Polar Self-Guided Tours and Trips

This trip was well organised and well run from start to finish. The ship (The Ultramarine) was very comfortable and had an excellent crew. The expedition staff were very knowledgeable and professional. This trip to Antartica was everything we hoped for, can highly recommend it.

Checking in for the internal flights Buenos Aires to and from Ushuaia was chaotic. Despite arriving well in advance check ins opened with barely enough time to make the flights. Once at Ushuaia outward and return all Quark arrangements were clear and efficient. Hotel Albatross in Ushuaia was very good. Onboard Ocean Diamond the hotel service was excellent. The Quark team were excellent. The photographic, historical, geological, ornithological and wildlife lectures were of the highest quality in terms of technical content, detail and delivery. The daily briefings and recaps were informative and entertaining. The zodiak cruises, landings, hikes, paddling and other activities were excellent: fascinating; informative; exciting; well managed; safe; well supervised; well guided. The experienced Quark staff ensured that we saw at close quarters all the wildlife that could be expected for this trip: all penguin species except the Emperor; nesting albatross; elephant, fur, Weddell, leopard seals; orca; humpback and fin whales; guillemots, skewers, etc. The weather was kind to us so we were able to visit nearly all the planned destinations on this expedition skilfully scheduled by the ship's captain and the Quark Expedition Leader to ensure interesting activities each day. The scenery throughout was stunning, especially in the earie light of the midnight sun below the Antarctic Circle. I enjoyed the paddling, not booked in advance, which turned out to be an unexpected highlight getting really close to the wildlife. In conclusion the expedition exceeded my expectations!

This was a marvellous trip and a great way of seeing two wonderful areas of the Arctic. In Spitsbergen we saw polar bears and arctic foxes and sailed through the ice to reach 80 degrees north. In Greenland we saw musk oxen and puffins and the most amazing icebergs. We also visited an Inuit community and had the occasional whale sighting. The ship was great - the Ocean Adventurer. The cabin was comfortable and the food was really good. The operator was first class. We had a great tour leader and a full range of specialist guides, i.e. geologist, ornithologist, photographer, marine biologist etc. They were professional and great fun. the other guests were good company. We had four days around Spitzbergen and four days around Greenland so we were able to get a sense of both rather than concentrating on just one. So polar bears AND icebergs! You don't actually get to see Iceland as part of the tour but you do disembark in Akureyri in north Iceland. We asked Exodus to change our flight back to the UK so we could arrange seven days there. We then drove from Akureyri to Keflavic along the Icelandic ring road seeing the major sights. The waterfalls are truly amazing. Greenland is actually icy and Iceland is green. So we had polar bears, icebergs and waterfalls in a three-week trip. Note: to get to Spitzbergen you fly via Oslo. Exodus brought forward our flight and booked us into a hotel for two nights so we had a short city break as well. There are some great museums in Oslo (Munch, Viking Long Ship and the Fram Museum of Arctic Exploration) and this was a great start to our Arctic journey of a lifetime.

If Antarctica has been on your ‘ to do list’ GO!,, Amazing time had by all, my only negative would be that I did not book to go onto South Georgia and The Falklands due to the time factor. I now have to select photos for my album going to be a long process.

An amazing and unique experience would highly recommend it's worth every penny

from start till end this trip was amazing! Everything went smoothly, from the pre-tour info, to information at the hotel and the logistics of the domestic flights and checking in on the boat. It felt very safe, especially for a woman travelling alone. The crew on board was excellent! I loved the way every guide had his own field of expertise which covered everything you wanted to know (and things you didnt know you wanted to know ;-)). The Staff was extremely helpful, happy, smiling and overall serviceminded. It was a pleasure! Overall the program on board made sure that you almost didnt have an idle moment, which for me was amazing! And the logistics of getting nearly 200 passengers into zodiacs 10 at the time, went so incredible easy, they crew are really professional and know how to make your experience the best possible. I can highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to explore the magic of Antarctica.