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Home , Cape Chelyuskin, Cape Zhelaniya, Hall Island (Arctic), Komsomolets Island, Novaya Zemlya, Russky Island (Kara Sea)

IN COLLABORAZIONE CON

HIGH ODYSSEY

Remote Russian Archipelagos

a Contents

1 Overview 2 High Arctic Odyssey: Remote Russian Archipelagos 2 22-Day Itinerary 6 Arrival and Departure information 8 Your Ship Options 10 included Activities 11 Dates & Rates 12 Inclusions & Exclusions 13 Your Expedition Team 14 Extend Your Trip 15 Meals on Board 16 Possible Landing Sites 19 Packing List Overview

Explore the most enigmatic and extreme regions of the Russian High Arctic with our EXPEDITION IN BRIEF epic High Arctic Odyssey: Remote Russian Archipelagos voyage. In the spirit of a true arctic Experience a true expedition as we explorer, you’ll discover breathtaking ice-draped coastlines that are rarely visited by explore rarely visited even the most intrepid adventurers. From the heavily glaciated and Encounter iconic arctic wildlife, such as to the isolated islands of the icy , this exclusive itinerary polar bears, and seabirds was designed to spend more time exploring these pristine places, increasing your Explore glaciated Novaya Zemlya, where chances of encountering unique wildlife and visiting some of our favorite far-flung the earliest Arctic explorers overwintered destinations steeped in polar history. If weather and ice conditions allow, we will Visit significant sites at Franz Josef Land explore Severnaya Zemlya, the last major territorial discovery on the planet. and learn about the region’s storied history The Arctic has been inspiring explorers for centuries, and our expeditions offer the Discover rarely visited islands of the icy chance for you to discover why. We’re excited to host you on your unforgettable Kara Sea adventure! Feel free to reach out to our team of Polar Travel Advisers or your travel professional, who can answer your questions and provide assistance at any time.

1 High Arctic Odyssey: Remote Russian Archipelagos 22-Day Itinerary

D AY 1 | HELSINKI, FINLAND DAYS 3 AND 4 | AT SEA Your arctic adventure begins in Today we sail through the Barents

Helsinki, renowned for its extraordinary Sea, named for the great Dutch ° architecture and design scene and explorer Willem Barents, who led intriguing mix of eastern and western two expeditions to Novaya Zemlya Greenland Sea influences. If you arrive early, explore Severnaya in the 1590s. Your Expedition Team Franz Josef Zemlya Land the many museums, galleries and will prepare you for the adventures ARCTIC restaurants, relax at a Finnish sauna that await. Learn about the storied CIRCLE or wander the vibrant Design District Kara history and politics of the region, its Novaya Sea Zemlya before retiring at your included hotel. fascinating wildlife, geology, Murmansk and climate, and the incredible sights DAY 2 | EMBARKATION IN Helsinki MURMANSK, you will soon explore. Expedition Staff After breakfast, we will transfer to the will also keep a lookout for the seabirds, RUSSIA Scheduled route Flight route airport and board our private charter such as kittiwakes, skuas and fulmars, Areas where ice may be present flight to Murmansk, Russia. Once soaring above your ship. Whale and seal aboard, get acquainted with the ship and sightings may also be possible in this HIGH ARCTIC ODYSSEY Remote Russian Archipelagos crew and settle in for your voyage north. biologically rich sea. Onboard the Ocean Adventurer Flights to/from Oslo

