Where to Go After Your First Antarctica Trip: Three Unique Expedition Itineraries

Most people who've stood on Antarctic ice want to go back for more expedition cruising. Three very different options immediately come to mind: Ponant's North Pole voyage, Ponant's full Antarctic circumnavigation, and Quark's Emperor Penguin Quest. They answer the question "what's next?" in different ways. One goes to the opposite end of the planet, one goes around the whole southern continent, and one goes back to Antarctica for a single, very specific animal.

Ponant's North Pole voyage takes you to the opposite pole. Ships sail round-trip from Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, along the coast before navigating drifting Arctic ice to 90° North. Ponant has added a 12-night version aboard Le Commandant Charcot, with departures starting in July 2027 and ending in September 2027. Ponant also offers longer North Pole expeditions of 15 to 17 nights. Possible wildlife along the way includes polar bears, whales, seals, seabirds and Arctic foxes, and activities include Zodiac outings, kayaking, ice landings, snowshoeing, a polar plunge and a call at the remote village of Ny-Ålesund. Round-trip airfare from Paris to Longyearbyen and transfers are included, as is Ponant's all-inclusive service with fine dining, an open bar and Wi-Fi. This is the choice if you want a new hemisphere rather than more of the same continent.

The Full Antarctic Circumnavigation is the opposite of a repeat trip. It's a 62-day voyage aboard Le Commandant Charcot departing Ushuaia on January 11, 2028, covering nearly 14,300 miles. The first leg runs 30 days westward to Hobart, Tasmania, followed by a three-day stopover and a 31-day return along Antarctica's east coast. Highlights include the Ross Sea, Charcot Island, Marie Byrd Land, Wilkes Land, Adélie Land, the Balleny Islands and Mount Erebus, plus the sites tied to explorers like Shackleton, Scott, Charcot, Mawson and Amundsen. You can book the whole voyage or either leg alone, with the full circumnavigation starting at $147,360 per person. It's by far the biggest commitment of the three, in both time and money.

Quark's Emperor Penguin Quest is the most focused of the three. It's a 14-day voyage aboard Ultramarine from Buenos Aires, with a charter flight to Ushuaia, a Drake Passage crossing, and up to five days near Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea. Quark says it was the first company to visit the Snow Hill colony, in 2004, and describes the colony as roughly 8,000 strong. Ice conditions decide how close the ship can get, and helicopters fly guests to the colony, where they walk across the ice. The goal is to get every guest to the colony at least once, and while not guaranteed so far that has occurred.

So which one next?