Explore the Barents Sea and Franz Josef Land

Franz Josef Land

Franz Josef Land is the new frontier for Arctic expeditions. Only accessible by sea, it is offered to adventurers by just three of our expedition partners, Silversea, with their luxury expedition ship Silver Explorer, Oceanwide Expeditions with their newly refurbished ship, Ortelius and Lindblad on board the National Geographic Explorer.

Sample itinerary:

Not as easy to reach as Svalbard, but well worth the effort. For this trip on board Ortelius, you will travel to either Kirkenes in northern Norway or directly to the Russian port of Murmansk. There follows three days at sea until you reach the archipelago, which consists of upwards of 190 island and outcrops. From here, the itinerary largely depends on sea and ice conditions but the following is a sample itinerary:

Day 1

Embark Kirkenes, depart 18.00 hours

Day 2

Morning Clearing position Murmansk Fjord

Day 3 and 4

At sea

Day 5

Novaya Zemlya, Ivanov Bay

Day 6

Novaya Zemlya, Heemskerk Island, Vlissings Hoofd, Cape Konstantin.
Ledniy Gavan, Barentsz wintering site

Day 7

Oranskiy Islands

Day 8

Today we expect to arrive in Franz Josef Land. We shall try to land at Cape Tegethoff and Wilchzek Island in the south, where we again find the remains of the stations of early polar explorers such as the Austrians, Weyprecht and Payer, who first discovered Franz Joseph Land in the 19th century.
Day 9

Camp Ziegler on Alger Island has remains of polar expeditions from a century ago. The island, in a beautiful setting, is surrounded by mountainous islands with impressive glacier fronts.

The deserted Krenkl Station on Hayes Island, built around a meteorite crater, is a surrealistic picture against a background of pristine wilderness.

Day 10

If sea ice conditions allow in the British Channel, we shall try to sail to Cape Norvegia on Jackson Island, where Nansen and Johansen spent the winter after they had left their ship, “Fram”.

Day 11

Rubini Rock in Tichaia Bay on Hooker Island has colonies of cliff-nesting seabirds like Brünnich’s Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Little Auks, Fulmars and Kittiwakes. We should also see Bearded and Harp Seals. We shall also visit the Sedov Research station. Encounters with Polar Bears are likely and also Greenland Whales have been seen in this area

Day 12

In Günther Bay at Northbrook Island we make a zodiac cruise near a big haul-out of Walruses. Cape Flora on Northbrook Island is an important site in the history of Polar exploration, where a century ago, several expeditions had their bases. On the cliffs behind Cape Flora, there are large colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots. It is an exciting view to witness the young birds when they try to glide from the ledges to the sea and where they are often eaten by Glacous Gulls.

Day 13 and 14

At sea

Day 15

Murmansk Port ( passengers are driven by bus to Kirkenes)