The National Park Russian Arctic is the northernmost and the first-largest protected natural territory in Russia. The park is located on two polar archipelagos in the Arkhangelsk region: Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, which can rightly be called the Edge of the Earth. It means, way from here to the North Pole is closer than to the "mainland". The Franz Josef Land Archipelago is the northernmost land of Eurasia and the ice-free land of the Russian Arctic. The New Earth is the continuation of the Ural Mountains. Visiting the Russian Arctic, you can see in the wild nature polar bears and rare mammals: whales, walruses, seals, as well as narwhal - sea unicorn - a symbol of the national park. Here you can meet it more often than in the entire Russian Arctic! Rocky banks of the islands of the polar archipelagos - a real paradise for several dozen species of birds. In the Russian Arctic you can send a letter from the northernmost post office in the world in Tikhaya Bay on the island of Hooker. On the territory of the national park there are about 100 monuments and memorable places of national and international importance - evidence of the exploration of high latitudes, preserved from the end of the XIX century.
Polar bear on rookery of walruses. The Apollonov island, Franz Josef Land. Photo - Nikolay Gernet
Meeting at Ziegler Island. Franz Josef Land. Photo - Vladimir Melnik
Cape Flora. Northbrook Island. Franz Josef Land. Photo - Nikolay Gernet
Motor ship Sea Spirit in the bay Tikhoy, nera the coast of the Hooker island. Franz Josef Land. Photo - Julia Petrova
At the glacier Island of Alexandra Land. Franz Josef Land. Photo - Vladimir Melnik
The best time for visit is June to September.
What to see: The Oran Islands with breeding grounds and walrus rookery, the icefall in the Gulf of Inostrantsev, Ice Harbor, where the last refuge was found by V. Barents, islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago: Champa island with famous spherical concretions (round stones of different sizes) and the island of Gall With the island mountains on the cape Tegetgof, Tikhaya Bay, on the banks of which the memory of the heroic era of the exploration of the Arctic is preserved.
How to get to: Expedition cruise tours are the main type of tourism in the territory of the national park Russian Arctic. This, above all, Arctic cruises directly along the waters of the Franz Josef Land archipelago from Spitsbergen, cruises to the North Pole and cruises along the Northern Sea Route with a visit to the park territory. Cruises are organized by various companies: Quark Expeditions, Poseidon Expeditions, Heritage Expeditions, you can look for the details of the trip on their websites. Tickets should be booked in advance - more than a year. There is no tourist infrastructure at the places of unloading - serious efforts are required for walking for many hours on rough terrain or long boat cruises. Also, there should be no serious illnesses - the ship is far from the big earth, in case of serious problems evacuation can take a long time. When going on an arctic journey, it is important to choose the right clothes. The main characteristics of the expedition costume: it should be multilayered; all clothing should be made of breathable fabric; the hands and feet begin to freeze the fastest. The nearest settlements, from where you can get to the administrative building of the park - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk. Ways of movement - plane, train. Travel time by plane is 2 hours, by train 24-28 hours.