Antarctic solar eclipse cruise, November 2021

Planet

Antarctica is the largest wilderness on earth and remains relatively unaffected by large scale human activities. To keep it that way, IAATO – the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators has set out guidelines and regulations to protect and preserve this unique and pristine environment. All tourism-related activities are therefore planned and conducted with both environmental protection and safety in mind. Being a member means that we actively support and contribute to the environmental and scientific work being carried out there. Encounters with wildlife are also controlled by a responsible code of conduct.

We carefully choose the ships we want to charter, and its small size has a far lesser impact on shore landings. We see our voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula as an expedition, not a sightseeing trip. Smaller ships, such as ours can navigate narrow water ways, and by carrying fewer passengers generates far less waste. We also carry any waste back to our home port, unlike some of the larger ships which do not allow for this.

Our expedition staff, who are highly-skilled experts in fields like natural history, glaciology and marine biology (to name but a few), will introduce passengers to the wonders of Antarctica. As well as learning more about the local and global conservation issues facing polar habitats.

People

The places we visit in Antarctica have no permanent residents other than researchers who live there seasonally or overwinter at their research stations. There’s a strong relationship between the researchers at these stations and our expedition staff. We also take the research staff with us on board if they need to be transferred back to South America or vice versa.

Travelers are welcome to book pre and post tour accommodation with us. We’ll always do our best to secure rooms at family-run bed and breakfasts or hotels. Our travelers will also be given local restaurant recommendations, so that money is put back into the Argentinian economy. As this trip starts and finishes in Ushuaia, we encourage our clients to buy souvenirs from local vendors and discourage the purchase of endangered animal products or items unduly taken from the environment.

We also support the Mawson’s Huts Foundation which was established in 1997 to conserve the Mawson’s Huts at Cape Denison in East Antarctica. Since then, it has funded over 10 major expeditions to the historic site with further expedition planes.