Aurora Expeditions has a busy couple of years ahead in Antarctica, the Arctic and the British Isles.

The Australia-based company, which is 100% carbon neutral, will launch its 2023/2024 Antarctica season featuring dozens of departures across two purpose-built expedition ships: the Greg Mortimer and the brand new Sylvia Earle, which will make its debut voyage on the Subantarctic Safari from November 4-20, 2022.

New voyages in the region include the ‘Antarctic Explorer Express,’ a nine-day voyage featuring a condensed version of the longer itinerary of the fully-grown ‘Antarctic Explorer Voyage.’ Travellers can now explore lesser-known regions in Antarctica by venturing below the Antarctic Circle and attempting to forge a path through the ice in the Weddell Sea via the 18-day ‘Circle and Weddell’ voyage.

In addition, Aurora Expeditions’ 2023 Arctic and British Isles voyages will feature five new itineraries, including: ‘Svalbard in Depth’; the 15-day ‘Iceland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard’ sailing across the Arctic Circle to the High Arctic,’ the ‘Complete Northwest Passage,’ which will attempt to sail the full length of the Northwest Passage from West Greenland to Nome, Alaska over a 30-day period; and the 17-day ‘Ireland & Scotland Discovery’ that explores Ireland’s west coast, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands.

To celebrate the season’s launch, guess can take advantage of early bird savings of up to 25% off bookings made by June 30.

Highlights of the new itineraries include the following:

Antarctica 2023/2024

• Falklands~Malvinas and Antarctic Peninsula: Sailing from Santiago to Ushuaia October 22 – November 6, 2023 on the Greg Mortimer, this voyage travels to the Falklands-Malvinas, a wildlife hotspot and paradise for birders and often a stop on a longer itinerary to the Antarctic. Guests will enjoy a five-day exploration of the Falklands~Malvinas, as well as experience the Antarctic Peninsula in mid-Spring when it is at its most pristine and ideal for landscape photography
• Antarctic Peninsula in Depth: Sailing roundtrip from Ushuaia  November 28 – December 12, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, this nine-day voyage sails the Antarctic Peninsula with visits to well-known locations
• South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey featuring South Sandwich Islands: Sailing roundtrip from Ushuaia January 19 – February 11, 2024, on the Sylvia Earle, this voyage will explore the famed white continent. Guests will enjoy two days discovering the Falkands~Malvinas, encounter the wildlife haven in South Georgia, and even sail to the South Sandwich Islands, a chain of seldom-visited volcanic islands located 460 miles southeast of South Georgia
• Antarctic Explorer Express: Sailing from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas from February 10 – 18, 2024 on the Sylvia Earle, this expedition is the younger sibling to the fully-grown Antarctic Explorer voyage, featuring a condensed version of the longer itinerary for travellers who might be short on time
• Deep Weddell Following Nordensköld: Sailing roundtrip from Ushuaia March 24 – April 6, 2024 on the Sylvia Earle, this new voyage focuses on the Weddell Sea region more than any other of Aurora’s voyages. The region is renowned for vast amounts of ice – sea ice, pack ice and gigantic icebergs
• Circle and Weddell: Sailing roundtrip from Ushuaia  March 8 – 25, 2024 on the Sylvia Earle, travellers will have the opportunity to visit regions in Antarctica that returning visitors have never experienced before. They will venture below the Antarctic Circle and attempt to forge a path through the ice in the Weddell Sea

Arctic & British Isles 2023

• Svalbard in Depth: Sailing roundtrip from Longyearbyen June 26 – July 10, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, this extended exploration of the Svalbard archipelago gives ample time to enjoy the best of the region, home to two arctic giants: the polar bear and walrus
• East Greenland Explorer: Sailing roundtrip from Reykjavik  August 15 – 28, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, guests will explore Scoresbysund, the world’s largest fjord system. Zodiac excursions will reveal steep-sided fjords filled with icebergs while keeping a lookout for whales
• Iceland, Jan Mayen, Svalbard: Sailing from Reykjavik to Longyearbyen June 13 – 27, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, guests will explore  the volcanic landscapes of Iceland and Jan Mayen as they follow the ice edge to Svalbard. The ship will sail across the Arctic Circle to the High Arctic, attempting to reach N80˚latitude
• Complete Northwest Passage: Sailing from Toronto to Anchorage on Aug. 24 – September 22, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, this voyage inspired by Roald Amundsen’s historic expedition will attempt to sail the full length of the Northwest Passage. Building on the company’s classic Northwest Passage voyage, the trip will visit historical sites explored by explorers and give guests plenty of opportunities to search for wildlife
• Ireland & Scotland Discovery: Sailing from Dublin to Aberdeen May 17 – June 2, 2023 on the Sylvia Earle, guests will explore the rugged west coast of Ireland while journeying through hundreds of islands and peninsulas. They will witness The Skellig Islands that includes a 6^th-century beehive hut monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Scotland’s west coast, guests will marvel at basalt columns at Fingal’s Cave, and encounter some of the largest breeding colonies of northern gannets in the world

For more information, visit aurora-expeditions.com.

Source: Travelweek