Polar Regions

Think of the ultimate bucket list and the Polar Regions feature on virtually every list. From the mighty Antarctic continent to the vast Arctic, Greenland to Svalbard, Franz Josef Land to the 19 Sub-Antarctic Islands, there is literally decade’s worth of exploration to keep your adventure appetite whet with incredible experiences.

Some incredible highlights of the Arctic include: Iceland’s Golden Circle route between the three major attractions of Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall and Thingvellir National Park; going in search of Polar Bears in Churchill, Canada; exploring the northernmost inhabited island of Svalbard; experiencing the thrill of seeing Humpback whales at the Ilulissat Ice-fjord in Greenland; or traversing the North-West Passage on a Icebreaker expedition ship. You can even reach the North Pole by ship or aircraft, fly in a balloon there, or ski the ‘last degree’ to reach it on foot.  

The Antarctic offers a landscape that is awe inspiring and phenomenal in its vastness and extremes. From the unbelievable historic sites in the Ross Sea, Commonwealth Bay and South Georgia, to the modern research bases dotted around the Continent, this place is one of those iconic destinations that has inspired literally hundreds of books to document the incredible adventures that have occurred here.  

Highlights if Antarctica include: skiing the last degree or flying to the South Pole; being surrounded by emperor penguins at Snow Hill in the Weddell Sea or King Penguins at Saint Andrews Bay in South Georgia; exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and squeezing through the Lemaire Channel to cross the Antarctic Circle; being immersed by a huge pod of humpback whales in Wilhelmina Bay while zodiac cruising in the late Antarctic summer sun.