Poseidon Expeditions Blog

Poseidon Expeditions // June 16, 2020

Poseidon Expeditions Polar Book Club - The Terrors of Ice and Darkness

The dramatic events surrounding the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition

There is probably no other novel that is as suitable for getting in the mood for an expedition to the remote Russian archipelago of Franz Josef Land than The Terrors of Ice and Darkness, the debut work of the Austrian author Christoph Ransmayr, first published in 1984. Thirty-six years later, Ransmayr, who was recently awarded the Ludwig Börne Prize, one of the most important literary awards in German-speaking countries, is now one of the major contemporary German-language authors.

Chantel Loura // January 12, 2020

Exploration of Franz Josef Land: Part 2

In the decades following its discovery in 1873, Franz Josef Land continued to attract adventurers to the edge of the world. The remote and barely hospitable archipelago was at times a base of operations—and at times a place of refuge—for explorers hoping to travel even farther off the map, into the white places where no one had gone before.

Chantel Loura // January 9, 2020

Exploration of Franz Josef Land: Part 1

Since its discovery 150 years ago, Franz Josef Land has been the setting of some of polar history’s most remarkable tales of exploration and survival. At the height of the brief Arctic summer, melting snow reveals relics from early adventurers who endured long, dark winters in icebound ships or makeshift stone huts awaiting frozen graves or serendipitous rescues. Read on to learn about the notable explorers who literally put Franz Josef Land on the map.

Chantel Loura // December 30, 2019

Franz Josef Land in One Minute

Nowhere in the Arctic is the heroism and drama of early polar exploration more plainly evident than in Franz Josef Land. This 192-island archipelago is notoriously inaccessible, but a small cruise ship with a fleet of Zodiacs enables you to discover the islands’ hidden treasures, such as historical remains of legendary expeditions, dramatic mountains, and surreal geology.

Sofia Grigorieva // May 8, 2019

Top Spots for Kayaking in the Arctic

How to Find the Best Arctic Paddling Destinations

The Arctic closely guards some of the most unique and rewarding kayaking opportunities on the planet. While the Arctic regions offer all the pristine wilderness values and incredible wildlife that could be desired of a perfect kayaking adventure, their remoteness and inaccessibility mean that few people have the opportunity to experience the thrill and serenity of kayaking in these amazing places.

Chantel Loura // April 25, 2019

Franz Josef Land Revealed

Secrets of the Russian High Arctic

The 191 islands of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago have long been shrouded in mystery and secrecy. These remote islands, located northeast of Svalbard and between the Russian mainland and the North Pole, are notoriously inaccessible due to heavy sea-ice conditions and severe weather for a good portion of the year. During the Soviet era, travel restrictions imposed by Russian authorities made these islands almost completely off limits to tourists. Even now, independent travel to the Franz Josef Land Archipelago is nearly impossible. Access is permitted only with an expedition cruise ship or icebreaker. For the few visitors who make the journey to these enigmatic islands of the Russian High Arctic, the sense of remoteness in place and time is an undeniable attraction. Even more compelling are the secrets that seem to reveal themselves as if coming back from the depths of history. Here are a few of the astonishing highlights of a Franz Josef Land cruise.

Poseidon Expeditions // March 2, 2019

The Best Experiences on a Trip to the North Pole

The Best Things to Discover on a North Pole Cruise

A trip to the North Pole on a nuclear-powered icebreaker is an incredible experience and truly one of the world’s most memorable voyages. Don’t simply imagine two weeks of smashing through ice to the pole and back. On this voyage, the North Pole is only one of the amazing discoveries you'll make.

Scott Wasserman // March 6, 2017

The forbidding islands of Franz Josef Land

We came out of the cave, we looked over the hill and we saw fire. We crossed the ocean and we pioneered the west.

Anonymous

The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration, and in 1873, a remote and forbidding archipelago that would soon be called Franz Joseph Land was next.

Scott Wasserman // February 13, 2017

Let the explorer lurking inside of you out of the box!

This article was reposted from Boomer's Bucket List Travel

Do you wish you had been born over a century ago when the world was out there for the curious to explore? If you’ve watched the TV saga Vikings, keep explorers like Erik the Red in mind. He made his mark on the Arctic by founding the first Norse settlement in Greenland. Think Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Ernest Shackleton, those giants in the lore of Antarctica. And remember that Roald Amundsen managed to be the first person to reach both the South Pole and the North Pole.