2 DAYS 5 TO 7 | EXPLORING and Russkaya Gavan. walrus vies for a choice spot of coastline. NOVAYA ZEMLYA Encounters with whales and seabirds Boasting one of the most picturesque The largest of the Eurasian arctic are possible, as well as polar bears, a in the entire archipelago, archipelagoes, the rarely visited genetically distinct subpopulation here. Novaya Zemlya (“New Land”) is Inostrantseva Bay provides breathtaking the third-largest wilderness area in panoramic views of pristine arctic A significant site in polar exploration, . This seemingly long, thin wilderness. If conditions allow, we may Novaya Zemlya also offers a number island actually consists of two main explore ashore, or Zodiac cruise along of opportunities for you to trace the islands, Severny (northern) and Yuzhny the face of the , at a safe distance, footsteps of famous explorers and reflect (southern), separated by the imposing possibly witnessing the wonders of on the region’s history. Matochkin Strait. These islands are calving ice. Encounters with Brünnich’s pure, rugged arctic beauty at its best— guillemots (thick-billed murres) are DAYS 8 TO 13 | EXPLORING THE KARA SEA & SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA massive extinct volcanoes, jagged ice likely, owing to a small colony in the Say goodbye to Novaya Zemlya as we cliffs and the most isolated mountain coastal cliffs. cruise farther east, exploring the Kara range in the Barents Sea. To the east side of are the Sea. The westernmost Asian sea off As we explore Novaya Zemlya, expect Oransky Islands. Wildlife abounds here, , the Kara Sea is known as the a new adventure every day. Each with a variety of animal and plant life to “ice cellar” of the Arctic, as it is often expedition will be unique, depending be discovered, Walrus have been sighted encumbered by trapped ice floes. Ice on the weather and ice, but a few here on many previous expeditions. conditions will be considered by your landing sites we strive to visit include Coming across a walrus haul-out is skilled captain during navigation— Inostrantseva Bay, the Oransky Islands, unforgettable. These giant pinnipeds luckily happens to be a great , Cape Spory Navalok of the Arctic create a raucous as each habitat for iconic arctic wildlife. There

3 are several sites and small archipelagoes station. Home to an ivory gull colony, the Strait, flanked by the massive Academy along the Siberian coast we hope island is also frequented by polar bears. of Sciences Glacier (which also runs to explore, tracing the path of polar along the eastern shore of Zhuravlev At the tip of the is explorers searching for the Northeast Bay) and the smaller Rusanov Glacier. As Cape Chelyuskin, the northernmost Passage. Weather and ice will determine one of very few people to ever explore point of the Russian and Eurasian where we explore, but some areas we this remote area in depth, you’ll want to mainland and the site of another active hope to visit include , have your camera ready to capture these research station. Here, at “the edge of the Troynoy Island and Cape Chelyuskin. amazing sights. earth,” we hope to explore on foot. Both Russky Island and Troynoy Island DAY 14 | AT SEA Dependent on ice and weather are part of the Great Arctic State Nature There are several activities to keep you conditions, an exploration of Severnaya Reserve, the largest reserve in Eurasia. engaged while at sea. Attend dynamic Zemlya embodies the true spirit of Russky Island is the site of a former presentations by your Expedition Team, adventure. Dominated by glaciers and polar station, established, in part, to relax in our polar library or simply polar desert, the archipelago was not monitor navigation along the Northern spend some time on deck, admiring the discovered until 1913 and remained Sea Route, the Russian section of the sea and searching for wildlife. virtually unexplored till 1930–32, the last . major undiscovered territory on earth. DAYS 15 TO 18 | EXPLORING Troynoy Island is the largest of the Amongst many possible destinations, FRANZ JOSEF LAND Izvesti Tsik Islands, about 90 miles we hope to visit a number of glaciers, This remote group of 191 islands, many (150 km) off the coast of the Taymyr including the Vavilov and ice covered, forms the most northerly Peninsula. The island is uninhabited, those at Marat . If conditions are archipelago in Eurasia and lies entirely except for the researchers at the weather favorable, we may cruise the Red Army within the Arctic Circle. A nature

