Antarctic adventures
Experience the most remote and breathtaking scenery on Earth in pure luxury
It was with thoroughly mixed feelings, as they say, that I climbed aboard the big bastion overlooking the harbour at Malta, and caught my first glimpse of the Stella Polaris,’ wrote Evelyn Waugh in the first paragraph of ‘In Defence of Pleasure Cruising’, published in Harper’s Bazaar in May 1930. ‘I had arranged to go for a cruise in her and felt shy about it, for the whole idea did violence to a great many preconceived reservations.’
It is astonishing to think that, 87 years on, those prejudices that many having about cruising still exist. Yet, as the title of the article suggests, the novelist’s misgivings were quickly allayed. So, too, will any of yours if you are lucky enough to enjoy a Polar Adventure with Seabourn.
Founded in 1986, Seabourn brings ultra luxury to a whole new level. Seabourn Quest and Seabourn Sojourn are designed to feel like a private yacht. As there are fewer than 500 guests, staff not only remember your name but also your favourite cocktail. There is all-suite accommodation, each stocked with Molton Brown fragrances; there are six open bars throughout each ship; and cuisine from the multi-Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller.
Yet, you won’t want to spend a moment indoors with the itineraries on offer. Seabourn’s Antarctica & Patagonia trip loops the tail of South America, starting in Santiago and finishing in Buenos Aires. Offering the ultimate destination immersion, this is surely the best way to see these wild, spectacular destinations in luxury.
Kayak in Puerto Montt, Chile’s Lake District; walk through the rainforest on Chiloe Island; and cruise through the waterfalls and glaciers at the foot of the Andes. Once you have sailed between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans past Cape Horn, spot icebergs in the Lemaire Channel, humpback whales in the Gerlache Strait, and penguins on South Georgia.
Each ship has up to 20 naturalists, scientists, geologists, wildlife experts and even digital photography coaches to make sure you don’t miss that perfect picture. To get even closer to the action, the Antarctic leg of the trip includes one
Each ship has up to 20 naturalists, scientists, geologists and wildlife experts
complimentary landing by Zodiac boat each day for every guest. There are also smaller kayaking tours available.
As well as the southern hemisphere, Seabourn organises trips to Norway, Greenland and, for the first time in more than 15 years, Alaska. Setting sail between June and September, the Alaskan adventure offers the chance to see orcas in the Kenai Fjords, eat fresh caviar on deck and step ashore on the tiny Klemtu Island in British Columbia, where you’ll be greeted by the Tlingit townspeople, whose ancestors have lived there for more than 1,000 years.
Evelyn Waugh concluded ‘…a pleasure cruise should be the source of exquisite and abiding delight’. There cannot be many more exquisite and delightful ways to experience some of the most remote and spectacular landscapes on the planet than with Seabourn. Seabourn offers worldwide destinations for 2017–2018, from Mediterranean, Greek Isles and Baltic Cities through to the Caribbean & Panama Canal, Asia, Australasia and the Polar Regions. To find out more, ring 0843 373 2000 for details or a brochure, or visit www.seabourn.co.uk.