Polar Expeditions
by Atlas

From the Arctic Circle to the southern glaciers of South America to the shores of Antarctica, explore far-flung regions only accessible to polar-class vessels equipped with Zodiac boats and staffed with expert leaders to inform and guide your adventures.

Polar Expeditions

Experiences on the Shore and Sea

The polar regions are as astonishing from the sea as on land, and expeditions here explore both perspectives for a thorough understanding of these unique environments.

Always Included
Zodiac Safaris

Our expedition team navigates custom-built Zodiac boats along icy waters just inches from floating icebergs, glacier-covered shores, and even breaching whales. Watch for porpoising penguins in Antarctic seas and polar bears on the prowl in the Arctic.

Always Included
Shore Landings

Our Zodiacs will take you ashore up to twice daily under suitable conditions. Amid the spectacular polar landscapes, our expedition team leads glacial hikes and guides you in safe observation of the local wildlife.

Optional
Sea Kayaking

On an optional kayaking excursion in Antarctica, the scale of the polar seascape seems even grander as you paddle past electric blue icebergs and soaring glacial cliffs while seabirds dive for food and marine mammals surface for air.

Optional
Antarctic Camping

If conditions are suitable, Polar Expeditions in Antarctica may offer the chance to camp overnight on the White Continent, a surreal experience of endless light and palpable silence.

Zodiac Safaris
01
Shore Landings
02
Sea Kayaking
03
Antarctic Camping
04

Included

Cultural Immersions

Every Polar Expedition includes a Cultural Immersion with our compliments to enhance your experience of the history, nature, art or cuisine of a destination through an exclusive excursion ashore or a unique event on board. Examples include:

Polar Expedition

Experiences On Board

The expedition experience is defined not only by exploration on the shore and sea, but also by the opportunities offered, many with our compliments, aboard our polar-class yachts to further enhance your journey of discovery.

Polar Expedition

Experts Enriching Exploration

Every Polar Expedition is led by a team of up to 17 wilderness guides, naturalists, mountaineers, biologists, conservationists and other professionals who have explored Antarctica, Patagonia, the Arctic and remote destinations the world over. Their expertise and leadership ensure that each expedition inspires and enlightens you while protecting pristine environments.

Polar Expedition Leaders

Jonathan Zaccaria grew up in France and graduated as an engineer in spectrometry. His work brought him to Antarctica to the French Dumont d’Urville Station, best known for its role in the documentary March of the Penguins. He made another overwinter in the only international station in the Antarctic. Later, he began working as a guide on board expedition ships in Antarctica and the Arctic. He has worked for 10 years in the polar regions, leading trips on small, expedition vessels.

Expedition Leader Headshot

The justification of one passion is enough to guide an entire life. Destiny can be written from a single event. Crossing Greenland on skis was Didier Drouet’s first major action. At that point, he decided to pursue his polar adventure by becoming a mid-mountain and sea kayak guide in Greenland, a dog sled driver and Nordic ski expedition guide in Nunavut, and finally a base manager in Antarctica for the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. In 2019, he published an essay titled “Esquimau toi-même! (Eskimo yourself!)” in tribute to the Inuit people.

Expedition Leader Headshot

Ekaterina Uryupova grew up in Siberia. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Lomonosov Moscow State University and a master’s in international journalism from the University of Salford. Her disciplines include marine biology, oceanography, climate impact on ecosystems and interdisciplinary research efforts in environmental protection. Her experience in the Antarctic includes an internship at the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty in Argentina and at the Smithsonian Institution in the US. She is currently a member of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN). She has worked in both Antarctica and the Arctic for over 10 years.

Expedition Leader Headshot

Polar Expedition Partnerships in Antarctica

An ocean conservationist from ORCA, a whale and dolphin conservancy, joins select expeditions in Antarctica to give you and your fellow explorers the opportunity to become Citizen Scientists by learning to gather data, record sightings and take photos through interactive, hands-on workshops.

ORCA image

On select expeditions in Antarctica, join conservationists from the Global Penguin Society as they track and record vital information for protecting the future of the world’s penguin populations.

Global Penguin Society image

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