4 reserve, it is part of the Russian Arctic Another possible landing site, if time and DAY 22 | HELSINKI National Park. Our exploration of the weather permit, is Cape Tegetthoff on After breakfast, spend time exploring region is highly determined by weather , where we hope to visit the more of the Finnish capital or catch your and ice conditions, but we hope to Barents memorial. The scenery here is homeward-bound flight. explore historical sites, remote seabird spectacular, and we may be fortunate to colonies and walrus rookeries such as view polar bears and Atlantic walrus. Cape Flora, Cape , Bell Island and IMPORTANT REMINDER DAYS 19 AND 20 | AT SEA Tikhaya Bukta. encounters are Embracing the unexpected is part As your arctic expedition winds down, also possible. of the legacy—and excitement—of you have a couple of days to sail through expedition travel. When traveling On , Cape Norway is this wildlife-rich sea, where whales of in extremely remote regions, your where Norwegian explorers Fridtjof various species are often seen. Take in Expedition Team must allow the sea, Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered a presentation, reminisce about your the ice and the weather to guide route from 1895 to 1896. The conditions were journey with your shipmates, relax in and itinerary details. This itinerary astonishingly difficult, but they survived the lounge while swapping stories and is a tentative outline of what you’ll until the summer and continued their photos or enjoy the solitude of the sea. experience on this voyage; please be journey south. The remains of their stone Expedition staff will be on hand to aware that no specific itinerary can be hut are still here today, with a memorial answer any questions and spot wildlife. guaranteed. By the same token, wildlife marking the event. encounters as described are expected DAY 21 | DISEMBARKATION but not guaranteed. Your Expedition Exploring Tikhaya Bukta (Calm Bay), MURMANSK & FLY TO HELSINKI Team will use their considerable the site of an abandoned weather station Returning to Russia’s most northerly experience to seek out wildlife in on , is a step back in time. city, you’ll have time to bid farewell to known habitats, but the presence There is plenty to discover as you wander your Expedition Team and crew before of any particular species of bird or the ruins, immersed in Russian polar catching our group charter flight back to marine wildlife is not a guarantee. history, and you may even be able to Helsinki, where you will have one more send a postcard from the post office! night in this exquisite city.

5 High Arctic Odyssey: Remote Russian Archipelagos Arrival & Departure Details

As you prepare for your journey, you may be interested to know the details of your arrival and departure. Since air transportation to and from your voyage is not included in the cost of your expedition, you have some flexibility in planning your flights. Looking to extend your adventure beyond your polar cruise? Learn how to add on a pre- or post-expedition stop—or both!—in your gateway city on page 21. Arrival ARRIVING IN HELSINKI You may arrive in Helsinki at any time during Day 1 of the itinerary. Your included accommodation will be at the airport hotel, so arrival transfers are not necessary. PLEASE NOTE On arrival at the hotel, you will receive a welcome letter outlining the departure There is a strict luggage limit of 44 lbs information for the following day’s flight. An agent representing Quark Expeditions® (20 kg) checked luggage and 11 lbs (5 kg) will be available in the lobby of the hotel that evening to answer any questions about cabin baggage on the flights between the charter flight(s) scheduled for the following morning. Helsinki and Murmansk. Should you have additional luggage, it can be stored MURMANSK AND EMBARKATION at the hotel in Helsinki. There is NO Your flight to the Arctic is expected to depart from Helsinki to Murmansk on Day 2 option to pay for additional luggage. of the itinerary. Although the scheduled flight time will be communicated in your

6 welcome letter, there is significant you may make your way to the airport to you arrive. A departure transfer to variability based on weather conditions. connect with your homeward flight, or the airport is not provided from the You should be prepared to depart the stay longer if you have booked additional downtown hotel at the end of your hotel for the airport on our group accommodation. stay in Helsinki. transfer at any time. Included Departure Accommodations PLEASE NOTE Weather conditions can always delay DISEMBARKATION IN MURMANSK Your included accommodation begins on our arrival, and airline schedule Your ship is scheduled to arrive back at Day 1 of your itinerary, and the specific changes have also been known to the pier in Murmansk before 8am local hotel(s) will be indicated on your final occur. Booking flexible tickets is time, but may arrive earlier depending voyage confirmation. If you are arriving always encouraged, as we cannot on Murmansk tides. After breakfast, and prior to Day 1 of your expedition or are be held responsible for delays due once the ship has docked, you will have staying after the disembarkation day, to unforeseen circumstances. time to bid farewell to your Expedition please contact your Polar Travel Adviser Team and shipmates before completing for hotel options. your disembarkation. The process takes about an hour. After disembarkation, IMPORTANT you will transfer to the airport for your Transfers REMINDER return charter flight to Helsinki. HELSINKI AIRPORT TRANSFERS Russian visas are required for Arrival and departure transfers in tourists from most countries. See DEPARTING FROM HELSINKI Helsinki are not included in the your country’s Russian consulate Upon arrival in Helsinki, there will be a expedition. Your first night’s included or embassy for details. A measure of flexibility is something all of us group transfer to your included post- accommodation will be provided at must bring to a polar expedition. expedition hotel in downtown Helsinki. the airport hotel, so please make your After breakfast the following morning, way to the lobby for check-in when

7 Your Ship

Quark Expeditions® is pleased to boast the largest polar-class fleet of any polar operator and the ability to offer our guests this great expedition on one of our ice strengthened vessels.

