Category: Stories & Inspiration

It’s delightfully easy to think of Antarctica as a completely pristine environment, untouched by humanity. Maybe it’s the vast blankets of snow that encourages you to think that yours are the first footsteps ever to leave a trace there. It’s an innocent enough fantasy when you’re on an expedition cruise, indulging your sense of personal […]

At Swoop, we like to think that no one knows Antarctica better than us. Every year, we send more team members to the Antarctic than any other polar travel agency to keep our knowledge of the White Continent and the polar cruise fleet as sharp as it can be.  In the 2023/24 season that’s just […]

Is there any creature so emblematic of Antarctica as the penguin? Seeing these endlessly charming birds is a true highlight of any trip to the Antarctic – watching them waddle their way to and from their rookeries, or dart like rockets through the waves when you’re out on the water. Perfectly adapted to their environment, […]

In 2023, Swoop achieved its B Corp certification, a mark of our commitment to our environmental stewardship, contribution to communities and service to our customers. To celebrate this year’s B Corp Month in March 2024, we’re celebrating by getting involved in a citizen science project, and using the Swoop Conservation Fund to contribute to the […]

Zodiac cruising is one of the best activities you can do on a South Georgia cruise. Each trip is a shoreline safari, where you can be surrounded by rafts of penguins coming and going from the water, immense elephant seals lying in the surf like deflated bouncy castles and more fur seals claiming their spot […]

The seas around Antarctica teem with life, from penguins by the thousand to enormous humpback whales gorging themselves on krill. But what supports these ecological riches? Phytoplankton, that’s what: tiny single-celled plants converting sunlight into chemical energy to feed the ocean, sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere at the same time. On my most […]

At Swoop, we are firm believers in the power of travelling for good. Since the company was founded in 2010, we have tried to ensure our actions as a company are fully aligned with that belief. Swoop has always been an advocate for our destination at the ends of the Earth and it’s critical that […]

In February 2022 I remember sitting round the kitchen table with a small group of Swoopers and asking for their advice. Swoop had finally arrived at a watershed moment when it was clear that we were going to survive the challenges that Covid had thrown at us. The hard work and difficult choices had paid […]