Antarctica & the Arctic Bird watching, Nature Tours &...

Antarctica & the Arctic Bird watching, Nature Tours & Trips

269 Antarctica & the Arctic trips. Tours from 111 tour companies. 222 reviews. 4.8/5 avg rating.

66 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Bird watching
Nature
Svalbard Explorer - 14th - 23rd July 2022
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Svalbard

Highlights

  • Explore Svalbard on a small ship expedition cruise with just 48 guests in total.
  • This expedition takes place on the newly refitted Polar Pioneer, one of the smallest and most rugged expedition cruise ships visiting Svalbard, perfect for visiting the ice edge.
  • On this expedition we will venture to the northern wilderness to explore the beautiful landscapes, wildlife and glaciers of north west Spitsbergen, home to an abundance of polar wildlife.

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
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Svalbard Explorer - 28th July - 6th August 2023
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

  • Explore Svalbard on a small ship expedition cruise with just 48 guests in total.
  • This expedition takes place on the newly refitted Polar Pioneer, one of the smallest and most rugged expedition cruise ships visiting Svalbard, perfect for visiting the ice edge.
  • On this expedition we will venture to the northern wilderness to explore the beautiful landscapes, wildlife and glaciers of north west Spitsbergen, home to an abundance of polar wildlife.

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list

Health Safety

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Natural Wonders Cruise - 2nd - 11th June 2023
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Spitsbergen

Highlights

  • The ultimate Svalbard cruise on a small, capable expedition vessel with just 12 guests.
  • The focus on this adventure is to explore the beautiful natural wilderness of Svalbard during the summer months with 24 hours of daylight.
  • We will encounter calving glaciers, witness an abundance of wildlife, visit historical places, and spend time exploring ashore.
  • All this with 2 expert guides and just 12 guests.

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
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Health Safety

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Antarctica Wildlife and Photo Tour -1st January – 12th January 2024
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Antarctic Peninsula, Shetland Islands, Ushuaia

Highlights

  • Small group experience of just 48 guests, the smallest group size available in Antarctica.
  • A rare opportunity to join a in-depth exploration of the Antarctic Peninsula with extended time ashore to view and photograph wildlife.
  • Explore key wildlife sites on the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.
  • Comfortable, and intimate ice-strengthened expedition vessel with sauna.
  • Encounter Antarctica’s wildlife including penguins, fur and leopard seals and whales.
Show more

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Photography

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list

Health Safety

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Natural Wonders Photo Tour - 31st May - 8th June 2023
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Spitsbergen

Highlights

  • Numerous opportunities to photograph Svalbard’s wild and stunning landscapes from the ship and shore.
  • Get up close and photograph glaciers and sea ice.
  • Develop your photography skills in the field with a highly experienced Arctic photographer.
  • Learn about the area from an expert Svalbard guide.
  • Encounter the wildlife which could include polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer, and whales.
Show more

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Photography

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list

Health Safety

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Svalbard Pioneer- Svalbard Circumnavigation Cruise - 5th-18th Aug 2023
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5/5 Excellent
8 reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Full schedule

Visits

Hinlopen Strait, Kongsfjord, Longyearbyen, Nordaustlandet , Ny-Ålesund, Prins Karls Forland, South Spitsbergen, Spitsbergen

Highlights

  • Truly unique in-depth 14-day Svalbard circumnavigation cruise with just 12 guests.
  • The focus on this adventure is to explore the beautiful natural wilderness of Svalbard during the summer months with 24 hours of daylight.
  • We will encounter calving glaciers, witness an abundance of wildlife, visit historical places, and spend time exploring ashore. • All this with 2 expert guides and just 12 guests.

Themes

Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I've always been drawn by the Arctic and being able to experience it first hand was a dream coming true. The guys at Secret Atlas know what they are doing, every detail has been perfect and I highly recommend talking to them before you book elsewhere."

Trip dates & details
Save this trip to your favorites or other list

Health Safety

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Antarctic Peninsula – Polar Circle, Deep South Discovery and whale watching voyage
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1/5 Terrible
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Visits

Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands

Highlights

  • See Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses, Black- browed Albatrosses, Light- mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars
  • See Humpback whales here as we approach Fish Islands for a Zodiac cruise and possible landing.
  • See more Adélie penguins among the myriads of icebergs large and small.
  • Enjoy even more Humpback whales.

Themes

Birding, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Small Ship Cruise, Scuba Diving

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

Trip dates & details
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North Spitsbergen, Arctic Spring
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
1/5 Terrible
100+ reviews
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Premium - 4 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

  • Visit the Svalbard Museum
  • See the remains of a 17th century English whaling station and an 18th century Pomor hunting station,
  • Visit a haul out place of Walrus at Poolepynten if sea conditions allows, or at Sarstangen.
  • Visit Ytre Norskøya, a small island which was used for many years as a lookout point for Dutch whalers

Themes

Birding, National Parks, Nature & Wildlife, Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Small Ship Cruise