The entire Quark Expeditions® fleet is built for the challenging polar environments, so we can confidently take you to places ordinary cruise companies wouldn’t dream of going.

8 FUNNEL

OBSERVATION DECK

   BRIDGE 

FUNNEL OCEAN ADVENTURER —Newly Renovated! BRIDGE DECK

Our popular ship Sea Adventurer has been relaunched as OBSERVATION DECK Ocean Adventurer after a multimillion-dollar renovation. CLINIC     POLAR A team of marine architects, engineers, interior designers  LIBRARY       BRIDGE and polar expedition specialists worked together to enhance  this nimble and intimate fleet favorite. Upgrades include CAPTAIN’S DECK BRIDGE DECK a refreshed look and feel throughout, plus the complete

PURSER’S CLINIC OFFICE remodeling of the lounge, dining room and bar. All cabins  CLIPPER     CLUB POLAR LIBRARY received new linens and bathroom updates. Six new deluxe DINING MAIN ROOM  WC EL   LOUNGE OFFICE cabins as well as three new suites have also been added. RECEPTION       CAPTAIN’S DECK Major technical enhancements include two new Rolls-Royce UPPER DECK POLAR BOUTIQUE PURSER’S OFFICE engines, which yield increased speed and fuel efficiency, and  CLIPPER   CLUB

DINING MAIN ROOM WC EL LOUNGE a minimized carbon footprint. OFFICE                  RECEPTION             ZODIAC BOARDING UPPER DECK SHIP SPECIFICATIONS: ROOMS POLAR BOUTIQUE M      GY      

Staff & Crew: 87                               MAIN DECK       Guests: 128 ZODIAC BOARDING ROOMS

Lifeboats: 4, partially enclosed M      GY                        Ice Class: 1A MAIN DECK       

Visit QuarkExpeditions.com to view deck plan details. STERN BOW                       STERN BOW LOWER DECK            LOWER DECK

Triple Superior Triple Superior Lower Deck Twin Deluxe Lower Deck Twin Deluxe MainMain Deck TwinDeck Porthole Twin PortholeSuite Suite MainMain Deck TwinDeck Window Twin WindowOwner’s SuiteOwner’s Suite

9 Included Activities

Ready for a little adventure beyond your ship? Each Quark Expeditions® POLAR PLUNGE voyage offers a variety of fun This rite of passage, experienced just recreational activities to enhance once per expedition, sees you safely your polar experience. jumping into icy ocean waters under the watchful eye of our staff—and just about ZODIAC CRUISING every single camera lens on board! Zodiacs are the workhorses of polar expeditions, safely transporting guests to PHOTOGRAPHY remote shorelines and shallow inlets— Documenting your voyage so you can places the ships can’t reach. Expedition take the memories home is a rewarding staff make stepping in and out of them- experience. Our photography guides safe and comfortable. will help you learn skills to capture the beauty of the Polar Regions. HIKING Led by experienced staff, exploring in OTHER EQUIPMENT ON BOARD foot is the best way to appreciate the Walking poles are provided at each polar landscapes. Our guides are able to landing for your convenience. As there accommodate a range of skill levels to are limited number of poles available, suit every passenger. please bring your own if you require them on every landing. PRESENTATIONS Daily chats with on-board experts— Contact your Polar Travel Adviser or your our guides, scientists and other special Travel Professional for more information guests—let guests rub shoulders with about your Included and Paid Activities, historians, ornithologists, biologists, including the necessary experience, physical geologists and more. requirements and cost.

