Tag: expedition cruises
Le Commandant Charcot is the first-ever hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas) making it possible to travel to the farthest reaches of the southern and northern hemispheres in a level of luxury never offered before. It’s also the world’s first passenger ship to be fitted with a Polar Class 2 (PC2) hull, giving it the ability to sail between the sheets of drifting ice and reach the most remote and isolated areas. This gives the icebreaker a truly unique offering in the polar regions, which means the opportunities for exploration are almost endless but certainly unique. Here are our top 5 expeditions that can only be undertaken on PONANT’s newest vessel… The Emperor Penguins of the Weddell Sea In November 2023, Le Commandant Charcot is heading to the Weddell Sea area of the Antarctic Peninsula and seeing the Emperor Penguins will be firmly on the agenda. In last season’s…
It’s been several years since I last travelled to the Arctic, mainly due to a certain pandemic which has stopped anyone travelling anywhere for the last couple of years! So, when a last-minute opportunity arose to join a select group of agents aboard the Silver Cloud for a 6-night expedition cruise around Svalbard, I jumped at it! I would like to say the Arctic welcomed me back like an old friend, but it was actually the opposite! We landed in Longyearbyen in 40-knot winds, which were so strong they blew the aircraft door open! It felt a bit like the Arctic was angry with us for staying away so long! As we arrived at the port our expedition leader greeted us; “we normally like to do the Silversea bit first, and then the expedition. But today it’s going to be the expedition bit first, and then Silversea!” It transpired the wind was too strong…
The overland safari is one of the best-known and most iconic travel experiences in the world today. Its popularity and fame are in part due to its conception around the art of photography itself; the wildlife encounter that must be shared. The safari sits as an experience for most bucket lists and is of course framed around the observation of the so-called Big Five animals of Africa. The lion, rhino, Cape buffalo, elephant and leopard. It’s a word that immediately conjures up very specific visual reference points, learned from glossy travel brochures, glorious high-definition nature documentaries and first-hand experiences. But the safari, as with everything in travel, has evolved as the appetite for discovery has widened. And in this blog, I take you to a very faraway place from the Big Five of Africa. A place that defines the phrase, ‘off-the-beaten-track, and one that is rarely seen at the dinner…
We sat down with Quark Expeditions‘ Business Development Manager to discover more about their brand new ship the Ultramarine and to learn what sets them apart from their competitors… What are the features of Ultramarine that set her apart from other expedition ships in the market? Ultramarine’s design embodies our 30+ years of expertise operating exclusively in the Polar regions. It’s our first purpose-built expedition vessel, designed to go beyond the familiar in polar exploration, to discover new places and immerse our guests in the best the polar regions have to offer. Carrying just 199 passengers, she’s equipped with two twin-engine helicopters, which means our guests have the opportunity to explore even further. 20 quick-launching zodiacs, deployed from the water-level zodiac hangar allow guests to get off the ship in half the time of other vessels, which means more time to the destination and faster deployment during opportunistic wildlife encounters. The ship offers the category’s…
With 22 years of leading Polar expedition cruising behind them, Poseidon are one of the finest operators we work with. We look at some of the reasons that set them apart from the rest and why you should consider them when planning your Antarctica adventure… Small Expedition Vessel It may be an obvious statement, but the vessel you choose to embark on an Antarctica cruise needs to be able to comfortably match the nautical challenges that the unforgiving continent presents. Constructing a vessel capable of facing the harsh climates of the world’s last wilderness is no easy feat but to do so without compromising on luxury comforts for passengers is an incredible accomplishment – and that is exactly what Poseidon’s M/V Sea Spirit offers. Truly one of the finest ships that sail the Antarctic waters, the Sea Spirit caters for only 114 guests, who can enjoy a smooth sailing experience whilst staying in spacious,…
If you haven’t been to the Polar regions, Svalbard is the perfect place to start, it offers everything from incredible wildlife, fascinating human history and some of the most spectacular glaciers and Arctic landscape on the planet. It is often known as Spitsbergen, the name of the archipelago’s largest and only permanently populated island, Svalbard is an archipelago that could easily be described as an Arctic fairy-tale of a destination. It’s a dramatic wilderness of glaciers and mountains, ice fields and barren tundra, extremities of light and dark, and is home to more polar bears than people, yet people it has – making this a destination in which you can truly experience life in the high Arctic. Polar bears Search for the mighty Polar Bear – also known as the King of the Arctic – There are now estimated to be around 3,000 bears in the area of Svalbard and Franz Josef land. Polar bears hunt on sea ice, and with over 100,000km of total coastline…
Take a journey like no other on an expedition delving deep into the wilderness of the Antarctic. Explore the surreal remoteness and battle the elemental forces on a true adventure. We explore the benefits of travelling with our partners Aurora Expeditions… Travel in Style on the Brand-New Sylvia Earle If you have never travelled to Antarctica before then you could easily be forgiven for wondering above else about the type of ships and equipment that are used to navigate through the challenges of the world’s last great wilderness. There is a surprisingly high variety on offer so it is essential that you consider this aspect when planning your adventure of a lifetime. The very latest vessel available to you is the brand-new Sylvia Earle from Aurora Expeditions which makes its maiden expedition in October 2021. It has been designed to match every natural challenge it faces with ease and at an average of 132 passengers per voyage,…
‘Arctic’ comes from the Greek word for bear; ‘Arktos’ and it is believed that the name refers to two constellations that can be seen in the northern sky – ‘Ursa Minor’ (Little Bear) and ‘Ursa Major’ (Great Bear). This beautiful ice-cold region is the northernmost part of our planet; a remote corner of the world inhabited by indigenous arctic people called ‘Inuits’ and admired by visitors for its incredible otherworldly landscapes and extraordinary wildlife. A place so special that it contains around 10% of the world’s fresh water. Inside the Arctic, there is at least one day a year of entire darkness, and one day a year of entire sunshine. Another particularity of the Arctic is that the sea ice that keeps the polar regions cool also helps moderate the global climate. The ice has a bright surface and 80% of the sunlight that enters is reflected back into space….
Congratulations! If you are reading this, it’s because you are about to make a great decision: travelling to Antarctica! We can guarantee that you will enjoy your time in this land of desolate beauty. The landscape of the Antarctic is extreme, mostly made up of white icy peaks and crisp blue glaciers. The clear waters are inhabited by an array of penguin species, seals and whales. This vast freezing desert is the coldest, driest and wildest place on earth, making a trip here, so much more exciting than any other travel adventure. Are you ready to have the most otherworldly trip of your life and share our lifelong infatuation with the Polar regions? Then without further ado, let us take you through the 10 things you need to know before embarking on your once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise: Best Time To Visit Antarctic cruises only operate in the Antarctic summer months, between November and early…
While the polar regions of the planet are more accessible than ever, the harsh landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctica still have many secrets to divulge. Countless brave men and women led the way, forging a path of discovery amidst danger, that has made it possible for average adventurous travellers to follow in their footsteps today. From the trailblazers who made their way to the poles a century ago, to the modern-day explorers who still prove the planet has much to discover, these are the nine greatest polar explorers in history. Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Shackleton is one of the most inspirational polar explorers in history, yet never actually reached his goal – the South Pole. Shackleton led three separate expeditions to Antarctica, the most famous being the Imperial Trans-Antarctic (Endurance) Mission in 1914 in which he attempted to be the first to cross Antarctica from one side to the other, via…
