Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen is a lone volcanic island in the North Atlantic, part of Norway, with no permanent population and one way in: an expedition ship with permission to put you on a single beach.¹² It lies about 370 mi (600 km) northeast of Iceland and 310 mi (500 km) east of Greenland, roughly halfway between Iceland and Svalbard.¹³ Its north end is Beerenberg, at 7,470 ft (2,277 m) the world's northernmost active volcano.⁴³ In 2024, 14 large cruise ships put 2,908 people ashore, while 10 others landed no one.⁵

Where is Jan Mayen?

Jan Mayen sits at about 71°N between the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea, closer to Greenland than to mainland Norway, in the same Arctic cruise region as Svalbard.³ The island is about 34 mi (55 km) long, up to 9.8 mi (15.8 km) wide at the Beerenberg end and only 1.6 mi (2.5 km) across in the middle; official areas run from 144 to 147 sq mi (373 to 380 km²).¹⁶ It is named after Jan Jacobsz May van Schellinkhout, a Dutch whaling captain who was one of its discoverers in 1614.⁶

Is Jan Mayen part of Svalbard?

No. Svalbard is the group of islands between 74° and 81°N placed under Norway by the Treaty of Paris of February 9, 1920, the Svalbard Treaty; Jan Mayen, at 71°N, lies outside it.⁷³ Norway's Jan Mayen Act of 1930 says the island "is a part of the Kingdom of Norway", and Lovdata's summary of the act adds that it is not a dependency and is not covered by the Svalbard Treaty.⁸ It is run from the mainland, not from Longyearbyen: the County Governor of Nordland holds the government's authority, the police chief in Bodø handles police matters, and court cases go to Salten og Lofoten District Court.⁹¹⁰

The name "Svalbard and Jan Mayen" comes from a shared country code. The UN's statistical standard lists "Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands" as one area, code 744, with the ISO codes SJ and SJM, separate from Norway's NO.¹¹ Norid, Norway's domain registry, says the .sj domain covers both islands, that both are part of the Kingdom of Norway, and that only Spitsbergen is also governed under the Svalbard Treaty; .sj has never been opened for registration.¹² The code is a listing, not a shared government, and it is why G Adventures' 8-day round trip from Longyearbyen lists "Svalbard and Jan Mayen" among the countries visited.¹³ A Svalbard cruise does not go to Jan Mayen unless the itinerary names it. Barentsburg, which turns up in the same searches, is a mining town run by the Russian state-owned company Trust Arktikugol on Spitsbergen, about 37 miles (60 km) west of Longyearbyen; it has nothing to do with Jan Mayen.⁴⁰ Oceanwide Expeditions' Jan Mayen page also says the island "falls under the protection of the Svalbard treaty", which Norway's legal summary contradicts.¹⁴⁸

Can you visit Jan Mayen?

Yes, but only from a ship, for a few hours, on one beach, with permission. There are no commercial flights; the gravel airstrip is closed to civilian traffic, and with no harbor, boats land through the surf at Kvalrossbukta.¹ The station offers visitors no accommodation, transport, medical care or toilets, and you cannot count on a helicopter rescue.² Who grants permission depends on your passport and how long you stay:²

• Foreign citizens, up to 24 hours: the station commander on Jan Mayen.
• Up to one week: the Chief of Police in Nordland.
• Longer: the Ministry of Justice.
• Norwegian citizens: free to visit, but must contact the station commander first.
• Research or anything beyond tourism: the County Governor of Nordland (Statsforvalteren i Nordland), which manages the nature reserve.¹⁰

Foreign ships, and Norwegian ships with foreign captains, must also clear entry into Norwegian territorial waters through SafeSeaNet Norway or the coastal surveillance center at Norway's Joint Headquarters, and every ship must book its landing with the station in advance.¹⁵ Camping is allowed only for station staff and their visitors, so in practice a traveler gets ashore only on a cruise.¹⁶

Where do cruise passengers land, and what are the rules ashore?