10 11 Inclusions & Exclusions

Inclusions Exclusions RATES INCLUDE: RATES SPECIFICALLY • Official Quark Expeditions® parka to keep • Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping DO NOT INCLUDE: • Coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock • All meals, snacks, soft drinks and juices on board • Mandatory Transfer Package* • Complimentary reusable water bottle • Beer and house wine during dinner • International airfare • Hair dryer and bathrobe in every cabin • All shore landings per the daily program • Arrival and departure transfers in Helsinki • Comprehensive onboard materials, including a map • Leadership throughout the voyage by our experi- • Passport and visa expenses and an informative Arctic Reader enced Expedition Leader • Government arrival and departure taxes not • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges • All Zodiac transfers and cruising per the daily program mentioned above throughout the program • Formal and informal presentations by our • Meals ashore unless otherwise specified • All luggage handling aboard the ship Expedition Team and special guests as scheduled • Baggage, cancellation, interruption and medical • Emergency evacuation insurance to a maximum • Photographic journal documenting the expedition travel insurance—strongly recommended benefit of US$500,000 per person • Waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore • Excess-baggage fees on international flights • Russian invitation letter for visa application provided landings after final payment • Mandatory waterproof pants for Zodiac cruising, or any other gear not mentioned • Laundry, bar, beverage and other personal *MANDATORY TRANSFER PACKAGE INCLUDES: charges unless specified • One night’s pre- and post-expedition hotel accommodation in Helsinki • Phone and Internet charges • Round-trip flights from Helsinki to Murmansk • Voluntary gratuity at the end of the voyage for • Transfers to and from the ship in Murmansk shipboard staff and crew • Transfers between the airport and hotel in Helsinki in conjunction with charter flight • Additional overnight accommodation • Optional kayaking activities PACKAGE PRICE: $1,995 USD

12 Your Expedition Team

Our Expedition Leaders and staff bring staff to guest ratio, we know how to diverse polar expertise in subjects as handle the unexpected to guarantee varied as polar history, marine biology, the safety of all passengers. Ensuring glaciology and photography. Their this hard earned experience is passed knowledge will deepen your immersion on, our new expedition staff receive Your Expedition Leader into the polar environment and further comprehensive training in our newly SOLAN JENSEN enhance your connection to the Arctic. developed Quark Academy, which Born and raised in coastal Alaska, Solan provides real-world polar expedition has worked as a wilderness ranger, expe- With over 29 years of experience training prior to any staff member’s dition leader, kayak guide, boat builder bringing passengers to remote polar first voyage as well as ongoing training and marine mammal emergency re- regions and an industry leading for experienced staff. sponder. His passion for wild places was laid forth at university, where he received a degree in philosophy, which led him directly to a guiding career in the Polar Regions. Solan has led trips throughout the Arctic, including Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Norway and Russia. An appre- ciator of single malts, the history of jazz music and old polar films, Solan is also a tireless student of the banjo.

*Expedition Leader subject to change, and will be confirmed in final documents.

13 Extend Your Trip

PRE- AND POST-EXPEDITION TRIP EXTENSIONS You can extend your trip by booking extra days to explore other northern cities before or after the voyage. Since you’re traveling such a long way, you may want to spend extra time in Helsinki. This dynamic city known for melding old-world architecture with modern metropolitan ways, has plenty to offer culture enthusiasts and foodies alike. Stroll Helsinki’s charming streets, grab a pint at a microbrewery, or visit dazzling shops, galleries and a traditional public sauna.

To discover the best options for extending your adventure, get in touch with your Travel Professional or a Polar Travel Ad- viser for seamless, worry-free booking of all trip extensions.

FROM TOP: Helsinki; the Sibelius Monument; Helsinki Cathedral

14 Meals on Board

If there is one constant at sea, it is that you’ll enjoy delicious meals daily. While meal times may change due to landings and wildlife encounters, you’ll always be served three meals a day. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated by letting us know prior to your expedition.

Breakfasts and lunches are normally served buffet-style, while dinners are served plated. À la carte meals are made at the time of your order, allowing our chefs to prepare each dish to your individual needs, ensuring you receive top-quality meals during the course of your expedition.

Soft drinks, juices and water are available at all times, and beer and wine are served with dinner, all included in the cost of your package. Spirits, premium wines and champagne are available at an extra cost, which can be billed to your shipboard account. The well-stocked bar is open to enjoy with your fellow shipmates in the late morning, afternoon and evening.

