To the North Pole with the world's most powerful icebreaker

PLEASE NOTE: The daily programs described here are for your guidance only. The itinerary may vary considerably due to local ice and weather conditions, but also in order to respond to current circumstances regarding wildlife viewing. The expedition leader on board will determine the final itinerary.

To the North Pole with the world's most powerful icebreaker

Day 1: Arrival

You fly via Helsinki, St. Petersburg, or Moscow to Murmansk, the home port of the Russian icebreaker. With some tour operators, you spend the night in Helsinki before embarking, from where you fly on to Murmansk the next day; with others, you spend the night in a hotel in Murmansk.

Day 2: Embarkation

The 50 YEARS OF VICTORY is moored in the port of the Murmansk nuclear submarine fleet and is easily recognizable from afar. Your expedition team will welcome you on board. Move into your cabins, get to know the ship, have your first vodka at the bar, and get to know your fellow travelers. The ship will set sail at high tide. Your North Pole expedition begins here and now!

Day 3: At sea / Barents Sea

You will spend today at sea. More precisely: the Barents Sea, named after the Dutch navigator Willem Barents and known for its abundance of bird species. Here, the sea is still ice-free. Prepare for the mandatory sea rescue drill. Your expedition team will give initial lectures on the climate, geology, history of exploration, flora, and fauna of the region.

Day 4 + 5: At sea / Barents Sea

At 80 degrees north latitude, you will have already covered approximately 1,000 km and half the distance from Murmansk to the North Pole. Soon you will reach the pack ice boundary, where polar bears can already be seen frolicking. Keep an eye out for them. Climate change is already making itself felt here too. The pack ice boundary is shifting further and further north.

Days 6 and 7: At sea / Barents Sea

The 50 YEARS OF VICTORY now plows through the pack ice, clearing its path. The resulting sounds and the gentle rocking of the Arctic Ocean have a calming, almost meditative effect. They are getting closer and closer to the North Pole. The midnight sun, which shines here between March 21 and September 23, offers unique light effects for photographers.

Day 8: North Pole

When the navigation devices show 90° north, your captain stops the engines: you have reached the North Pole! From the roof of the world, all eyes turn south. The North Pole is not a fixed continental point, it is merely a geographical point. Although it is located on the North American continental plate, it is not on the mainland. The Arctic Ocean is over 4,000 meters deep here.

A milestone in your life.

Feel free to take a walk across the ice. If ice conditions permit, a BBQ will be organized on the ice. And if you are sufficiently hardened, take a dip in the Arctic Ocean at a water temperature of -1.5°C.

Day 9: At sea / Heading for Franz Josef Land

On the return leg of their expedition to the North Pole, they will also call at the mysterious Franz Josef Land.

Until now, polar bears have not been found this far north, but climate change is forcing them to migrate in order to hunt their main food source—seals.

Day 10: Franz Josef Land

The approximately two hundred islands are characterized by interesting and highly arctic nature. An attempt will be made to visit the central Champ Island, which is the highest in the archipelago with its majestic landscape of towering cliffs and snow-capped mountains. At Cape Fiume, a shore excursion leads to the mysterious stone balls, which have a diameter of up to 3 meters. The Arctic flora in this extreme region of the Arctic is also of particular interest to botanists. On the barren soil, the plants are pushed to their limits during the short summer season in order to produce their flowers.

Depending on weather conditions, sightseeing flights are taken by helicopter and attempts are made to land on a glacier.

Days 11 + 12: At sea / Barents Sea

The average depth of this marginal sea appears relatively shallow at 230 m, yet it is one of the deeper shelf seas on our planet. The North Atlantic Current, an offshoot of the Gulf Stream, ensures that the ports on the Barents Sea remain ice-free all year round. We too are now finally leaving the region of ice and are amazed to discover that the sounds of ice breaking, which have accompanied us over the last few days, are now a thing of the past. We sail through what we hope will be calm seas towards Murmansk.

The lecturers will once again provide you with detailed information on exciting topics related to the trip, and you will have the opportunity to reflect on the past few days.

Day 13: Arrival in Murmansk

You will return to the port of Murmansk. Transfer to the airport and return flight to Germany via Moscow or St. Petersburg.

HELICOPTER TOURS (INCLUDED)

A helicopter aboard the 50 Years of Victory invites you on incredible adventures that offer much more than just viewing the landscape.

If the timing, weather, and ice conditions allow, you can take part in breathtaking helicopter flights. This allows you to see the icebreaker plowing through the ice up close. An incredible experience that also provides the ideal backdrop for spectacular photos.

The helicopter is also used to visit the wild Franz Josef Land Islands, where landing with Zodiac boats is not possible.