Antarctica cruise

The operator of this cruise is a Full Member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), and as such, abides by some of the tourism world's most conscientious codes of conduct. We abide by, and go beyond the best practice guidelines for operating in Antarctic waters, as set by IAATO and by the Australian Antarctic Division. A large part of our responsibility to minimise environmental impact and raise awareness involves educating our passengers in ways to minimise their personal impact while still fully enjoying the wonders of Antarctica.

At the ends of the earth and far from the madding crowd, the polar regions are perhaps the last pristine wildernesses left on the planet. They're harsh, merciless environments of savage, eye-watering beauty and to unlock these inaccessible Edens it's essential to choose the right ship.

Unlike the rigorously scheduled liners plying the polar waters, we offer intimate, flexible itineraries aboard the Vavilov, Shokalskiy and the Kapitan Khlebnikov. Commissioned as ice-rated research vessels (Polar class in the Khlebnikov's case) rather than 700 berth Caribbean pleasure palaces, these small, superbly equipped ships are quieter and safer, offering passengers unequalled opportunities to experience these frozen worlds, not from afar, but up close and personal with as much time and space as required to satisfy your longings. Your companions will be travellers with similar ideals: Exodus is now a major player in the polar market, not interested in just scattering passengers on any old clinical carbuncle of a cruise ship with people anatomically and mentally challenged to even leave the midnight buffet or gaming tables. In many cases we are chartering whole ships to ensure a positive group dynamic -critical in expedition travel. I am particularly thrilled with the Emperor Penguin voyage in November (09), this is something no other UK company has done and of this, along with our number one position in Spitzbergen, we are extremely proud.

Nowhere on the planet offers the photographic bounty of these frozen lands, and we have the experts to ensure you make the most of every opportunity, whether capturing an Adelie penguin diving from a sapphire-hued iceberg, a polar bear devouring a bearded seal on a floe, or by making sure you're in exactly the right place when five thousand king penguins waddle ashore on South Georgia's Salisbury Plain.

But the Polar regions are about much more than memory cards, mega pixels and manual focus. They are about landscapes so beautiful they make grown men - and women - weep, about wildlife encounters unequalled on earth, about thrilling adventures on foot, in kayaks and in Zodiac inflatables, and above all they are about ice. From searing white to jade green to cobalt blue, and from towering bergs as vast and as beguiling as Gaudi's houses to the crackling chunks of 10,000 year old glacial ice that cool your sundowners, ice is the constant backdrop to your adventure. The pioneers of polar exploration - Shackleton, McNeish, Mawson, Scott and Amundsen - were enchanted by the spell of the ice, and even though comfort levels have changed, the experience remains thankfully, largely the same. No-one arrives in Antarctica or Spitzbergen by accident, but those who do, are never short-changed: our Polar team looks forward to discussing these exciting voyages with you. .