We are excited to announce that we will be operating the following expeditions in Antarctica for the 2021-22 season, beginning in November: Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent; Antarctica, South Georgia & The Falklands; and Antarctica & Patagonia: Legendary Ice & Epic Fjords.
If you’re already booked for our 2021-22 Antarctica season, we are reaching out to guests on a rolling basis. We have contacted guests booked in November & December 2021. If you are booked in January – March 2022, we will communicate with you soon. You can find additional information in the booked guest portal or fill out our Contact Us form for specific questions related to your booking. For new bookings, Request a Reservation here.
See what it’s like to follow in the wake of history’s boldest explorers. To sail among epic ice, to kayak past penguins, to take the plunge, and to hike where few ever have. Join us in Antarctica—for the thrill of it!
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We're proud to be awarded the #1 small ship cruise line by the 2021 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards! |
Antarctica
Patagonia
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Length
20 days
From
$21,040
Prices are per person
Antarctica
Patagonia
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Antarctica
Special Offers
Length
24 days
From
$26,410
Prices are per person
Antarctica
Special Offers
Antarctica
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Length
35 days
From
$52,990
Prices are per person
Antarctica
New and Noteworthy
Special Offers
Antarctica
Special Offers
Length
14 days
From
$15,080
Prices are per person
Antarctica
Special Offers
In November 2021, ABC News correspondent Amy Robach reported directly from Antarctica aboard the brand-new National Geographic Endurance, which features the first-ever polar newsroom. Segments aired on Good Morning America, GMA3: What You Need to Know, and ABC World News Tonight with David Muir as part of a month-long climate change series on ABC News spanning seven continents.
Exploring Antarctica, the wildness of South Georgia, and the rugged Falklands should be a pinnacle event in any traveler's life. Key to your experience is our fleet: top-tier Ice Class vessels, purpose designed and built to venture deep into the ice in comfort and safety. Go with an expedition team hand-picked for their knowledge of polar natural history and their ice skills, with state-of-the-art tools at your fingertips for unparalleled exploration. Observe the antics of penguins. Kayak ice-choked waters. Hike a hillside for a spectacular, otherworldly view of massive ice sheets. Search for whales, and see leopard seals lounging on the ice. Go with the freedom to choose how you want to explore.
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Very much enjoyed the presentation by the killer whale researchers, and your efforts to support their work are laudable. Photo guidance and inspiration were HELPFUL. I actually learned things I could apply to future trips! Finally, your efforts to locate and maneuver to find wildlife added immensely to the experience.
Lisa B.
From climate conditions, to cabin information, to packing the right footwear. Find answers to the questions Expedition Specialists get most often.
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It is a privilege to visit Antarctica, one of the planet’s most pristine places, and to this privilege National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, and National Geographic Explorer add the luxury of comfort—a quality of shipboard life and a philosophy of wellness designed to relax and rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.
Join a National Geographic BioBlitz on select South Georgia & the Falklands expeditions. Defined as a limited amount of time in a defined area while trying to find as many species as possible, it’s citizen science at its coolest in one of the planet’s most wildlife-rich locations. Guests will work with naturalists to collect and upload data on sub-Antarctic species. Since these islands get relatively few visitors, these contributions will matter.
11/25/2021
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National Geographic Resolution
Happy Thanksgiving! Killer whales and humpbacks before breakfast makes for a delightful start to a day packed full of adventure. This morning the National Geographic Resolution arrived at Cuverville Island, named after a French admiral who supported the Belgica Expedition. The Zodiac trip to our landing spot on this beautiful island took us though a stunning maze of icebergs floating through crystal clear Antarctic waters. The more eagle-eyed of us spotted a whale bone in the shallow waters right at our landing point, which is likely to be a remnant of whaling operations that took place here in the 1920s. Cuverville Island surpassed all of our expectations, with a huge gentoo colony spread across the lower slopes and way up on top of the nearby snowy hills, where photographers were greeted with stunning vistas in which to frame colorful nesting gentoos. Our afternoon was filled with kayaking and Zodiac cruises around the incredible Wilhelmina Bay, with sightings of crabeater seals and swarms of krill in the crystal-clear waters, and we were even graced with the presence of a solitary Emperor penguin resting on the edge of the fast ice. Not stopping there! a few daring souls braved Antarctica’s icy waters in the first ever polar plunge onboard the National Geographic Resolution on this inaugural expedition. Another stunning day spent in the presence of the White Continent!
