Customer Reviews

The first evening arriving in Antarctica, the Aurora Expedition crew announced we were going out and to suit up. Everyone was thrilled. I was in the kayaking group, only 3 of us and 1 guide, so we set out first. It was sleeting and grey and cold out. The landscape was snowy, rocky and barren. It was quiet and then happened upon an elephant seal swimming in the water who poked his head up at us. He stared at us, we stared at him, gliding by. It was too cold to pull out my camera, but perhaps that was the best b/c it is seared into my memory, being in the moment with Antarctica wildlife.

It was interesting

Kayaking with the humpback whales AND the polar plunge!

It was fantastic. It was everything I had hoped it to be. I was disappointed that we were unable to camp with the penguins. There were way more penguins and seals than I thought there would be. Thought there would be more whales and dolphins. Nice surprise to come back to the ship and have a hot drink with a shot of alcohol in it. A surprise to get to walk on an ice flow. A fun surprise to have an outdoor BBQ on the deck in the snow!!! Best surprise was the thumb drive that the staff made for us of our photos and memories of our vacation. Very nice and it really touched me. I also really enjoyed and got into the Russian word and/or phrase of the day. I was THE only passenger that liked learning the Russian language. Everyone else were deadheads!!

Kayaking with humpback whales and feeling their calls in my sternum.

Sunrise landing on Saint Andrew’s Bay, South Georgia

Watching at least 20 Orcas swimming toward the ship, just below the surface.

Kayaking around icebergs

Sailing into a bay with massive mountains surrounding us almost completely. The scale was so incomprehensible.

Realising and accepting that the elements of nature dictate how we are going to spend our holidays.

We were fortunate to have Loli (Lolly) as our Naturalist and Zodiac driver for an incredible encounter with Humbacks. She was super informative, and was as excited as we were to see them. She was helping out on the boat for a couple of weeks but also was a Swoop employee as well. She made sure that we (Craig and Candice) were also sorted out on our flights when we had a delay. Everyone on the boat wanted to have her as their driver because she was so fun and pleasant to be with.

Highlights include kayaking (in ANTARCTICA!), camping without a tent (in ANTARCTICA!), having a penguin staring at me for half an hour while I was just sitting up in my sleeping bag, watching 6 orcas circling a small iceberg to hunt the seals lying there, probably scared out of their minds. The captain STOPPED the boat while we watched transfixed for half an hour.

No surprises - except relatively quiet Drake Passage. Trip met all expectations in terms of wildlife, scenery and history. Staff and guides excellent. Fellow travelers largely as expected. Only downsides were day lost with cancelled flight, and inability to access the Weddell Sea.

The highlight of the trip was actually setting foot on the "seventh" continent. The wildlife was awesome. would have liked to have seen are the King and Emperor penguins (I know they are not usually in that part of Antarctica). Everyone on the trip was Awesome Including the Swoop staff.

Actually setting foot on land. Half More on Island Antarctica. The experience of going through the Drake Passage was a close second

The luggage was picked up from our hotel without hassle and delivered to our cabin. The size of the ship, about 90 passengers was perfect. There were enough people to have dinner with different groups but it wasn't so big you got lost. The trip out and back was packed with lectures from scientists, there wasn't time to be bored. The accommodation was better than expected, it wasn't a pokey cabin. The food was great. The range of peoples age and background was vast but everyone was friendly and enhanced the social side of the trip. The wildlife was enchanting, there was a buzz every time we were going off the ship. Visiting active or unused stations was a thrill.

Waking up under the sky on a glacier with penguins surrounding our cocoon and glaciers breaking and crashing in the distance. I’m so moved that I’m tearing up as I type this. Confession: I watched Happy Feet on my flight home and cried the full duration of the movie. Nothing bad happened, it was just that my heart is so open because life is so mysterious and beautiful. This excursion moved me in even more ways than Africa and waking up on the Serengeti during the Great Migration has also changed my life.

Flipping off the back of the boat into 0.5C water during the polar plunge was absolutely breathtaking (literally and figuratively).

Spitting the icebergs for the first time and spotting the whales for the first time

Cruising iceberg alley and getting up close and personal with the seals and penguins there. Lots of memorable moments crossing the "dreaded Drake." We saw four or five orcas frolicking alongside the ship on our last night in Antarctica. Really a great way to end.