Kvalrossbukta, "the walrus bay" on the west coast, is the only landing point open to visitors.²¹⁷ Almost everything else is the Jan Mayen Nature Reserve, created on November 19, 2010, which covers about 145 sq mi (375 km²) of land and 1,666 sq mi (4,315 km²) of sea; only the station and airstrip area on the east side, a small area at Kvalrossbukta and the water off Båtvika are left out.¹⁶ The station puts the protected share at 98% of the island, and no one may go ashore in the reserve without the station commander's permission.⁵¹⁶

The main rules for a ship visit:²¹⁶

• Landings are preferred from 08:00 to 13:00 UTC, Monday to Friday, at a time the station commander sets.
• At least two people in each landing boat must wear a dry suit or survival suit.
• Buildings, structures, vehicles and the airstrip are off limits, and you may not photograph antennas.
• Båtvika, next to the station, is out of bounds, and Kvalrossbukta closes at times in summer for maintenance or resupply.
• Driftwood and other objects older than 1945 are protected; do not touch or move them.
• No pets and no litter; drones are banned in marked areas, and small-boat safaris in the reserve need permission.
• From April 1 to August 31, ships may not sound whistles or make loud noise within 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) of bird cliffs.

Breaking the reserve rules can bring a fine or up to 1 year in prison.¹⁶ In 2024 the station kept visitors to the beach and the road, which runs about 5.6 mi (9 km) to the station at Olonkinbyen and is closed from November to May.⁵²

Some operator copy promises more. Oceanwide's 2027 itineraries say that with permission "you can now visit the weather station" and walk to the remains of a 17th-century Dutch whaling station.¹⁸¹⁹ The station's guidelines keep approved visits to Kvalrossbukta, so anything beyond the beach is the station commander's call on the day.² Jan Mayen is also within the operating area of AECO, the Arctic expedition cruise operators' association, whose standards bind its members; Oceanwide says it books landing slots through AECO before the season.²⁰¹⁹

What are the chances of landing on Jan Mayen?

Lower than at most Arctic stops, and lower still in 2027. In 2024, 14 large tourist ships landed 2,908 people, while 10 more large ships with 2,854 tourists did not land; the station reports 10 announced calls cancelled because of bad weather.⁵ By our count, about 4 in 10 big ships that planned a 2024 visit put no one ashore. In 2023, 46 ships landed 3,743 people.⁵

Three things get in the way:

• Weather and surf. There is no sheltered harbor, and the station says to expect winter conditions and storms in any month.² Oceanwide calls landings tricky because of heavy rain, high winds and fog.¹⁴
• Construction. The station says building work from summer 2025 through winter 2027/2028 will restrict access for safety reasons; the new buildings will not be ready before 2027 at the earliest.¹⁵⁵
• Station capacity. A landing can be cancelled at short notice if Kvalrossbukta is already in use or no staff are free to receive you.²

Operators hedge: Aurora Expeditions says it will try to land "if the weather is favourable", and Atlas Ocean Voyages lists its Jan Mayen days as at-sea days, the captain's choice.²¹²²

Which cruises go to Jan Mayen, and what do they cost?

Twelve 2027 departures from six operators list Jan Mayen, from $3,300 per person on Oceanwide to $28,325 on Lindblad.¹⁸²³ Most are one-way crossings between Iceland or Scotland and Svalbard. Prices per person, read October 15, 2026 (Lindblad October 14):

Inclusions differ. Oceanwide includes AECO fees but no flights, and a bus from Reykjavík to the ship in Akureyri costs $165.¹⁹ Atlas includes taxes and a charter flight between Longyearbyen and Oslo; its Explorer's Choice fares are valid through December 31, 2026.²²²⁶ Aurora's discount must be booked and deposited by December 22, 2026, and its fare includes a Tromsø hotel night but no flights.²¹³⁴ Lindblad includes an Oslo hotel night; the group flight to Longyearbyen costs extra.²⁷

Oceanwide also sells its Aberdeen crossings as 17-day combinations with a North Spitsbergen voyage, from $6,480.¹⁴ HX has no 2027 call but lists two 2028 voyages that include Jan Mayen, from $9,032 with its Anniversary Offer (regular $9,487).³⁵ Compare more options in our guides to Arctic cruises and Svalbard cruises.