11/24/2021
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National Geographic Explorer
In the morning the National Geographic Explorer was sailing on calm seas in the Weddell Sea towards Paulet Island. Paulet Island has a fascinating history, having been the landing site for Larsen and his men during their attempt to reach Nordenskjold at Snow Hill Island just over 100 years ago. We landed and were able to walk towards the hut that was built on this site, today a spot where we saw both Adélie penguins and skuas. On Paulet Island, some of us explored the area near the hut and the colony, others went to the lagoon and over the hillside, and some explored the area by the water, heading out towards large tabular icebergs. Adélie penguins and imperial shags were plentiful both on land and in the water, while skuas explored the penguin colony looking for eggs to steal. Along the shoreline on the walk back from the long hike, plenty of Weddell seals were found hauled out on the beach along the way. The vessel moved northeast to the Danger Islands mid-day and found three humpback whales along the way. The Danger Islands were named for their ability to be hidden by the massive tabular icebergs that are abundant throughout this area. This island group is part of an Important Bird Area, and it is home to approximately 1.5 million Adélie penguins. Upon arrival to the northernmost island of the group, Heroína Island, we set out in zodiacs to explore. The island is covered in Adélie penguins and imperial shags, and it is surrounded by icebergs. The night was not over as the vessel continued in search of Emperor penguins on ice!
11/24/2021
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National Geographic Resolution
After navigating the narrow Lamaire Channel last night, today the National Geographic Resolution explored farther south in the ice-choked waters along the Antarctic Peninsula. Every place we visit is historic or this amazing polar vessel on its inaugural voyage. We began our day exploring an ice sculpture garden by Zodiac. Strong currents swirling around Booth Island strand large ice bergs in the shallow channels where they slowly melt and calve into artistic forms. In the afternoon the ship and Zodiacs navigated through the ice for our landing on Peterman Island. Home to gentoo and Adelie penguins, it was fun to observe the antics of the penguins and explore the different scenic vantage points with the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula as a backdrop. Another mind-blowing day!
11/24/2021
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National Geographic Endurance
There are few places on the planet as spectacular as the Weddell Sea. Visiting this part of Antarctica is often synonymous with little sleep. Our adventures here began late last night, when we were lucky to spot a group of Type B killer whales. Their exhales were audible in the calm waters and the sky slowly turned red as the sun set behind tabular icebergs on the horizon. It wasn’t long before we were woken up by the sounds of the National Geographic Endurance navigating through sea ice early in the morning. All eyes were on the lookout enjoying the scenery as we made our way towards Snow Hill Island. Parking into the fast ice, we had the perfect setting for Naturalist Carl Erik Kilander to tell the story of Ernest Shackleton and the original Endurance . We rugged up to spend the morning in the sunshine walking on the fast ice, enjoying amazing views of the ship, toasting with champagne, and the company of curious Adelie penguins and snoozing crabeater seals. To make the day even more perfect, we were treated to an awesome burger-day BBQ lunch – a luxury Shackleton and his crew certainly never experienced while in this location – just before spotting an Emperor penguin on an ice floe. As we cruised north out of the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Sound in the evening we enjoyed our last views of tabular icebergs and the Antarctic continent, ready to continue on our journey in the Southern Ocean.
11/23/2021
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National Geographic Resolution
This morning the National Geographic Resolution awoke cruising south along the Danco Coast in the Gerlache Strait. The surreal and stunning landscape of Antarctica found us stirring from slumber in a state of awe as we looked outside the windows. Where icy mountains meet the sea, this pristine and otherworldly environment made us ponder all that we have been learning. The geology, the biology of species, the history of all the people who have explored; we are slowly weaving the web of this world together. Our destination for the morning was Paradise Harbor and this area certainly lived up to its name. Mountains reflected on glassy water our zodiacs explored among icebergs large and small. On the sea ice we found crabeater and Weddell seals and gentoo penguins teased us as they swam around our boats. After lunch we poked around the corner to Neko Harbor and visited a gentoo penguin colony. The majority of penguins were still waiting for the snow to melt to before laying eggs but we did see a fair share of pair bonding/courtship and hanky-panky. Beautiful Neko Harbor was named after a floating whale factory ship which operated in this area from 1911-1923. The history of whaling around the Peninsula has a grim past with over 85,000 whales (mostly blue, fin and humpback) being harvested from 1905-1931. Slowly these species are making a comeback. From Paradise to Neko we had but another amazing day (and weather) here along the Antarctic Peninsula!
On my first visit to Antarctica, I didn’t sleep for two days—I was so mesmerized as our ship crunched through the sea ice. It was unending ice. The size, the shapes, the color.
Sven-Olof Lindblad