15 Possible Landings

Embracing the unexpected is part of the for the Russian royal family (“Murman” legacy—and excitement—of expedition likely derives from the Sami word travel. When traveling in extremely murman, which means “the edge of the remote regions, your Expedition Team earth”). The following year, as a result of must allow the sea, the ice and the the October Revolution, the name was weather to guide route and itinerary changed to Murmansk. The port remains details. The following landing sites are a ice-free all year, making it a significant sample of what you may experience on naval base and fishing and shipbuilding your expedition. hub; in fact, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle is the headquarters of Finland both the Russian and the nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet. HELSINKI This seaside city is known for its vibrant cultural and design scene, as well as Novaya Zemlya its extraordinary mix of architecture CAPE SPORY NAVALOK The earliest Arctic explorers, led by styles. It was named the World Design Dutch navigator and cartographer Capital in 2012, which also happened to Willem Barents, wintered here, on the be its 200th anniversary as the capital of northeast coast of Novaya Zemlya, in Finland. 1596–97, when their ship became trapped in the ice. It was the third of Barents’ Russia expeditions to search for the Northeast MURMANSK Passage, but also his last. He died a week Founded in 1916, as a supply port during after he and his crew left the cape in the First World War, Murmansk was open boats in the spring. The remains of initially named Romanov-on-Murman their hut were found in 1871.

16 CAPE ZHELANIYA and abundance of wildlife, including 19th and early 20th centuries. Three Located at the northernmost point of walrus, polar bears, whales and seabirds. expeditions, Leigh Smith, Jackson- Severny Island, Cape Zhelaniya (which Harmsworth (Jackson’s journal was RUSSKAYA GAVAN means “Cape Desire” or “Cape Wish”) published as A Thousand Days in the This is the site of a former polar was named by Willem Barents. It marks Arctic) and Ziegler-Fiala, camped here. station. Built in 1932, it closed in 1993. the boundary between the Barents Sea Many buildings from the time are in The surrounding bay is home to seabird and Kara Sea, as well as the boundary ruins or have fallen into the sea, but cliffs and Walrus can occasionally be between Europe and Asia. A Soviet some remain and can be explored. found on nearby Bogaty Island. The station was based here during the Second bay is dominated by the cascading CAPE NORWAY, JACKSON ISLAND World War, and then an experimental Shokalsky Glacier. Sometimes difficult to access, weather station during the . An is always a factor at this northern part automated weather station has operated of the archipelago. A variety of arctic here since 2005. The cape is protected as Franz Josef Land flora is found here, making it particularly part of the Russian Arctic National Park. BELL ISLAND interesting for botanists. This is also In 1881, the Benjamin Leigh Smith INOSTRANTSEVA BAY the location where and expedition built a hut here, but the crew From moss and lichen to icebergs Frederick Jackson stayed during the never had the opportunity to use it, as and glaciers, this picturesque bay is 1895–96 winter, and the remains of their their ship wrecked off the coast. The often full of surprises. One of the most stone hut can be visited. hut is well preserved and has a number memorable sites in Novaya Zemlya, this of interesting inscriptions on its interior CAPE TEGETTHOF, HALL ISLAND area is also known to be visited by the walls. Also found here is an old Russian The cape’s impressive tall cliffs are home iconic polar bear. isba (wooden hut), which may even to large numbers of seabirds, while the ORANSKY ISLANDS predate the official 1873 discovery of ruins of the 1898–99 Located on the northwestern side of Franz Josef Land. expedition are also found here. With a Severny Island (Northern Island), these diverse landscape, the island is great for CAPE FLORA, smaller islands are somewhat protected exploring on foot, provided that polar More than half a dozen expeditions from the harshest conditions. They boast bears aren’t in the vicinity. passed through Cape Flora in the late

IMPORTANT REMINDER Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy—and excitement—of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your Expedition Team must allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed. By the same token, wildlife encounters as described are expected, but not guaranteed. Your Expedition Team will use their considerable experience to seek out wildlife in known habitats, but the presence of any particular species of bird or marine wildlife is not a guarantee.

