Polar Tours in Fall

Anyone considering going on this trip needs to think about why they are going. If it is for wildlife eg. birds, they need to investigate the best time of the year to go, taking migration into account etc. I had a wonderful time on this trip. Whilst the wildlife were not particularly co-operative, or the weather, the Expedition Team did their best at all times to fulfil the itinerary and give us the best opportunity to see the expected wild life. Whilst many whales were missing, we had the unusual bonus of seeing six Polar Bears and 17 Narwhals! You win some, you lose some! The M/V Greg Mortimer is an impressive ship, keeping the rocking and rolling across Baffin Bay, to a minimum. Inside it is extremely comfortable, all the 'hotel' staff are friendly and very professional. The rooms were kept spotless and serviced twice a day. There was a very large choice of good food at all meals. Two meals are buffet and the evening dinner, a served meal. The lectures on board, given by members of the Expedition Team and some guest lecturers, were linked to the programme and additional ones added where particular interest was shown by passengers. They were of a high standard. I am very happy to recommend this trip to those who are prepared to be flexible, both with the itinerary and daily programme. One day we started on Plan A and ended on Plan E thanks to the weather! It should not be considered as a cruise but a truly exploratory trip, getting into zodiacs a couple of times a day to go and get close up views of icebergs, bird nesting cliffs, glaciers: anything that may be of interest.

First two days due to strong winds we were exploring unexpectedly fjord near Kangerlussuaq airport in Greenland. This affected the planned itinerary and expedition team worked hard to resolve various issues. It was a very memorable experience with 18 nights on board of Ultramarine. We have visited places where no other expedition ships have been or only visited on rare occasions. We were lucky with clear skies on the first 6 nights and the Aurora Borealis was better and better on each night. Glaciers, icebergs were nice backdrops on many photos and experiences were enhanced with helicopter flights over magnificent landscapes of Baffin island (Sam Ford fjord especially) and Greenland. Wonderful autumn colours of tundra and rock formations were explored on many hikes in addition to the visits to archeological sites. Introduction to Inuit culture and history was during visits to Itileq, Ilulissat, Uummannaaq, Nipisat island and Pond Inlet. It was enhanced by performances of local artists and visits to Inuit colourful homes. Although the wildlife of Arctic is not so plentiful as in Antarctica, we managed to have wonderful observations of numerous polar bears (12 in one day!), seals and birds. We also followed somewhat the footsteps of Franklin's expedition and reached the Beechey island where the expedition has spent the winter in 1845/46 and where are some graves of the sailors. Expedition team members presented many interesting lectures on history, geology, birds and bears. It was also a nice culinary experience of Greenlandic cuisine: Tundra to Table.

The skiing and mountaineering experiences were amazing and their availability on the Ocean Endeavour is why we chose this boat over others. Getting to go out 3 times for each of these experiences was amazing and far exceeded my expectations. The hotel management was amazing . Rosemarie who cleaned our room was lovely and went above and beyond to make our experience with this tour operator even more memorable. The chef always had the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face . The food and dining room staff were exceptional . The guest experience on board this vessel has been phenomenal

We will be recommending this tour operator to anyone and everyone we meet. The guides made us feel like we finally found the types of people we could be forever friends with. It's hard to find such welcoming, genuine, and adventurous spirits like the ones you have on your team. We are sad to leave! As for the shore landings, Orne Harbour was the most beautiful place we've ever stepped foot on. The hike was incredible and the views were breathtaking. The island across from Port Lockroy was kind of a let down and did not need 45 minutes there at all. If Tom wasn't there to chat with, we honestly don't know what we would've done with our time on that island. We have nothing but phenomenal things to say about this trip. What an opportunity that you guys ensured to go above and beyond to make this worth the money and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that we will never forget! Thank you!

I am at a loss to come up with adjectives to describe this Expedition. Fantastico! The Expedition was Fantastico! The success of this Expedition was the result of the professionalism and hard work of the entire team. From the Hotel staff to the Ships crew and Expedition staff, this was truly a Team Effort. Everyone involved pulled together to make this a memorable experience. And everyone was in good humour from the moment we stepped aboard. And the Diamond did her part as well. She is well named - truly a Diamond.. Yours in loving Antarctica.

This carefully designed expedition has provided me with a once in a life time experience. All the crew staffs are friendly and worked very hard with flexibilities to make our stay on board comfortable and all the expedition member made their best efforts to make our expedition experiences memorable.