Franz Josef Land
« All Ortelius cruise options
| Dates | Deck + Cabin Type | ||||
| Quadruple Porthole | Twin Porthole | Twin Window | Superior | Suite | |
- Please note: There will be an additional fuel surcharge of US $25 per passenger per night on Antarctic voyages for the 2012-13 season.
- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the double occupancy rate.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Ortelius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Deposit & Payment - Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the double occupancy rate.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Ortelius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Day 1 Murmansk, Russia
From Kirkenes, Norway, embark a morning bus to Murmansk, Russia. Embark the Ortelius in port Murmansk.
Days 2-3 At Sea
Day 4 Northbrook Island
Make a landing on Bell Island, near Eira Lodge, the station of Leigh Smith. Then sail to Cape Flora on Northbrook Island is an important site in the history of Polar exploration, where a century ago, several expeditions had their base. On the cliffs behind Cape Flora, there are large colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemots. It is an exciting view to witness the young birds when they try to glide from the ledges to the sea and where they are often eaten by Glacous Gulls. In Günther Bay at Northbrook Island make a zodiac cruise near an important haul-out place for Walruses.
Day 5 Hooker Island
Rubini Rock in Tichaia Bay on Hooker Island has colonies of cliff-nesting seabirds like Brünnich’s Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Little Auks, Fulmars and Kittiwakes. You should also see Bearded and Harp Seals. Also visit the Sedov Research station. Encounters with Polar Bears are likely and also Greenland Whales have been seen in this area.
Day 6 Jackson Island
If sea ice conditions allow in the British Channel, sail to Cape Norvegia on Jackson Island, where Nansen and Johansen spent the winter after they had left their ship, "Fram".
Day 7 Rudolf Island
If sea ice conditions are very light sail to Rudolf Island, the northernmost island of the archipelago or Apollonia Island, another large haul-out for walruses. Alternatively land at Alexandra Land at an Ivory Gull colony.
Day 8 Alger Island
Camp Ziegler on Alger Island has remains of polar expeditions from a century ago. The island, in a beautiful setting, is surrounded by mountainous islands with impressive glacier fronts. Krenkl Station on Hayes Island, built around a meteorite crater, is a surrealistic picture against a background of pristine wilderness.
Day 9 Wilczek Island
If weather conditions for the home voyage will not be adverse try to land in the very early morning at Cape Tegethoff or Wilczek Island in the south, where you again find the remains of the stations of early polar explorers such as the Austrians, Weyprecht and Payer, who first discovered Franz Joseph Land in the 19th century.
Days 10-11 At Sea
Day 12 Disembark
This morning disembark your ship in Murmansk and bus to Kirkenes, where you will continue your homeward journey.
Itinerary Notes
Fares include:- Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
- AECO fees and governmental taxes.
- Comprehensive pre-departure materials
Not included:
Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post land arrangements; transfers to / from the vessel outside Spitsbergen; passport and visa expenses; Government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is mandatory); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Please note: It is agreed that if fuel prices will exceed US Dollar 90 per Barrel Brent 90 days prior to departure the Ortelius reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of US Dollar 25 per passenger per night.
Deposit & Payment
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, and Discover. Alternatively, you can send a check to our Missoula, Montana, office or register online at: https://www.adventure-life.com/forms/fourways.php
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure.
Final payment by transfer, check or Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Amex. Credit Card payments subject to variable credit card fee.
Booking last minute? No problem! Please contact one of our trip planners, and we can get you on your way if booking less than 70 days prior to departure.
Click here to see a copy of our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
| Days Prior to departure | Fee |
|---|---|
| 90 days or more | 25% deposit |
| 89-60 days | 55% trip cost |
| 59-0 days | 100% trip cost |
Ortelius
- Ship Highlights
- Passengers : 106
The ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” is an excellent vessel for Polar expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctica, providing us with possibilities to adventure remote locations such as the Ross Sea and Franz Josef Land.
“Ortelius” was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, was named “Marina Svetaeva”, and served as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel is re-flagged and renamed “Ortelius”. As Plancius, Ortelius was a Dutch / Flemish cartographer. Abraham Ortelius (1527 – 1598) published the first modern world atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theatre of the World in 1570. At that time, the atlas was the most expensive book ever printed.
The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice. “Ortelius” is a great expedition vessel for 100 passengers with lots of open-deck spaces and a very large bridge which is accessible to the passengers. The vessel is manned by 34 highly experienced Russian nautical crew, 15 international catering staff, including stewardesses, 6 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 5 guides/lecturers) and 1 doctor.
”Ortelius” offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar/lecture room and a sauna. Voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 100 on the “Ortelius”, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities.
The vessel offers basic but comfortable cabins and public spaces. The cabin lay-out is as follows: 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins); 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room, and 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. All cabins are spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin.
| Cabins | |
|---|---|
 | Quadruple Porthole 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins). Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Twin Porthole 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |
| Twin Window 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin | |
 | Superior 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Suite 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |
