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Passengers joining expeditions tend to be more self-reliant and more interested in doing or learning than in being entertained. They become “participants” and take an active role in almost every aspect of the voyage, which is destination-, exploration- and nature-intensive.

Naturalists, historians, and lecturers (rather than entertainers) are aboard each ship to provide background information and observations about wildlife. Each participant receives a personal logbook, illustrated and written by the wildlife artists and writers who accompany each cruise – a fine souvenir.

You can walk on pack ice in the islands and land masses in the Arctic Ocean and Arctic Circle, explore a huge penguin rookery on an island in the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands or South Georgia, or search for “lost” peoples in Melanesia. Or you can cruise close to the source of the Amazon, gaze at species of flora and fauna in the Galápagos Islands (Darwin’s laboratory), or watch a genuine dragon on the island of Komodo – from a comfortable distance, of course.

Briefings and lectures bring cultural and intellectual elements to expedition cruise vessels. There is no formal entertainment as such; passengers enjoy this type of cruise more for the camaraderie and learning experience, and being close to nature. The ships are designed and equipped to sail in ice-laden waters, yet they have a shallow enough draft to glide over coral reefs.

Travel in comfort
Despite being rugged, expedition cruise vessels can provide comfortable and even elegant surroundings for up to 200 passengers, and offer good food and service. Without traditional cruise ports at which to stop, a ship must be self-sufficient, be capable of long-range cruising, and be totally environmentally friendly.

Lars-Eric Lindblad pioneered expedition cruising in the late 1960s. A Swedish American, he turned travel into adventure by going to parts of the world tourists had not visited. After chartering several vessels for voyages to Antarctica, he organized the design and construction of a small ship capable of going almost anywhere in comfort and safety. In 1969, Lindblad Explorer was launched; it soon earned an enviable reputation in adventure travel. Others followed.

To put together cruise expeditions, companies turn to knowledgeable sources and advisors. Scientific institutions are consulted; experienced world explorers and naturalists provide up-to-date reports on wildlife sightings, migrations, and other natural phenomena. Although some days are scheduled for relaxation, participants are kept physically and mentally active. Thus it is unwise to consider such an adventure cruise if you are not completely ambulatory.

Adventure cruise companies provide expedition parkas and waterproof boots, but you will need to take waterproof trousers for Antarctica and the Arctic.

Antarctica
While Arctic ice is only a few feet thick, the ice of Antarctica is thousands of fee thick. The continent was first sighted in 1820 by the American sealer Nathaniel Palmer, British naval officer Edward Bransfield, and Russian captain Fabian Bellingshausen.

For most, it is just a windswept frozen ­wasteland – it has been calculated that the ice mass contains almost 90 percent of the world’s snow and ice, while its land mass is twice the size of Australia. For others, it represents the last pristine place on earth, empty of people, commerce, and pollution, yet offering awesome icescape scenery and a truly wonderful abundance of marine and bird life. There are no germs, and not a single tree.

As many as 45,000 people a year visit the continent – the only smoke-free continent on earth – yet the first human to come here did so within a generation of man landing on the moon. There is not a single permanent inhabitant of the continent, whose ice is as much as 2 miles (3km) thick. Its total land mass equals more than all the rivers and lakes on earth and exceeds that of China and India combined. Icebergs can easily be the size of Belgium. The continent has a raw beauty and an ever-changing landscape.

This region is, perhaps, the closest thing on earth to another planet, and it has an incredibly fragile ecosystem that needs international protection. It contains two-thirds of all the fresh water on Earth (covered by ice, in September there are 8.5 million square miles of sea ice, but only 1.2 million in March). Antarctica lies in the southern ocean, whose global reach is a crucial link in the chain that is the Earth’s heat engine; the southern Ocean absorbs heat from the atmosphere, which in turn can cause sea levels to rise through thermal expansion and ocean currents.

Although visited by “soft” expedition cruise ships and even “normal”-sized cruise ships with ice-hardened hulls, the more remote “far side” – the Oates and Scott Coasts, McMurdo Sound, and the famous Ross Ice Shelf – can be visited only by genuine icebreakers such as the 114-passenger Kapitan Khlebnikov, the first vessel to circumnavigate Antarctica with passengers, as the katabatic winds can easily reach more than 100 mph (160 km/h).

Only 100 passengers per ship are allowed ashore at any given time, so if you choose to sail aboard one of the larger ships that claim to include Antarctica on their itineraries, it will probably be to view it – but only from the ship. For real expedition cruising, choose a ship that includes a flotilla of Zodiac rubber inflatable landing craft, proper boot washing stations, and expedition equipment. Cruise ships that carry more than 500 passengers should not be allowed to sail in Antarctic waters, as the chances of rescue in the event of pack ice crushing a normal cruise ship hull, are virtually nil.

There are no docks in Antarctica – venturing “ashore” is done by Zodiacs, which is an integral part of the experience. So avoid the large resort ships in this region – they don’t carry Zodiacs, cannot dock anywhere, and you will almost certainly be disappointed. 

Be aware that you can get stuck even aboard these specialized expedition ships, as did Nordkapp, which ran aground near Deception Island in 2007. In the same year, Canadian company GAP Expeditions’ Explorer hit an iceberg in Bransfield Strait off King George Island and sank; all 91 passengers, nine expedition staff and 54 crew members were rescued thanks to the coordination efforts of the British Coast Guard and the Hurtigruten cruise ship Nordnorge. In December 2008 the Antarpply Expeditions’ Ushuaia was grounded; all 89 passengers were rescued by the Chilean navy vessel Achiles. In February 2009, Quark Expeditions’ Ocean Nova was grounded.

Tip: Passengers would be advised to wear an identification bracelet or belt at all times while on an Antarctic expedition cruise.

Wildlife you may see or come into contact with include orcas, dolphins, the six species of Antarctic seals, penguins, birds, and various species of lichen and flora, depending on the area visited.

Note to photographers: take plastic bags to cover your camera, so that condensation forms inside the bag and not on your camera when changing from the cold of the outside Antarctic air to the warmth of your expedition cruise vessel. Make sure you know how to operate your camera with gloves on – frostbite is a real danger.

The Arctic
Want some Northern Exposure? Try the Arctic. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents, whereas Antarctica is an ice-covered continent surrounded by ocean. The Arctic Circle is located at 66 degrees, 33 minutes, and 3 seconds north, although this really designates where 24-hour days and nights begin.

The Arctic is best defined as that region north of which no trees grow, and where water is the primary feature of the landscape. It is technically a desert (receiving less than 10 inches of rainfall a year) but actually teems with wildlife, including polar bears, walruses, seals, and Arctic birds.

It has short, cool summers; long, cold winters; and frequent high winds. Canada’s Northwest Territories, which cover 1.3 million square miles, is part of the Arctic region, as are some of Russia’s northernmost islands such as Franz Josef Land.

Passenger ships that have navigated the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans include Lindblad Explorer (1984), World Discoverer (1985), Society Explorer (1988), Frontier Spirit (1992), Kapitan Khlebnikov (1994, 1995, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2008), and Hanseatic (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007).

Greenland
The world’s largest island, the inappropriately named Greenland, in the Arctic Circle, is 82 percent covered with ice – actually compressed snow – up to 11,000 feet thick (3,350 meters). Its rocks are among the world’s oldest (the 3.8 billion-year-old Isukasia formations), and its ecosystem is one of the newest.

The glacier at Jacobshavn, also known as Ilulissat, is the world’s fastest moving and creates a new iceberg every five minutes. Greenland, which was granted home rule by Denmark in 1978, makes its living from fishing. It is said to have more dogs than people – its population is 68,400 – and dogs are an important means of transport.

The Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands, 600 miles (960km) off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, are a microcosm of our planet. More than 100 islands, mineral-rich outcroppings and lava outcroppings make up the Galápagos, which are fed by the nutrient-rich Cromwell and Humboldt currents. The fertile waters can be cold, even on the equator.

The Ecuadorians jealously guard their islands and prohibit the movement of almost all non-Ecuadorian-registered cruise vessels within its boundaries. The best way to follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, who visited the islands in 1835 aboard the Beagle, is to fly to Quito and cruise aboard an Ecuadorian-registered vessel.

The government of Ecuador set aside most of the islands as a wildlife sanctuary in 1934, while uninhabited areas were declared national parks in 1959. The national park includes approximately 97 per cent of the islands’ landmass, together with 20,000 sq miles (50,000 sq km) of ocean. The Charles Darwin Research Station was established in 1964, and the government created the Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve in 1986.

The Galápagos National Park tax doubled to $200 per person in 2009. Smoking is prohibited on the islands, and no more than 50,000 visitors a year are admitted. Note that some cruise lines require vaccinations for cruises that include Ecuador, although the World Health Organization does not.   q

10 Top Expeditions

Aleutian-Pribiloff Islands

Amazon (Manaus-Iquitos)

Antarctic Peninsula

Galapagos Islands

Islands of Micronesia

Northwest Passage

Northeast Passage

Papua New Guinea

Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica

Solomon Islands

Protecting Sensitive Environments

In the future, only ships capable of meeting new “zero discharge” standards will be allowed to cross environmentally sensitive areas. Expedition cruise companies are concerned about the environment, and they spend much time and money in educating their crews and passengers about safe procedures.

They observe the “Antarctic Traveler’s Code,” based on 1978’s Antarctic Conservation Act, de­signed to protect the region’s ecosystem, flora, and fauna.

The Antarctic Treaty Meeting in Kyoto in 1994 made it unlawful, unless authorized by permit, to take native animals, birds, and certain native plants, introduce species, enter certain special protected areas (SPAs), or discharge or dispose of pollutants.

To “take” means to remove, harass, molest, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, kill, trap, capture, restrain, or tag any native mammal or bird, or to attempt to do so. Violators face civil penalties, including a fine of up to $10,000 and one-year imprisonment for each violation. A copy of the Act can be found in the library of each adventure or expedition ship that visits the continent.

Ships carrying over 500 passengers are not allowed to land and are restricted to “scenic” cruising, so the likelihood of a single-hulled mega-ship zooming in on the penguins with 2,000-plus passengers is unlikely. Nor would it be possible to rescue so many passengers and crew in the event of an emergency. Also, the large resort ships burn heavy oil rather than the lighter oil used by the specialist expedition ships, which also have ice-strengthened hulls – so the danger of pollution arising from an “incident” is far greater.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2010