Travel style: discovery
ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrival in Moscow. Our English-speaking guide will meet you at the international airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 2. Check-out from the hotel. You will have a short bus tour around Moscow. During the tour you will see the major highlights of Moscow: Red Square, Lenin Mausoleum, St. Basil's Cathedral. You will also visit the ‘Sparrow Hills’ and the observation platform which provides a fantastic panoramic view of Moscow. Our bus will take you through the main streets of Moscow - huge, busy and elegant all at the same time. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Murmansk. Arrival in Murmansk, the capital of the Kola Peninsula. With a population of 375,000 people, Murmansk is the biggest city in the world above the Polar circle. It is also a harbour which proudly keeps its naval traditions. In Murmansk a guide will meet you and bring you to the icebreaker "Yamal". We set sail late in the evening.
Day 3. Today we head towards the Franz Josef Land archipelago. In the meantime 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 obligatory for every passenger.
Day 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 an 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 make a stop at Calm Bay to view Rubini Rock and its numerous nesting seabird colonies, closely approaching the sheer basalt cliff if the weather 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. There may also be a chance to visit Cape Norway where Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered in 1896-1897.
Day 6-7. Towards the Pole. Heading north, the "Yamal" forces its way through thick, multiyear pack ice, 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 movement of our vessel from above. Once a solid piece of ice is found, the ship will stop and you will have the chance to take a walk on the ice. During this part of the tour, scientists, travelers and explorers who have dedicated their lives to this austere world ,will deliver a series of interesting lectures.
Day 8. North Pole. Today in the evening the expedition expects to reach the geographic North Pole. This time of the 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 the 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!
Day 9-11. Course due South. Our icebreaker moves on, smashing through high ice hummocks and pack ice. We make ice reconnaissance flights and flight-seeing 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.
Day 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 small group of people who have conquered the North Pole. The same day we fly to Moscow and comfortable buses take us to the hotel in the center of the city (5*). Overnight in a hotel.
Day 15. Today after breakfast at our hotel, the car takes us to the international airport for the flight home.
Please read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and programme may vary according to weather, ice conditions and wildlife we encounter.
Major Highlights of this Tour:
Optional: If you wish, you can enjoy Moscow for further days and/or visit St. Petersburg. At your request we can organise the following:
- City tour of Moscow or St. Petersburg
- Visits to the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow (UNESCO World Heritage List)
- Visits to the best art collections in Russia, including Hermitage Museum and Russian Museum in St. Petersburg as well as Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
- Visits to the parks and palaces outside Moscow and St. Petersburg
- Tickets for Ballet, Opera, Circus or City Music Hall performances in both cities
Some places you visit in this journey are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Please click here to view the UNESCO review page:
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