Polar Regions

The polar regions attract a specific kind of traveler: one who has done the beautiful destinations, the cultural capitals, the tropical beaches — and is looking for something that operates on a different scale. Antarctica is not a destination in the conventional sense. It has no permanent population, no cities, no infrastructure built for tourism. What it has are 5.4 million square miles of ice, the largest concentration of penguins on earth, and a silence so complete that it reorganizes your understanding of what quiet is.

The Arctic offers a different polar experience — the polar bears of Svalbard, the sea ice of Baffin Bay, the midnight sun of Spitsbergen — with access points in Scandinavia that make it more geographically accessible than Antarctica for most travelers. Both regions require expedition vessels, expert naturalists, and an honest commitment to being outside in conditions that are demanding and specifically not designed for comfort.

We work closely with Silversea Expeditions for the polar regions — the World Explorer and World Nova are purpose-built polar vessels with Zodiacs and on-board scientific staff that deliver the expedition experience properly.