Franz Josef Land
Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
Understand
About 300 km east of Svalbard and 400 km north of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef is one of the remotest parts of the world. It's made up of 191 uninhabited islands, 85% of which are entirely covered by ice. It was named for the Austrian Emperor who ruled from 1848 to his death in 1916 and was the destination of the only major Austrian Arctic expedition.
July is the best month to go, being one of only two months when the daily mean temperature passes freezing.
There is a on Alexandra Island.
July is the best month to go, being one of only two months when the daily mean temperature passes freezing.
There is a on Alexandra Island.
Get in
The archipelago is a military area and you will need a special permit to enter. Since 2012 it has been part of the Russian Arctic National Park.
There are occasional cruise ship visits, for example Russian ice breakers.
There are occasional cruise ship visits, for example Russian ice breakers.
Get around
For about three-fourths of the year, the sea is covered by ice. During the winter part of this period, it would probably be possible to land a helicopter on that ice, as it would be thick enough. In the summer, however, the ice can melt.
See and do
There is one main island with a research station:
Zemlya GeorgaLargest island in Franz Josef Land. The highest point on the island has an elevation of 416 metres (1,365 ft).
Alexandra Land
Graham Bell Island
Hall Island
Hooker Island
Jackson Island
MacKlintok Island
Prince Rudolf Island
Salisbury Island
Wilczek Land
Cape TegethoffDramatic rock formation on Hall Island. The island was first discovered in 1873, and a small camp was built at Tegethoff in 1898-1899.
Nansen's HutIn the western part of Jackson Island, this was where Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen wintered in 1895-96 after failing to reach the North Pole. A hut and a wooden post still remain.
Eat and drink
There are no restaurants on Franz Josef Land.
For water, you could perhaps boil the glacial ice found on every major island in the archipelago. Remember, though, this is a national park.
For water, you could perhaps boil the glacial ice found on every major island in the archipelago. Remember, though, this is a national park.
Sleep
Stay safe
Bring plenty of food wherever you go, and make sure that you do not go to the islands when ice freezes or unfreezes. Also, it is best to plan your route before you go and bring a map - that way, it's hard to get lost.
Go next
If Franz Josef Land is not quite far north enough, there's always the North Pole. For a more populated Arctic experience, you can visit Longyearbyen.
Tundra conditions, which are slightly more habitable than Franz Josef Land, are located in Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.
Tundra conditions, which are slightly more habitable than Franz Josef Land, are located in Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.