Who lives on Jan Mayen?

Nobody lives there permanently; the Norwegian Armed Forces run the island.¹ Fifteen Armed Forces staff and two from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute are there at any time, on 6-month tours that rotate in March and September, led by a military station commander who also acts for the police and the County Governor of Nordland.⁵ They live at Olonkinbyen, named after Gennady Olonkin, a telegraphist who ran the weather station for several seasons between 1928 and 1936.¹³⁶

Dutch whalers came first, running whale-oil stations early in the 17th century with perhaps 1,000 workers at the peak, until whaling ended around 1645.³ Norwegian trappers followed in the early 1900s, weather stations have operated since 1921, and the airstrip dates from 1960.³ Norway took sovereignty by royal resolution in 1929.⁸

What is Beerenberg?

Beerenberg is the ice-capped volcano that fills the northeast of the island; its highest point, Kong Haakons Topp, rises to 7,470 ft (2,277 m) on the rim of an ice-filled crater.⁴ It is Norway's only active volcano and the northernmost in the world.³ The station gives 7,454 ft (2,272 m) and Oceanwide 7,545 ft (2,300 m), but the Norwegian Polar Institute's official record says 2,277 m.¹¹⁹⁴

Its recent eruptions broke out on the flanks. On September 20, 1970, four fissures opened on the east side, lava reached the sea, the 39 people on the island were flown out, and within two weeks the flows had built about 1.2 sq mi (3 km²) of new land.³⁷ The last known eruption, January 6 to 9, 1985, sent a lava flow about 0.6 mi (1 km) into the sea off the northeast flank.³⁷ SEAPOP, Norway's seabird monitoring program, warns that seeing the whole mountain is rare.³

What wildlife lives on Jan Mayen?

Seabirds, above all. A 2010 survey estimated 560,000 breeding seabirds of 16 species, led by northern fulmars (probably more than 200,000 pairs in 2018), Brünnich's guillemots and little auks.³ Kittiwakes, Atlantic puffins, Arctic terns, razorbills, eiders and great skuas also breed, but the biggest colonies are on the northeast coast and reachable only by boat, so you see them from the ship.³

Land mammals are scarce. Arctic foxes were trapped out in the early 1900s, and a polar bear turns up only rarely, when the sea ice comes close; the station tells visitors there are none.³² On the crossing, Oceanwide's guides look for humpback, fin, minke and blue whales and orcas.¹⁹ Swan Hellenic notes purple saxifrage and endemic dandelions near the black-sand beaches.²⁵ For the wider cast, see Arctic animals.

When is the best time to visit Jan Mayen, and what is the weather like?

June and July: the sun does not set from about May 13 to July 31, 2027, and rain picks up from August.³⁸³⁹ The 2027 calls run from about May 27, day 5 of the Hondius voyage, to about September 4, day 7 of the Ocean Albatros voyage.¹⁸³² Monthly normals at the island's weather station, with the days that had rain or snow in 2026:³⁹

Fog is the bigger problem: the island is often wrapped in it, and the station reports longer fog periods as the climate changes.³⁵ Sea ice is rare.³ In the year to September 2026, the station's extremes were 58°F (14.2°C) in June and 8°F (-13.2°C) in February, with a top gust of 73 mph (32.6 m/s).³⁹

Is Jan Mayen worth it?

Yes, as part of a voyage you already want, not as the only reason to go. In our view, it works best on a crossing to Svalbard or East Greenland, where a missed landing still leaves a day of seabirds and, if the fog lifts, the volcano. Oceanwide's crossings start at $3,300 per person; Atlas, Aurora and Polar Latitudes add East Greenland in August from $12,595.^18323121 Expect a few hours on a beach at most, with construction limiting landings through winter 2027/2028.¹⁵