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Keep It Green: Our Commitment to Sustainable Polar Travel
It doesn’t make much sense for expedition travel if every time we visit the polar regions we leave them worse than we found them. And that’s just considering things from a purely human perspective, which we don’t.
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Antarctica’s first Marine Protected Area
In October of this year, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which includes 24 countries such as the United States, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, reached a consensus on a New Zealand/United States proposal to establish a large-scale Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Ross Sea region.
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Navigating by touch through the sea ice
Ships are meant to glide effortlessly through calm waters, but our Greenland expedition vessel Ortelius is shuddering and wiggling as it navigates through the calm yet frozen waters between Svalbard and the islands. We’re on the North Atlantic Odyssey, a journey that starts in continental Europe and concludes near the North Pole in Svalbard. Onboard are 115 enthusiastic passengers. Most of them are currently on the outer decks, cameras in hand, captivated by the sea ice.
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Churches in Antarctica
'Below 40 degrees South there is no law; below 50 degrees South, there is no God', goes the old adage. When faced with a storm in the turbulent and freezing waters of the Drake Passage, one might think so.
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Antarctica: When to Visit, How to Plan, What to Expect
Antarctica is an astonishing location loved in equal measure by ice enthusiasts and continent hoppers, but it also asks a lot in return for its prestigious polar status.
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Harp seals harping on in Greenland
Harp seals are a moderately sized species, typically reaching about 1.6 meters in length and weighing around 130 kilograms. Both males and females are similar in size and weight, with males being only slightly larger. They possess a thick, robust body, a small broad and flat head, short narrow flippers, and a narrow muzzle.
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The disastrous expedition in the Arctic west
In 1902, Otto Sverdrup, captain of the Fram on Nansen’s expedition, led his own Arctic expedition to the north of Canada. Over the period of the expedition, which started in 1898, Sverdrup and his 15-man crew charted over 250,000 square kilometres of the Arctic using the Fram and sledges. During the expedition Ellesmere Island’s west coast was explored and new islands discovered.
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16 Conversation-Starting Svalbard Facts
It might seem odd that an icy, snowy, bear-packed cluster of islands at the edge of the world could be such a hotspot (so to speak) of outdoor tourism.
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The Pack Ice and Polar Bears of North Spitsbergen
The Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is renowned for being one of the prime locations to observe polar bears. The largest island in this region, Spitsbergen, not only offers sightings of these majestic Arctic creatures but also provides a unique opportunity to experience the phenomenon of pack ice.
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Scenes from St. Andrews Bay: 12 Pics of Penguins, Seals, and More
If you ever find yourself exploring the breathtaking sub-Antarctic island chain of South Georgia, one of the most captivating spots you'll encounter is the picturesque shoreline of St. Andrews Bay.
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Adélie penguins in the Ross Sea - Antarctica
The Adélie penguin population in the Ross Sea has reached its highest numbers in 30 years, with up to a million breeding pairs during the summer. This accounts for about 38 percent of the entire Antarctic Adélie population.
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True South: A New Flag for a Global Antarctica
When Evan Townsend signed up to spend the winter of 2018 working at an Antarctic research station, he had no reason to expect he would end the season by designing a new flag for the continent. He had even less reason to expect the support it would receive.
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What’s so Special about East Spitsbergen?
We’ve previously discussed our north Spitsbergen journeys and Spitsbergen circumnavigations, but the eastern parts of this incredible island have not received the attention they deserve. Despite the name, our east Spitsbergen voyages explore much more than just the eastern side of Spitsbergen.
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Hot Ice: Breeding Practices of Five Polar Animals
Last Valentine's Day we gave you 14 wildlife pictures highlighting the ins, outs, ups, and downs of polar romance. This year we're moving on to something a little more advanced: the nitty-gritty details of polar wildlife breeding rituals.
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10 Traits of Post-Ice-Age Greenland
Grasses, sedges, and other species of heath were the first arrivals, and are still commonly found in Greenland. Scientists have been able to work out how plants colonised Greenland by examining ancient pollen samples found in deposits at the bottom of lakes: Dwarf birch came to western Greenland around 9,000 years ago, and around 4,500 years ago – roughly the same time humans were first boating onto Greenland shores – green alders were taking up residence there.
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What to Expect When Crossing the Drake Passage
Positioned between the southern tail of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula's north-sweeping arm is a lively little waterway known as the Drake Passage.
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The Dirty Details of Antarctica's Dry Valleys
Situated on the western coast of McMurdo Sound, the McMurdo Dry Valleys represent the largest ice-free region in Antarctica.
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Guidelines for visitors to Antarctica
Activities in the Antarctic are governed by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and associated agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System. The Treaty established Antarctica as a zone dedicated to peace and science. In 1991, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties adopted the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, designating the Antarctic as a natural reserve.
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The Eight Great Penguin Species of Antarctica
There are 17 species of penguin on the planet, but the eight you’ll most likely recognize live in Antarctica, its nearby islands, and the sub-Antarctic archipelagos of South Georgia and the Falklands. These are the core species we tend to see on our expedition cruises.
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Highlights from the First Arctic Voyage of Hondius
Our new ship Hondius completed its first Arctic expedition cruise on June 14, 2019. This being a new ship, the maiden voyage was not without its hiccups. But despite these, passenger response to the expedition was overwhelmingly positive.