Join the pioneers and cruise into the icy depths of a white,pristine wilderness, home to basking seals, huge colonies of penguins, playful dolphins and whales.

Antarctica is an immense continental wilderness still virtually unexplored and unknown, a fabulous and pristine wildlife haven set in an awe inspiring scenery of mountains, snow and sculptured and twisted ice.

You can cruise from November through to March to explore vast colonies of penguins, to observe some of the great whales, to watch hundreds of seals resting lazily on ice floes, and to simply marvel at the extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and sheer range of colours of thousands of floating icebergs. The vistas are magnificent, with towering glaciers and dramatic cliffs that drop almost vertically into the sea.

The oceans of the Antarctic are home to countless marine mammals including breaching humpbacks, fin, sei, minke and killer whales. Dolphins species including Hourglass, Peale’s and Commersons’s, all of which you will have a chance to view with a bit of luck. On land there are leopard seals, weddell, crabeater, southern elephant and Antarctic fur seals, colonies of penguins including gentoo, chin strap and adelie penguins. The skies are the home of albatross, giant petrels and terns to name a few.

We only advocate using the best boats. They are small boats by Antarctic cruise standards, taking a maximum of only 52 passengers, very personal in their approach allowing you to feel party of the ‘polar’ family, with a highly professional crew, who pioneered Antarctic cruising over ten years ago, and with real expertise in these parts of the world, and last but not least operate under strict Environmental and safety standards.

Click here to read Stanley Johnston’s Antarctica article which featured in the FT

Dates & Prices for 2008 & 2009 Includes the Antarctica Peninsula and South Shetland islands

Please note that availability on these cruise expeditions is now limited, please contact our office for a full availability update

On Board Professor Multinovsky
Departures from Early December 2008 through to Early March 2009
On Board Akademik Shokalakiy
Departures from Early November 2008 to Early February 2009

Prices from:

Sharing triple cabin without private facilities…..........£4,525 per person
Sharing twin cabin without private facilities…............£5,265 per person
Sharing twin cabin & private facilities….....................£5,895per person
Sharing superior cabin with private facilities…..........£6,625 per person
Sharing suite with private facilities…........................£6,995 per person

Single supplement from £1,695

What’s Included
International return economy flights based on Lufthansa airlines and internal flights to Ushuaia on Aerolineas Argentinas, accommodation in Buenos Aires on a bed and breakfast basis, all transfers, city tour, accommodation in Ushuaia on twin share basis, cruise with full board and berths, lectures and guide services on vessel and on shore based excursions and a contribution to a marine conservation project. On all our cruises you are supplied with a high visibility waterproof parka and loaned rubber boots. Included in the trip cost is membership to the Scott Polar Research Institute.

What’s Excluded
Travel insurance, vaccinations and visas, gratuities, items of a personal nature including laundry and drinks, meals not shown, and hire/purchase of special clothing (or equipment)

This Trip Supports..

Scott Polar Research Institute

Field Expertise

Antarctica experts

To appreciate this extraordinary continent one needs the finest naturalists and ecologists to guide you and give lectures and insight into the wildlife and geography of this continent, on land and sea. To this end every cruise has a number of experts to guide you on land and to communicate to you at sea.

They include well known experts including scientists like Robert Headland, natural history presenters, nature writers, together with a host of skills and experience covers history, ornithology, geography, geology, oceanography, marine biology and glaciology.

All are enthusiastic communicators with a wealth of experience in their subject matters and will add greatly to your enjoyment and understanding of this last continent.

Click here to see trips led by Antarctic experts

Our Feedback

I know Helen has already sent you a thank you – but I would also like to say that this trip was the most amazing experience of my life.

We were lucky with the weather, and had 12 landings plus 2 zodiac tours – so definately got our money’s worth! We had a very good team of experts on board who got just as excited as us on some of the sightings, which confirmed to me that what we saw and experienced was exceptional. To give you an example or two – on one zodiac trip back to the ship we had three Minke whales playing around our Zodiacs, and then breaching, which our whale expert hadn’t seen in 15 years. And secondly, on the very last landing I spotted a White Rumped Sand Piper which our bird expert confirmed and will make an official report of, as this maybe only the 6th or 7th sighting in the South Shetland Isles.

Of course we also had many other sightings of various whales, seals and penguins all at close quarterers, and I enjoyed each landing. (Especially the ones where we could slide down various snowy mountains on our backsides!). Life is very dull again without the constant trumpeting of Gentoos…

I had high expectations of this trip and they were more than fulfilled, so thank you very much. Next stop the Falklands and South Georgia….
Ms Chaston Jan 2008

The cruise trip was superb. Alex quickly understood exactly what we wanted and the options available in the Antarctic, having been there himself. Kirsten, Delphine, Louis and Phil and the boat crew were excellent and professional and their respect for the pristine continent was always to the fore. Thank you hugely.

P.Cranston 2007

Thank you to Abigail for setting up this trip as we had a wonderful time. We have been travelling for over 30 years and can say that this voyage was the most memorable. They delivered every day and ensured individual challenges are met and enjoyed wiht amazing food!

Mrs J Crawford 2006

Excellent. I dealt with Abi who was extremely helpful and efficient. It was particularly good to get first hand info from someone who had been to Antarctica.

Ann McDougall February 2006