Trip itinerary

Day 1 - Monday

Meeting onboard AURORA. Departure from Isafjordur at 19:00. (Dalvik on second trip) Course set NE towards Jan Mayen crossing the Arctic Circle later same night.

Day 2 - Tuesday

Sailing north while keeping a sharp lookout for whales and dolphins. Good chance of seeing White-beaked dolphin, Humpback and Minke whales, Orcas etc.

Day 3 - Wednesday

Getting close to Jan Mayen and if the wind is cooperating we may arrive this evening. In clear weather it may be possible to see Beerenberg from up to 80 nautical miles offshore.

Day 4 - Thursday

Landing on Jan Mayen island. The landscape is quite unique with black lava cliffs, green moss and many seabirds. We'll anchor on the leeside of the island, most likely either Jameson bay on the east side or Stations bay on the west side. It may also be possible that we'll anchor in Kvalross bay on the west side. People and equipment will be ferried ashore in a rubber dinghy and basecamp established. Jan Mayen is rich of driftwood and we may have a small campfire on the beach this first night.

Day 5 - Friday

If weather permits we'll start our preparations for a summit attempt for Beerenberg. We'll start in moss and loose volcanic gravel and ascend between small craters towards Kronprins Olavs Glacier (Bre) which we enter at around 600 meters elevation. We continue up the glacier and from around 1300 meters we'll tie up with climbing ropes. We arrive at Nunataken (the Nunatak), a cliff sticking out of the glacier at around 1600 meters. Above Nunataken the climb is steeper, and there are numerous crevasses. - But they are usually not a major technical challenge. After 10-12 hours climbing we will reach the rim of the main crater. The main crater is about a kilometre in diameter and 300 m deep. Quite often you can see steam rising from crevasses where the great Weyprecht glacier breaks out of the crater and falls all the way down to sea level. We continue along the crater rim, to the highest point, Haakon VII peak. Return is the same way and we should be down at camp after about 16 hours.

This plan can of course change depending on weather and snow conditions. We may for instance establish a high camp on the glacier to be in a better position for a summit attempt when the weather breaks.

Day 6 - Saturday

A days rest after the summit. Options include short hikes and nice evening at a campfire on the beach.

Day 7 - 8 Sunday to Monday

Options include various hikes.

On the southern part of Jan Mayen the mountains rise to 5-700 meter high crater landscape with Rudolftoppen (769m) as the highest. From it's peak we can get great view over the whole island, of course with Beerenberg as the main attraction, towering over everything else to the north. 

The narrow central part of the island diminishes to a width of only 3 km and this is also the lowest part of the island with summits under 300m. Here one can cross the island without having to walk up to more than 30m height. The loose sand can be heavy for walking but the landscape is fascinating. In the Schmelk valley there is a labyrinth of lava caves so we'll bring along our head-torches in case we take a look inside.

Eggøya is a quite peculiar cliff that used to be a separate island crater. After a volcanic eruption in the 1800s it is now attached to the main land. It's only 200m high and can be climbed fairly easily. The view from the top is spectacular and small steam fumaroles can still be found.

There are no mammals left on the island as the foxes were hunted to extinction. Seabirds breed on the steep cliffs out near the coast with Fulmars and Razorbills as the most numerous. There are also large colonies of Puffins and Little Auks.

The island is rich of historical sites. Some from the times of whaling centuries ago, but most of them from more recent times. The old weather station (Gamle Metten) on Libergsletta is still well kept but the even older station (Eldste Metten) is more of a ruin. Jan Mayen also has sites from WW2 and even wreckage from a German bomber-plane that crashed in the mountains.

Day 9 - Tuesday

Opportunities for short hikes in the morning. Break camp, pack and get ready for departure. Move people and equipment onboard AURORA and depart in the early afternoon.

Day 10 - Wednesday

At sea en route to Iceland

Day 11 - Thursday

At sea, keeping a good lookout for whales and dolphins as we get closer to Iceland. Should see the Icelandic mountains in the morning. Arrival in Dalvik (Isafjordur on second trip) around 18:00.