We are not talking luxury liners,
but small vessels which have
been specially adapted for the
conditions (some with full icebreaking
capability) and can accommodate
between 20 and 128 passengers.
Many are former research vessels which
have been refitted to accommodate
guests in warmth and comfort,
providing a good variety of plentiful
and delicious food. Onboard guides
and experts give illustrated talks and
presentations covering everything from
birds and mammals, to geography,
history and astronomy, thus enhancing
your appreciation of these remote and
beautiful continents. They will also lead
you on excursions off the boat.

Voyages in the Arctic region take place
during the summer, visiting latitudes
where the ice never disappears. The
Svalbard archipelago is a landscape of
rugged mountains, sweeping tundra,
ice caps and glaciers. Enormous
colonies of seabirds throng the cliffs
and shores, while whales and dolphins
frolic at sea, as Walruses and seals
lounge on the rocks and ice floes.
Travelling along the pack-ice of east
Greenland, you will pass huge glaciers
and icebergs and may see Fin, Minke,
Humpback, and even Blue Whales,
Narwhals, Polar Bears, Arctic Foxes,
Musk Oxen and Pink-Footed Geese.
In Antarctica, the Austral Summer is
from October to March, with the
warmest months being December and
January (the average temperature is
near freezing). This pristine wilderness
with its multi-coloured ice caps,
glistening glaciers and towering snowcapped
mountains, offers unparalleled
scenery and photographic
opportunities.

Some 200 million birds of 44 species
amass here, with albatrosses, shearwaters,
terns, skuas, petrels and penguins being
the most conspicuous. Antarctica is also
renowned for large concentrations of
ocean dwelling mammals – Humpback,
Minke, Southern Right, Blue, Fin, Sei,
Orca, Pilot and Sperm Whales along
with Commerson’s Dusky, and Bottlenosed
Dolphins. You may also see
Elephant, Weddell, Leopard, Ross, Crabeater
and Fur Seals.

During the trip, there will be plenty of
opportunities to go ashore, and you
will visit at least one scientific base
which will provide a fascinating insight
into life in this distant continent.