate our achievement. Upon reaching our goal, we disembark onto the ice. The crew of the ship prepares for a celebration, including a picnic on the ice, and the most daring take a plunge into the Arctic Ocean . Special communication facilities permit contact with civilization to share our achievement with friends. The celebration is in progress... Days 9-11: Course due South. Our icebreaker moves on, smashing through high ice hummocks and pack ice. We make ice reconnaissance flights and flightseeing excursions. On our way back, if the weather and ice conditions permit, we intend to visit some extra places on Franz Josef Land or Novaya Zemlya. Days 12-14: Barents Sea. On the way to Murmansk we recall the exciting experience of our wonderful voyage, full of discoveries and adventures. We belong to a selected group of people who have conquered the North Pole. The same day we fly to Moscow and comfortable buses take us to 5* hotel in the center of the city. Day 15: Moscow. Today after breakfast at our hotel the buses take us to the international airport for the flight home. |
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