17 RUBINI ROCK, HOOKER ISLAND most abundant birds are kittiwakes and RUSSKY ISLAND Considered by many to be home to the dovekies (little auks). Sections of the At 119 square miles (309 sq km), Russky most impressive bird cliffs anywhere in old station have been refurbished as an is the largest island in the Nordenskiöld Franz Josef Land. The cliffs here host an outpost for the national park rangers. Archipelago. For many years, the abundance of seabirds, and because of research station (1935–99) was the only deep waters, ships are able to approach Kara Sea and permanently inhabited place in the the edge of the cliffs for spectacular Severnaya Zemlya island group. views. Most of Hooker Island’s shores CAPE CHELYUSKIN TROYNOY ISLAND are dominated by glacier fronts. This cape was first reached in 1742 An international World Wildlife Fund STOLICHKY AND by a land expedition led by Semyon (now World Wide Fund for Nature) APPOLONOV ISLANDS Chelyuskin. It was initially called Cape delegation visited Troynoy in July 1993 The star attractions of this pair of East-Northern, but in 1842, on the 100th at the inauguration of the Great Arctic small islands are walrus haul-outs. anniversary of the cape’s discovery, the State Nature Reserve. The island is home Hundreds of giant pinnipeds are Russian Geographical Society renamed it to an ivory gull colony and is sometimes known to haul out on the islands as in honor of the Russian polar explorer. visited by polar bears. well as on ice floes in the surrounding waters. Watching large groups of these MARAT FJORD VAVILOV ICE CAP boisterous behemoths jockeying for Extending for about 15 miles (24 km), this This high-altitude glacier has been space is an unforgettable experience. is one of the iconic of Severnaya dramatically advancing in recent years. Zemlya. Zodiac cruising to watch walrus from a distance is a possibility here. RED ARMY STRAIT This bay, named for Russian explorer TIKHAYA BUKTA (CALM BAY) The largest ice cap in Severnaya Zemlya, Sergei Prokopyevich Zhuravlev, is located From 1929 to 1963, a weather station was the Academy of Sciences Glacier reaches at , the northernmost based at this bay on the western side of the shore all along the northern edge of island of Severnaya Zemlya. Hooker Island. A vast seabird colony can the strait. The smaller Rusanov Glacier be found at Rubini Rock, a spectacular stretches along the eastern part of the sea cliff of near-vertical basalt rock. The southern shore.

18 WE ATHER CONDITIONS & TEMPERATURES Weather is very variable; temperatures may hover Packing around the freezing mark and winds can be strong. The continuous daylight warms sheltered areas so that you may sometimes find it warm enough for t-shirts. However, you may encounter snow squalls, fog and white-outs during an expedition and should Checklist be ready for any conditions.

WH AT TO BRING! Packing for the polar regions doesn’t have to be daunting, and to make it easier for you, all Quark voyages include an expedition parka to keep, and a loan of appropriate polar footwear. Additional suggested items include:

FOR SHORE LANDINGS SUGGESTED ITEMS  Base layers (wool, synthetic or a blend)  Waterproof, lightweight backpack or dry sack  Mid-layer warm/fleece top  Swimsuit (for the polar plunge!)  Mid-layer warm/fleece pant  Binoculars   Wool and synthetic sock (3 to 4 pairs) Camera with extra batteries  Extra memory cards  Neck warmer or balaclava  Earplugs (in case of noisy cabinmates)  Warm hat that covers ears  Eye masks for sleeping  Waterproof pants  Seasickness, indigestion, headache  Waterproof gloves and glove liners or other medicine  Sunscreen  Voltage converters and plug adapters  Sunglasses with UV protection (220V/European outlets)  Spare set of gloves  Ski goggles (for Zodiac cruising)

FOR ON BOARD  Comf ortable casual clothing (pants/jeans, shirts, sweaters)  Lighter shirts (in case the ship gets warm)  Comfortable non-slip close-toed unheeled shoes (NOTE: Flip flops or sandals should not be worn on board due to safety concerns)

19 TO BOOK YOUR NEXT aDVENTURE Contact your Travel Professional at [email protected]

+39011887718

PHOTO CREDITS: Acacia Johnson; David Merron; Nicky Souness; Samantha Crimmin; Sue Flood; EXPEDITION BROCHURE Cindy Miller Hopkins; Hugo Perrin; Grange Productions; Focus Productions December 2018

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