Wolfgang Reinelt - Jan Mayen pictures

outdoor @ wolfgang-reinelt.de	tour to Jan Mayen 1998

Jan Mayen is a small volcanic island between Iceland, Svalbard, Norway and Greenland respectively. It is Norwegian territory ( more info ). We went there in summer 1998, sailing from Røsvik (near Bodø, Norwegian mainland) with a small crew (8 persons). Up to now, this web-page shows only some pictures and answers (=our experiences, the situation might have changed!) to some FAQs:

Permits: Jan Mayen is some kind of military restricted area of Norway. It is a huge help to have Norwegian crew members and a Norwegian ship. Apart from this, your permission to get onto will heavily depend on the current situation. So, contact the commander personally as soon as possible by mail (Station commander, Jan Mayen, Norway). He is normally there for one year (summer-summer).
The (written) permit itself is necessary for a stay:
- a 24hour permit could be given by the station commander.
- a 7days permit could be given by the "Polismester" (the police-station) in Bodø.
- for a longer duration ask the Royal Ministry of Justice and Police - Polar Affairs Department in Oslo.
Getting there: the military Hercules is flying 6-8 times/year from Bodo to JM. During the summer, the places are normally occupied by relatives of the station members, visiting them for a couple of days. It's possible for "foreigners" to get a place in autumn or spring. Ask the Royal Ministry of Justice and Police - Polar Affairs Department in Oslo for this.
Private plane will be not allowed (I guess) because the "Jane Mainfield airport" only provides a 1200m runway, which is normally too short.
Going by ship is the only way, I think. Sometimes, tourist-ships from Greenland have a short look onto JM, maybe this is a way for you. We chartered a sailing ship for the 6 of us, plus 2 experienced sailors. You will get directions where to set you anchor when you reach JM by the station commander. Usually, this will happen at Kvalross bukta (west coast) - it's the only safe place at JM. We went over by Zodiac, so take one with you. Be sure that your boat has suitable radio equipment to get the weather report, or even a satellite phone! The safest time (=free of ice) is the end of July.

If you're interested in more details, or if you wish to update the above info, do not hesitate to contact me .

Our agenda was like this:

14 July 1998: Flight to Bodø checking and packing the ship in Rosvik. Sailing to Svolvaer
15-18 July 1998: Fixing the ship in Svolvaer
18-22 July 1998: Sailing over to Jan Mayen
23 July 1998: Fixing the Zodiak after throwing the anchor unluckily :-(
24 July 1998: Landing on Jan Mayen (finally), first view of Jan Mayen Station (dinner there!)
25-28 July 1998: an attempt to climb Beerenberg
29 July 1998: a quick trip to the northern lagune and Gamle Metten (old weather station)
30 July - 1 Aug 1998: Trip on Sør Jan:
2-7 Aug 1998: sailing back to Svolvaer
8-10 Aug 1998: hiking in the closer area
11 Aug 1998: flight home

There exist some other homepages containing pictures and/or reports of Jan Mayen tours. Therefore, have a look onto Vidar's homepage . Vidar provides an up-to-date list of links and shows many nice pictures.

A very loose link collection: