Barneo

Private Russian annual North Pole base established since 2002

Not to be confused with Borneo.

Barneo Ice Camp

Camp Barneo (Russian: Лагерь Бaрнео) is a private temporary tourist resort located on Arctic Ocean ice near the North Pole. When it is occupied for a few weeks in April, it is the northernmost inhabited place in the world. It was first established in 2002 and re-occupied annually thereafter, but it has remained vacant since 2018.[1]

When operating, the price for a visit starts at about $20,000.[2] It is owned by the Swedish pharmaceutical billionaire  Frederik Paulsen, heir to the Ferring Pharmaceuticals fortune.[3]

## History

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The first Ice Camp Barneo near the North Pole was established in 2002. Since that time, the camp has been rebuilt from scratch every year because of the constantly drifting Arctic ice. For example, in 2007 Ice Camp Barneo was located at about 89°31.5′N 30°27′W﻿ / ﻿89.5250°N 30.450°W﻿ / 89.5250; -30.450 (about 30 miles / 48 kilometers from the North Pole). However, northerly winds caused the Ice Camp to drift towards the southeast at a speed of 0.8 kilometres per hour (0.5 mph). The ice camp works under the patronage of the Russian Geographical Society and normally lasts for the month of April.

The camp was founded by Russian Alexander Orlov. After his death, his wife Irina Orlova took over until selling the camp to billionaire  Frederik Paulsen.[4]

Ice Camp Barneo should not be confused with the sequential Soviet/Russian "North Pole" drifting ice stations established by the Russian Academy of Sciences Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI).

From 2002 to 2017, the starting and final point of all expeditions to Barneo was Longyearbyen, the capital of the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. The town has necessary facilities including an airport, hotels of different levels, restaurants, a post office, a bank, and a supermarket.

In 2016, following military exercises by Chechen paratroopers on Barneo, Norway enacted a flight embargo, which it later lifted. As a result, the 2017 event was expected to take place with a base in Russia.[2] However, in March 2017 an expedition tour operator was taking bookings for 2017 and 2018 with flights operating out of Longyearbyen.[5]

In 2019, a political dispute between Russia and Ukraine prevented tourists from flying to the camp.[6] The 2020 and 2021 seasons were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans to reopen in 2022 were canceled after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] After another cancellation for 2023, plans were announced to reopen in 2024, controversially departing from Russia rather than Longyearbyen.[3] But like all other years since 2018, the 2024 season was also canceled.[7]

### Notable visitors

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* Dixie Dansercoer, polar explorer
* Albert II, Prince of Monaco
* Miki Ando, figure skater
* Eric Philips, polar explorer
* Ramón Hernando de Larramendi, polar explorer[8]

## See also

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* List of northernmost settlements

## References

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1. ^ a b Becker, Kraig (8 March 2022). "Barneo Ice Camp Closed for Fourth Year in a Row". The Adventure Blog. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
2. ^ a b Alina Simone (7 June 2016). "A tussle between Russia and Norway at an exclusive resort at the top of the world". The World. Public Radio International.
3. ^ a b "Barneo Is On This Year, But Do You Want To Go?". Explorersweb. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
4. ^ Morrell, Galya (14 February 2021). "The Inside Story of Barneo, the Floating Ice Camp Near the North Pole » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
5. ^ "North Pole Express: Barneo Ice Camp". TUI AG group. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
6. ^ Becker, Kraig (11 April 2019). "2019 Barneo Ice Camp Open But Politics Prevent Some From Arriving". The Adventure Blog. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
7. ^ Kobalenko, Jerry (11 April 2024). "Barneo Canceled!". Explorersweb. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
8. ^ "Larramendi y Calleja alcanzan el Polo Norte". Desnivel.com. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

## External links

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* Barneo Base
* News from Barneo Apr 18, 2007
* Vicaar International Projects and Expeditions site
* News from Barneo 2012
* Russian Geographic Society Archived 2014-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
* Camp Barneo official Facebook page
* Camp Barneo official website