Swoop Antarctica Blog
One of the most popular activities on cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula is camping out for the night, curled up in a sleeping bag listening to the sounds of the frozen wilderness. It’s a brief taste of the epic isolation that the continent offers. But those looking for the ultimate adventure can take it one […]
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Port Lockroy is a historic British research base that sits on tiny Goudier island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Better-known today as the Penguin Post Office, it is maintained by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), and is a perennially popular place for Antarctic expedition cruise ships to visit when the weather allows. […]
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At Swoop Antarctica, our expertise is unmatched in the polar cruise industry. Every year, we send our team south to experience the continent firsthand: no polar travel agency visits Antarctica more than we do, which means that we can help plan Antarctic adventures with total confidence. In the 2024/25 Antarctic cruising season that’s just wrapped, […]
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Antarctica is a destination that holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the continent five times now, both for work and pleasure – in cruise ships and onboard the massive Agulhas II icebreaker as part of the Endurance22 expedition to find the wreck of Shackleton’s legendary ship Endurance. […]
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Cruising in the wild landscapes of Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Picture standing on the deck of your expedition vessel, or even from the balcony of your cabin, watching icebergs float by as your lungs fill with the crisp Antarctic air. It’s a truly invigorating and exhilarating experience. But what if those Southern Ocean waters […]
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Grytviken in South Georgia is one of the most visited places on the island. As well as being the final resting place of the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, the old whaling station is home to the best museum in the Southern Ocean, which is run by the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) on behalf […]
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Ever since Captain James Cook made the first recorded crossing of the Antarctic Circle, brave explorers, sailors and scientists have sailed to Antarctica, in search of its wildlife and scientific secrets. Today’s Antarctic expedition cruise industry follows in its wake, with growing numbers of tourists making the voyage to explore the Antarctic Peninsula, albeit in […]
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One of the things we love most about expedition cruising in Antarctica is helping travellers take part in citizen science projects where they can contribute to active research projects. One of the projects closest to our hearts is Happywhale, which allows travellers to log sightings of humpbacks and other whales to create a global database […]
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In the early 1990s, when the Antarctic cruise industry and the internet were still in their infancy , one of the biggest TV shows was The X-Files, where two FBI agents—one a skeptic, the other a true believer—would investigate mysteries from the extraterrestrial to the paranormal while shadowy government agents hid the truth from the […]
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The best films about Antarctica It’s a challenge that any traveller to Antarctica knows well: conveying how extraordinary the White Continent is in real life. No camera lens ever truly seems to do its beauty justice. But what if you could travel there with a proper film crew? Antarctica has attracted its fair share of […]
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Since 2023, Swoop has been a certified B Corp. It’s our deeply held belief that we have a responsibility to consider the planet in everything we do. We’re proud to be part of a movement committed to creating positive change in the world. Choosing to travel with a B Corp for your next adventure has […]
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Visiting Antarctica is a travel experience like no other. The planet’s southernmost continent is home to one of the most extreme climates in the world – in fact, it can only be visited by expedition cruises for fewer than six months every year, due to its long winters and impenetrable sea ice. The continent’s wild […]
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Standing on the deck of an expedition cruise ship as you arrive at the Antarctic Peninsula, don’t look for any flag flying high over the territory. It doesn’t have one. Research bases fly the flags of their nations and when visitors arrive on expedition cruise ships they proudly wave banners to celebrate landing on the […]
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It’s March on the Antarctic Peninsula, at the tail end of the expedition cruising season. Winter is in the air, with the days getting shorter in a blaze of terrific sunsets. On shore, the penguins are undergoing their annual moult in anticipation of spending the next few months at sea, and everywhere it seems, there […]
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Are you considering visiting South Georgia Island? As one of the world’s most remote and beautiful destinations, this island nestled in the South Atlantic Ocean offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for unparalleled adventure. There’s a reason why it’s dubbed the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean: with literally millions penguins and seals on show, a visit to […]
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If there is one thing you can guarantee when you’re planning a trip to Antarctica, it’s that you’re going to take a lot of photos of penguins. Why would you not? For many people, seeing these endlessly charismatic little birds are a highlight of an expedition cruise to the White Continent. But what if your […]
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Three names dominate the public consciousness when it comes to famous Antarctic explorers, more than a century after they first stepped foot on the White Continent. ‘For scientific discovery give me Scott,’ wrote the old polar hand Raymond Priestley. ‘For speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope […]
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In her new book A History of Polar Exploration in 50 Objects: From Cook’s Circumnavigations to the Aviation Age, polar historian Anne Strathie weaves the story of exploration in both the Antarctic and Arctic through a series of objects that often have surprising interconnections. For Swoop, she has picked five of her favourites that help […]
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Planning a trip to Antarctica? You’ve made the right decision. We firmly believe there’s nowhere quite like it on the planet for wild vistas and spellbinding wildlife encounters. But before you travel to the Antarctic on an expedition cruise, there are some things you need to know to help you prepare to book and to […]
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Very few people get to go scuba diving in Antarctica. The extreme cold water conditions mean that it’s a location reserved for experienced divers, but for those who are able to meet the challenge, it can be like no diving location on earth. For some divers however, the idea of diving in Antarctica isn’t enough. […]
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