Antarctica is a place where time matters. Weather can shift plans, wildlife appears on its own schedule, and each day brings new opportunities to explore. Spending more time in the region means more room to adapt, discover, and experience the landscape beyond the expected.
Introducing Explorer Yacht Aureum, a 36-guest expedition ship offering a more intimate way to maximize that precious time in Antarctica and South Georgia. Starting in the 2027-2028 season, the Aureum will begin offering fly-cruise itineraries that spend more time along the Antarctic Peninsula, with a much smaller cohort of fellow travelers in tow.
Meet Aureum: A Micro-Cruise with Just 36 Guests
Aureum was purpose-designed around the idea of a 36-guest micro cruise. Its small passenger count creates an expedition experience where guests can spend more time exploring and less time waiting for transfers or landings.
The ship has four Zodiacs, allowing all guests to get ashore quickly, while a 1:6 guide-to-guest ratio provides plenty of opportunity to interact with the expedition team. Six senior polar guides are part of the onboard team, bringing experience and flexibility to each day's exploration.
Neko Harbor down to Andvord Bay with people kayaking (Secret Atlas)
But small does not mean stripped down.
Aureum offers comfortable cabins, a restaurant, guest lounge, and wellness area with a sauna, hot tub, and gym. Several spaces are designed for enjoying the scenery. The forward observation deck provides an unobstructed vantage point for wildlife and ice, while the open bridge gives guests the opportunity to watch the expedition team at work and see how routes are adjusted as conditions change.
The ship also includes eight dedicated single cabins, making solo travel an integral part of the design rather than an afterthought. Travelers can choose among single, twin, and suite accommodations, with the Signature Suites offering panoramic windows and additional space.
Aureum is built for expedition travel, with a 1C ice-class rating and active fin stabilizers designed to improve comfort at sea. Its hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system with battery support is designed to reduce emissions and limit engine use where possible. Its low-RPM propulsion also reduces underwater noise, which can help create a quieter environment for observing marine mammals.
The ship's design keeps the focus on the environment beyond the railings. Open decks provide multiple places to watch for whales, penguins, seabirds, and changing ice, while the open-door bridge offers another way to follow the journey as it unfolds.
Explorer Yacht Aureum at King Edward Point, South Georgia (Secret Atlas)
Seven Full Days in Antarctica
One of the most distinctive parts of Aureum's Antarctic program is not a characteristic of the ship at all, but the amount of time its 11-day Antarctic Circle Expedition is designed to spend in Antarctica.
The11-day Antarctic Circle Expedition Micro Cruise by Airincludes seven full days in Antarctica, with the goal of traveling south of the Antarctic Circle, potentially as far as Marguerite Bay. The extended time allows for more opportunities to explore the Antarctic Peninsula, encounter wildlife, and adapt plans around weather and ice conditions.
The fly-cruise format connects Patagonia with King George Island by air, allowing travelers to skip the Drake Passage crossing in both directions. The itinerary also includes hotel stays in Puerto Natales before and after the Antarctic flights. After returning from Antarctica, travelers can also arrange up to three additional nights at the same Puerto Natales hotel, giving them more time to recover, explore the region, or simply ease out of the expedition.
In a region where weather can affect flight schedules and expedition plans, having more time built into the itinerary also creates greater flexibility when conditions change. The result is an Antarctic experience with more room for exploration, while keeping the journey between Patagonia and the Peninsula as seamless as possible.
Explorer Yacht Aureum in Antarctica with zodiac (Secret Atlas)
More Ways to Explore Antarctica aboard Aureum
Aureum offers several ways to explore Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
South Georgia In Depth Expedition Micro Cruise 15 days | Port Stanley, Falkland Island Aureum's programs also include opportunities to explore South Georgia, one of the world's most remarkable wildlife destinations. Theis a 15-day journey centered on the island, with extended time to explore its remote coastline and wildlife-rich landing sites during a time of year when access is at its best.
Antarctic Peninsula Expedition Micro Cruise by Sea & Air 10 days | Ushuaia to Puerto Natales
At the start of the fly-cruise season, sail south from Ushuaia across the Drake Passage, spend four full days exploring Antarctica, then fly from King George Island to Puerto Natales.
Antarctic Peninsula Expedition Micro Cruise by Air & Sea 10 days | Puerto Natales to Ushuaia
To close the fly-cruise season, fly from Patagonia to Antarctica for four full days of exploration along the Antarctic Peninsula, then sail north through the Drake Passage to Ushuaia.
Across these programs, Aureum's small scale creates room for flexibility. Kayaking, mountaineering, and polar plunges offer ways to experience the environment beyond the ship, while a photography guide accompanies every voyage.
Explorer Yacht Aureum in Antarctica with penguins (Secret Atlas)
A Different Scale of Antarctic Expedition
Aureum brings together two things that can be difficult to balance in polar travel: the intimacy of a very small expedition and the comfort of a purpose-built expedition yacht.
With 36 guests, multiple observation areas, four Zodiacs, and a 1:6 guide ratio, the ship is designed to keep the focus on exploration. Its Antarctic programs add another important element: more time in the destination itself.
For travelers ready to experience Antarctica on a smaller scale and spend more time immersed in the polar landscape, Aureum offers a new way to approach the White Continent.
Explore Explorer Yacht Aureumwith Adventure Life and be among the first to experience its Antarctic expeditions.
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Antarctica
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