Sailing EXPEDITION
TO NOVAYA ZEMLYA

Duration: 9 days

MATVEEV AND VAYGACH ISLANDS AND NOVAYA ZEMLYA

Group: 7 people

This sea expedition to the Russian Arctic is for those who is dreaming of distant voyagers and boundless seas like the ones that seafarers and discoverers did, finding new lands and exploring untouched and wild nature. During this expedition we will visit the Vaygach island, get acquainted with the life of indigenous people, visit the Matveev island where we can find one of the world’s largest rookeries of walruses. We will go to distant areas of New Land and meet it’s habitants such as walruses, Arctic foxes, reindeers, polar owls, endless shoals of northern birds and, of course, the masters of Arctic - polar bears!

ITINERARY of the expedition
to Novaya Zemlya

Naryan-Mar. Welcome to the Arctic Circle!

We meet at the airport of Naryan-Mar and head to the expedition base located at the Pechora river estuary (~3 hours by car/speedboat). We have a delicious meal from our chef and after dinner – Russian sauna (aka banya)!

Day 1

Getting up early. Heading to our yacht!

We depart to our new home, the legendary PETER I yacht (~30 minutes journey by speedboat). We'll have a safety briefing and meet the team.

Day 2

First Anchorage - MATVEEV ISLAND

We will see an abandoned meteorological station, 16th century ancient Pomor crosses that used to help with polar navigation, a lighthouse that you can climb, a rookery of walruses. Need to be cautious with these animals, they might seem friendly, but they are still wild animals, we will watch them from a safe distance. After that we are going to Vaygach Island, a place sacred to the Nenets people.

Day 3

Sacred Vaygach Island

Vaygach is an archipelago surrounded by 111 tiny islands and rocks. The Nenets name of the island is ''Habidya-ya", meaning ''sacred land’’. Our route goes along the edge of the Earth, the junction of the Pomor passage to the Siberian seas, it is a sacred place for the indigenous peoples of the North. You will see ancient sites of the Stone Age, wooden huts (izba), hundreds of idols, Pomor crosses – landmarks of Russian shores, traces of sacrifices sites. In the morning we will go ashore and have a walk in the area of the Semilikiy Idol. After that we'll sail to the north of the island, visit walrus rookery and drop the anchor in a cozy bay hidden from all the winds where a real hermit lives. If we are lucky, we'll find him at home!

Day 4

Kara Gate Strait and polar bears

At dawn we set off to the north, crossing the famous Strait of Kara Gates. In the afternoon we reach the village of Rusanovo, inspect well-preserved buildings, and make several landings on the neighboring islands. Novaya Zemlya is a set of islands and deep bays, and our main adventure there is searching for polar bears.

Day 5

Novaya Zemlya skerries

Cruising around the islands, bays, skerries and looking for polar bears.

Day 6

Tundra islands in the south of Novaya Zemlya

We go to the southernmost tip of the archipelago. Here, far away from people, on the Kusovaya Zemlya and on the islands Bolshoy and Maly Loginov there live local deer, wild geese and swans.
Walking carefully and very anxiously - literally under our feet there can be clutches of eggs and chicks. In the evening we go back to the estuary of the Pechora river.

Day 7

Expeditionary base

In the afternoon the passenger boat will take us to the expedition base near the town of Naryan-Mar. We have a rest, share our impressions and spend the night at the base.

Day 8

Homecoming

We get up early in the morning, have a delicious breakfast and leave with a transfer to the airport.
The expedition to the Arctic Circle has come to an end, and now your life will never be the same again!

Day 9

Book my adventure

price

€3,000

Price includes:
- Accommodation in cabins;
- Professional sailing team;
- Shore landings and tours with the dinghy;
- Bedding and towels;
- Onboard meals, hot beverages;
- Fuel and all port dues
- Permits for entering National park and preserved areas
Price excludes:
- Air fares to and from departure point;
- Insurance (personal medical, travel, cancellation, etc);
- Voice and data communication using onboard equipment;
- Russian visa;
- Other personal expenses

Getting Ready

Exertion level - low
No age restrictions
Minors must be accompanied by adults

The weather might change from +20℃ in Naryan-Mar to -5o℃ in Novaya Zemlya

Take along:
- Warm fleece clothes and thermal underwear
- Cotton and thermal socks (several pairs)
- Rubber boots with insulation
- Footwear to use on board (crocs)
- Windbreaker jacket, waterproof pants
- Gloves (best 2 pairs)
- Hat (best 2)
- Sunglasses (with rope)
- Personal hygiene items, a towel
- Hand and face cream, sunscreen
- Waterproof cases for photo equipment
- Personal first-aid kit with individual medicines
- Hot tea thermos

(!) Items should be packed in padded bags and backpacks

BOOK YOUR adventure

CONFIRMATION OF YOUR PARTICIPATION
This expedition takes place in the border area of the Russian Federation, so we need to apply for a special permit for each member of the crew.

