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Itinerary
North Pole Icebreaker Expedition
15 days - Aug - From US $ 20,500
Please note: read this itinerary as a guide only--the exact route and program will vary according to weather and ice conditions and the wildlife encountered.
Day 1: You will arrive at the international airport in Moscow, from where comfortable buses will take you to a 5-star hotel, centrally located in Moscow City.
Day 2: After a short Moscow city tour, buses will take you to the airport for your 2-hour flight to Murmansk. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the Russian icebreaker Yamal. The ship will set sail late in the evening.
Day 3: Today, you will head towards the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Along the way, you will be 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. Also, you will learn about helicopter operations, and will be instructed how to use safety equipment and lifeboats. A lifeboat drill will follow.
Day 4-5: The ship will cross 80° north latitude and penetrate the frozen world of pack ice, towering volcanic mountains, icebergs, and glaciers. Discovered in 1873 by an Austrian expedition aboard the Tegetthoff, most of the archipelago remains largely unexplored. The onboard helicopters will afford you astonishing views of the area's magnificent landscape.
It will be planned to call at Calm Bay, so you can view Rubini Rock and its numerous nesting seabird colonies. The ship will closely approach 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. You may also spot polar bears and walruses. Surprisingly, the polar bears often ignore the ship, and even curiously approach it, thus enabling you to take wonderful photos. You might also visit Cape Norway, where Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered in 1896-1897.
Day 6-7: Heading north, toward the pole, the Yamal will force its way through thick, multiyear pack, riding up on top of several meters of ice that break under the ship's tremendous mass.
Those on the expedition will be divided into several groups to board the helicopters and watch the operation of the vessel from above. Once a solid piece of ice is found, the ship will stop and you will be able to walk on the ice. During this time, scientists, travelers, and explorers who have dedicated their lives to this austere world will deliver a series of interesting lectures.
Day 8: Today, in the evening, it will be expected that the expedition will reach the geographic North Pole. This time of year the weather is usually mild, with air temperature of 0 - 1° C (32 - 34° F). As the vessel steadily approaches 90° N, you will want to meet on the bridge of the Yamal to celebrate your achievement. Upon reaching this goal, you can disembark onto the ice. The crew of the ship will prepare a celebration, including a picnic on the ice, while the most daring take a plunge into the Arctic Ocean. Special communication facilities will permit contact with civilization so you can share your achievement with friends. The celebration will be in progress.
Day 9-11: The icebreaker will move on, smashing through high ice hummocks and pack ice. You will make ice reconnaissance flights and flight-seeing excursions. On your way back, if the weather and ice conditions permit, the ship will try to visit some extra places on Franz Josef Land or Novaya Zemlya.
Day 12-14: On the way to Murmansk, you will recall the exciting experience of your wonderful voyage, full of discoveries and adventures. You will now belong to a select group of people who have conquered the North Pole. You will then fly to Moscow where comfortable buses will take you to a 5-star hotel in the center of the city.
Day 15: Today, after breakfast at your hotel, the buses will take you to the international airport for your flight home.
Day 1: You will arrive at the international airport in Moscow, from where comfortable buses will take you to a 5-star hotel, centrally located in Moscow City.
Day 2: After a short Moscow city tour, buses will take you to the airport for your 2-hour flight to Murmansk. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the Russian icebreaker Yamal. The ship will set sail late in the evening.
Day 3: Today, you will head towards the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Along the way, you will be 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. Also, you will learn about helicopter operations, and will be instructed how to use safety equipment and lifeboats. A lifeboat drill will follow.
Day 4-5: The ship will cross 80° north latitude and penetrate the frozen world of pack ice, towering volcanic mountains, icebergs, and glaciers. Discovered in 1873 by an Austrian expedition aboard the Tegetthoff, most of the archipelago remains largely unexplored. The onboard helicopters will afford you astonishing views of the area's magnificent landscape.
It will be planned to call at Calm Bay, so you can view Rubini Rock and its numerous nesting seabird colonies. The ship will closely approach 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. You may also spot polar bears and walruses. Surprisingly, the polar bears often ignore the ship, and even curiously approach it, thus enabling you to take wonderful photos. You might also visit Cape Norway, where Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered in 1896-1897.
Day 6-7: Heading north, toward the pole, the Yamal will force its way through thick, multiyear pack, riding up on top of several meters of ice that break under the ship's tremendous mass.
Those on the expedition will be divided into several groups to board the helicopters and watch the operation of the vessel from above. Once a solid piece of ice is found, the ship will stop and you will be able to walk on the ice. During this time, scientists, travelers, and explorers who have dedicated their lives to this austere world will deliver a series of interesting lectures.
Day 8: Today, in the evening, it will be expected that the expedition will reach the geographic North Pole. This time of year the weather is usually mild, with air temperature of 0 - 1° C (32 - 34° F). As the vessel steadily approaches 90° N, you will want to meet on the bridge of the Yamal to celebrate your achievement. Upon reaching this goal, you can disembark onto the ice. The crew of the ship will prepare a celebration, including a picnic on the ice, while the most daring take a plunge into the Arctic Ocean. Special communication facilities will permit contact with civilization so you can share your achievement with friends. The celebration will be in progress.
Day 9-11: The icebreaker will move on, smashing through high ice hummocks and pack ice. You will make ice reconnaissance flights and flight-seeing excursions. On your way back, if the weather and ice conditions permit, the ship will try to visit some extra places on Franz Josef Land or Novaya Zemlya.
Day 12-14: On the way to Murmansk, you will recall the exciting experience of your wonderful voyage, full of discoveries and adventures. You will now belong to a select group of people who have conquered the North Pole. You will then fly to Moscow where comfortable buses will take you to a 5-star hotel in the center of the city.
Day 15: Today, after breakfast at your hotel, the buses will take you to the international airport for your flight home.
