Franz joseph land12/2/2023 ![]() ![]() I must admit that before arriving in Franz Josef Land I had no idea what it had to offer with its flora. Early Explorers’ Shelter on Jackson Island 5. Seeing sites like this and hearing from the expedition team, the stories of these early polar explorers really gives you an appreciation for what these explorers went through. There is also Jackson Island where Nansen and Johansen (two explorers who had attempted to reach the North Pole) were forced to spend a winter in total darkness in a makeshift shelter from nearby rocks, a piece of driftwood and hunting walrus and polar bears to survive. Historical Significanceįranz Josef Land is one of the most northerly land masses on Earth, which made it a popular spot to make a base for expeditions trying to be the first to reach the North Pole! With a bit of luck with the conditions, you will get a chance to explore some of these sites such as Tikhaya Bay, which is an abandoned Soviet polar station including generator, hanger and dog kennels – making it a fascinating place to wander around. It’s great to get off the ship and onto the landings sites, to do the zodiac cruises along the face of the glacier and around the icebergs, but with a small ship you are so close to it all you can also enjoy it from the warmth of the ship with a coffee in hand. Whether it’s a glacier front stretching for kilometres or the tabular icebergs it creates, it’s really hard to describe how beautiful the region is. The archipelago is 85% glaciers which makes for some spectacular scenery unlike even other polar regions. This far north even the satellite internet doesn’t work, so you will have to go without the wi-fi and really explore this destination. This means that the cruises that visit now may still land at completely new landing sites that have no record of being explored in the past. Even with the increased interest in the polar regions (40,000+ visitors to Antarctica each year), Franz Josef Land has remained largely unexplored with roughly only 1000 visitors every year. Not to worry though – during the summer period when the expeditions run, the temperature averages a balmy couple of degrees above 0C. At times the temperature reaches lower than -40C and in winter total darkness engulfs the island for several months. ![]() UndiscoveredĮven in the middle of summer sea ice can make exploring parts of Franz Josef land impossible, and in winter the archipelago is totally surrounded by ice, making it one of the least hospitable areas on earth – so its not surprising that it has never been permanently settled. To reach Franz Josef Land requires you to fly to Longyearbyen – the most northern airport in the world that operates scheduled flights (quite the journey when travelling from Australia) and then sail for around two days before passing through a Russian checkpoint, after which you are finally ready to explore! Remote Wilderness 2. A part of what makes Franz Josef Land special is indeed how hard it is to get to. In the era of low-cost airlines, Instagram and package holidays it’s increasingly difficult to get away from the crowds and explore somewhere new. These are my top reasons you should add Franz Josef Land to your travel bucket list. If you haven’t heard of it before, it is a Russian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean which is inhabited only by military personnel and spectacular wildlife. ![]() I recently had the opportunity to visit Franz Josef Land on board the Sea Spirit. ![]()
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