What travelers are saying

"I booked an Antarctic Peninsula trip two years ago through Oceanwide Expeditions that I have been looking forward to for a long time. My goal is to scuba dive on every continent, so I added on the dive package and started training. I shelled out a few grand for a drysuit and other cold water diving gear (freeze resistant regulators, etc). I booked trips to bump up my number of drysuit dives so I’d be ready for Antarctica. Probably more important than the training was the financial outlay. I spent nearly $8500 USD on an 11 day Antarctic cruise that was supposed to depart in February. I spent another few thousand dollars on flights to, from and within Argentina and hotels throughout my trip. Mind you, I’m not exactly rolling in money; I’m an Army officer and I had to save up to afford this trip of a lifetime. I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get my international leave approved, but I got that done and was ready to fly to Buenos Aires on February 4th, and then on to Ushuaia to meet my ship my dives were logged, my gear was ready, my arrangements were made and my money was spent. On January 10th, Oceanwide sent an email informing all passengers that they were cancelling all of their itineraries for the season due to Omicron. I’ll admit, I was furious. I don’t want to get into a COVID debate here, but this trip has given me something to look forward to throughout the pandemic. I booked in March of 2020 while I was locked down during my last deployment as the world shut down for COVID. I was concerned about the trip, but Argentina eventually opened their borders as their vaccination numbers skyrocketed. It looked like the last impediment was out of my way, only to have the company pull the rug out from under me because of the mildest strain of this virus we’ve yet seen. The initial email offered to rebook passengers on next year’s cruises, but I had no interest in this for a few reasons- 1. As a service member, I don’t have the luxury of taking a month of leave whenever I want. I don’t know what obligations I will have a year from now. 2. I don’t trust that the world will be any better off in terms of government and corporate reactions to COVID a year from now. This isn’t going away, new variants will continue to emerge, so if the company is cancelling for the season over something as mild as Omicron, I have little confidence that whatever variant we see in February 2023 will be any better. 3. The company cancelled all itineraries in the 2020-2021 season and I’d imagine they did the same in the 2019-2020 season. They ran a couple in November-December 2021, but have cancelled for the rest of the 21-22 season. They have had no significant cash flow for nearly two years. I don’t want this company to hold on to my money for another year because I’m not confident this company will still exist in a year’s time. Here comes the really frustrating part- I replied to the initial email from their home office on January 10th explaining my position and requesting a refund. I received no reply. On 12 January I emailed the American office of the same company explaining the situation and again requesting a refund. I again received no reply. Between 14-16 January, I called both the American and home (Dutch) offices of the company. In both cases, the employees politely apologized and told me they’d look into it and get back to me. I never received any further communication. On 19 January, I emailed both offices reiterating my request for a refund and expressing my concerns at their lack of communication and requesting a response by the end of the week, or else I would pursue other means of recourse. I received no response. Last night, I again emailed both companies with a final good faith attempt to allow them to resolve the situation. I figured I’d give them the morning to respond, but they have not responded. It looks like I will have to dispute this through my credit card and bank and fight to get back my own money. TL;DR Oceanwide Expeditions accepted payment of $8500 for an Antarctica Cruise then cancelled the cruise and will not respond to any requests for refunds. This shady conduct is more than enough reason to avoid this company."

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66 trips exactly matchall of the the filters you selected.
My selections:
Bird watching
Nature

Antarctica & the Arctic Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5  Excellent
222  Reviews
See all Antarctica & the Arctic tour reviews
Excellent
66
Great
9
Average
3
Disappointing
1
Terrible
0
A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Exodus and Quark had the perfect recipe for the adventure of a lifetime. Helpful and efficient pre-trip planning. The Vavilov, a great vessel for th...

A

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

What can I say?! The most amazing trip, far exceeding the expectations that I had held for a lifetime! Each experience seemed to surpass the last , and I hold...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

An unforgetable trip, can't begin to really describe the Antarctic, it has to be seen to be believed.  The Minke whale who decided to investigate 3 of the 5 Zo...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Our trip to the Antarctic Peninsula was simply 'mind-blowing' Any description of Antarctica is always full of 'expletives'. Quite honestly where do you start? ...

A

Anonymous

Jul 2017

Provided byExodus Travels

ANTARCTIC EXPLORER

Wonderful trip.  Well worth the effort despite some stressful moments in the beginning.  Antarctica is a very special place.  Cannot be compared to ...

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Antarctica & the Arctic Tour Selection Trips

  • In most cases, the best way to explore the polar regions is by small, expedition-style cruise ships.
  • While any trip to the polar regions is adventurous by nature, you don't have to rough it. Some ships come with five-star amenities, while some land-tour operators offer luxury tent camping. 
  • While there are few, if any, "cheap" trips to the polar regions - especially Antarctica - look for value adds such as included airfare, helicopter flights into the interior, and gratuities for the crew.
  • Prices do vary considerably by length of trip, cabin, ship amenities, month of travel, and other factors.
  • Cruise ships that carry more than 500 passengers are not allowed to make landings on Antarctica, so to set foot on the continent itself, you need to take a smaller vessel.
  • The shortest - and most popular - sea crossing to Antarctica goes from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula, via the often (but not always) tumultuous Drake's Passage.
  • The Drake's Passage crossing may take from 24 to 48 hours, and seasickness is common - though waters in Antarctica itself are generally calmer.
  • While most Antarctica tours go by ship, you can also fly in and/or out via the South Shetland Islands to shorten your trip and/or avoid Drakes Passage.
  • Polar tours can be as short as a few days or as long as three weeks or more. Figure at least 10 to 12 days to complete a typical tour by ship.
  • Some polar tours - primarily those that fly into the interior - offer adventurous options such as camping, skiing, mountaineering, and trekking.

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