The permit preparation time:
· for Russian citizens – 30 business days
· for foreign nationals – 45 business days

Please take that into account while choosing the dates of your expedition

Expedition Reviews

Andrey, Saint-Petersburg
Expedition to Novaya Zemlya, August 2020

I took part in an expedition to Novaya Zemlya with RUSARC in August 2020.

First of all I would like to point out that as these routes lay in wild and uninhabited territories, far from any settlements, they allow you to see pristine nature, wildlife and places untouched by tourists. This is for those who love real, true adventures.

The second thing is the team and organization. I would say RUSARC is the only team in the world who have such extensive experience of autonomous expeditions in high latitudes. With them I feel like I am among the professionals who are not only experts in their area, but who also are capable of handling emergency situations. There is also a cook in the team: and I tell you when you are at the end of the world having an opportunity to savour some fine dishes, not only to have regular three meals per day, is worth a lot.

The third one is daily routine. You have to understand that such expeditions are not a tourist voyage, this is a team where everyone takes part in the crew operations as he or she can. Although you are comfortably accommodated in a warm cabin with an opportunity to take a shower or even go to a sauna, taking part in an expedition means all the team, including guests, have to be actively involved in the process. This means participating in on-shore activities, being on duty on board, helping out in trimming the sails. In short, expeditions with RUSARC are true adventures for spirited people that allow you to dive deep into the world of maritime travel, become part of the team and see hard-to-reach, intact places on our planet.

Olga, Naryan-Mar
Expedition to Novaya Zemlya, September 2020

Finding oneself on Novaya Zemlya is like finding oneself in a different world. Severe Arctic islands, empty and lifeless at first sight, hold a lot of beauty and wonders. In 10 days of our trip we saw everything we wanted, I guess: polar bears, walruses, whales, a huge amount of birds; we caught Arctic char and made sushi out of it right away. These impressions will be one of the brightest ones in my whole life.

We kicked off from Naryan-Mar, a small cozy Arctic town, where I live and while I love deeply. We followed the Pechora river into the sea. The first day before Novaya Zemlya was the toughest for me, until I got used to the rolling. The first landing was the most exciting one. After two days at sea I was willing to step ashore as soon as possible. That was Britvin Island. After that the route continued to the Rusanov Peninsula and Kuskova Zemlya Island. Sure, the most catchy impression is meeting the Arctic hosts, white giants who were languidly enjoying themselves on almost every island we were passing by.

After Novaya Zemlya we headed for Vaygach, a sacred Nenets island. I could spend hours talking about its history and spirituality, but I would only say that this is the island where Nenets gods live. The men from our team went to pay a visit to one of them, a seven-faced idol; women are forbidden there. Instead I had an incredible opportunity to see the stunningly beautiful river Talata. A piercing scream of a peregrine falcon above a mountainous canyon with the river at its bottom reminded me once again that I was standing on sacred land.

After that we went to Nenets reservation on Matveev Island, a summer residence of other Arctic hosts, walruses. They are huge, awkward in their movements on shore, but very curious at the same time. It's interesting to watch them, though you have to do it at a distance, not to scare them away.

PETER I became our home for these 10 days. Smooth coordination and mutual understanding are very important when you stay for a long time in a closed space. I would like to thank our wonderful captain, caring first mate and the cook who amazed us all with his culinary delicacies three times a day. Our team grew into a huge family with whom I would easily go to the end of the world!

Natalya, Saint-Petersburg
Expedition to Novaya Zemlya, August 2020

When you have travelled a lot and seen the world, the closed borders and weighty restrictions prompt you to expand your horizons in unusual locations of our country that are hard to reach. The expedition to Novaya Zemlya became an unbelievable adventure for me and gave me a chance to get to those places that seemed to have been marked as top secret and impossible.

Soviet nuclear polygons, amazing people working at polar stations, a hermit with a kerosene light, tundra, polar bears, Arctic foxes, walruses, lemmings, Arctic geese flying in formation. That is another world, cut by cliffed shores and almost uninhabited. All that throws you into limitless thought processes and soul revelations.

And for lunch you will get a kaleidoscope of venison dishes by the chef, heart talks and traditional dances to an old gramophone under the sails.

That's the romance of a distant sailing on board a steel hero-yacht PETER I.

I will remember it for the rest of my life.

Sailing EXPEDITION ﻿TO NOVAYA ZEMLYA

ITINERARY of the expedition to Novaya Zemlya

Sailing EXPEDITION
TO NOVAYA ZEMLYA

ITINERARY of the expedition
to Novaya Zemlya