Quark Expeditions
Quark Expeditions: the back story
About Quark Expeditions: the back story
Quark Expeditions has sailed to the polar regions since 1991 and does nothing else. Its three small ships include Ultramarine, which carries two twin-engine Airbus H145 helicopters, and the newest, World Voyager, built for science and discovery.
Only the poles
Quark Expeditions has been taking guests to the polar regions since 1991 and, unusually, nowhere else. Its pages are full of the great names of polar exploration, from Shackleton to Scott, and its voyages run to the Antarctic Peninsula, Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea, Patagonia, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Small by design
The fleet is deliberately small: three ships, from the 138-passenger Ocean Explorer to the 168-passenger World Voyager. Small ships, Quark argues, reach places big ships cannot, avoid crowded shorelines and get you ashore faster. Ultramarine’s internal hangar launches twenty Zodiacs, and the line says its guests leave the ship in half the time of other vessels.
“We believe the best polar experience can only be found on a smaller ship”, in Quark’s own words.
Taking to the air
Ultramarine carries two twin-engine Airbus H145 helicopters, each with six window seats, for flightseeing and landings in places you could not otherwise reach. They do not fly on Svalbard and Spitsbergen voyages, and the flights, like the kayaking and camping programmes, are optional Adventure Options booked ahead.
Safety first
Polar travel is unforgiving, and Quark puts safety at the front: two doctors on every ship, one staff member for every 9.5 guests, and lifeboat and life-raft capacity 25% above regulation. The expedition team trains at Quark Academy, and the line asks every guest to read IAATO’s guidance for Antarctica and AECO’s for the Arctic before travelling.
What you take home
Every guest receives a Quark Expeditions Parka to keep, a two-in-one waterproof shell with a removable puffer jacket, and borrows insulated muck boots for the voyage. Days follow the weather rather than a timetable; when the wind blocks a landing, the lectures, briefings and the view from the bridge fill the gap.
Our advice: if you dream of the emperor penguins of Snow Hill Island or of landing where ships cannot, Ultramarine and its helicopters are the reason to choose Quark. Book Adventure Options such as kayaking early, as places are limited, and take out the medical cover Quark requires.
Why it's on our list
- Polar voyages since 1991
- Only the Arctic and Antarctica
- Two helicopters on Ultramarine
- One staff member for every 9.5 guests
- Parka to keep
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Quark Expeditions: the back story before you go.