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The Arctic
The most rugged, remote, ice-filled and unexplored regions in the world are waiting to deliver the richest travel experience you will ever have—intimate wildlife encounters, diverse landscapes and exquisite natural beauty. Trailblazer, nature-enthusiast or bucket-lister, we have an Arctic adventure for you.
Greenland
The world’s largest island teems with life, welcoming you with its breathtaking scenery. East Greenland is vast, sparsely inhabited, and stunning in its austere beauty, while West Greenland has more Indigenous communities and varied wildlife.
The best of Greenland can be explored along the rocky, fjord-lined coast, which is a good thing as there are no roads connecting the small towns scattered throughout this massive island. The coast seems like an endless reel of icebergs, glaciers, deep fjords, mountains and vast stretches of wilderness.
Svalbard
Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, which also includes the two smaller islands of Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. It’s often called “The land of the midnight sun.” It’s also known as “The Wildlife Capital of the Arctic.” Spitsbergen, about 1,300 kilometers from the North Pole, is dark four months of the year, but when the sun returns in April, the days lengthen until sometime in June when the sun never sets—all the better for viewing the wildlife that has made Spitsbergen so popular with travelers on a quest to observe polar bears and other wildlife, such as walruses, reindeers, arctic foxes, beluga whales, seals and seabirds.
Up until the 1920s, the Svalbard archipelago (the combined population is 2,667) was essentially a no man’s land until it was officially recognized as belonging to Norway by the Spitsbergen Treaty. Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the archipelago situated on Spitsbergen, began as a coal mining town. Today the focus is on wildlife, glaciers and fjords.
Antarctica
Likely the farthest you will ever be from home, Antarctica is an environment of exquisite isolation—rich wildlife, stimulating history, and majestic topography. Antarctica reaches a level of beauty that is unmatched in its simplicity, flawlessness and fragility. Your voyage to the end of the Earth yields unparalleled adventure in every sense of the word.
The Antarctic Peninsula is an 800-mile (1,300 km) stretch of land and ice extending northward from the Antarctic continent towards South America. First-time visitors, especially, are humbled by the staggering beauty of the Antarctic: icebergs, glaciers, snow-covered mountain tops and incredible wildlife. People who dream of visiting the 7th Continent typically start here on the peninsula, which is ice-covered and mountainous. The Bransfield Strait separates the peninsula from the South Shetland Islands to the north. Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America, lies about 1,000 km (620 miles) away on the other side of the Drake Passage.
To experience the Antarctic Peninsula is to witness minke and humpback whales at close range, and to gaze upon icebergs of every conceivable shape and size in the bays, fjords and inlets. The peninsula is blessed with a diversity of wilderness vistas. Visitors can observe penguin colonies on Danco Island, or stand in awe at the sight (and sounds) of mammoth glaciers calving in Neko Harbour.
Unlike any other destination, the Antarctic boasts many areas to explore; from the Antarctic Peninsula to the remote sub-Antarctic islands of the Falklands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia. The debut Antarctic season for Ultramarine, this season features exciting new itineraries and our unique adventure options aboard each vessel.
Antarctic Explorer:
Discovering the 7th Continent From £9750 per person based on starting in Buenos Aires
If this is your first visit, our classic Antarctic Explorer voyage gives you the best of the stunning Antarctic Peninsula in 11 days. Conquer the famed Drake Passage in your choice of four stabilized, polar-class vessels; explore majestic natural environments by zodiac and on foot; get up close and personal with penguins, whales and other wildlife; and enjoy talks on history, biology and glaciology by onboard polar experts. You can personalize your adventure with options that suit your interests, and cross the 7th Continent off the list—your way.
Starting in 2021, this itinerary allows you to the opportunity to experience our pioneering new vessel, Ultramarine. This purpose-built vessel is designed to extend the boundaries of polar exploration and offer an unmatched Antarctic experience, including a flightseeing tour you’ll never forget and a range of adventure options more extensive than any other ship in its class.
Above is just a sample tour from Quark Expeditions – the leaders in the Polar Region. Email us on info@travelwiseuk.com or call us on 020 8444 4444 to discuss your very own Polar adventure