Polar Regions: Antarctica, and the Arctic

The polar regions of the world are an extraordinary frontier of untouched beauty and stark contrasts. From the icy expanse of Antarctica, where colossal glaciers meet an endless horizon, to the Arctic’s raw, rugged landscapes, these destinations stir a primal connection to the planet’s extremes. The areas surrounding the Earth's geographical poles, are characterized by extremely cold temperatures and large amounts of ice and snow.

In the north, the Arctic, with its kaleidoscope of experiences, offers a world of contrasts. Greenland's soaring fjords and ancient ice sheets are steeped in history and Inuit culture, while Spitsbergen, the crown of the Svalbard archipelago, teems with polar bears, walruses, and Arctic foxes against a backdrop of dramatic glaciers and tundra flowers. The midnight sun bathes these lands in ethereal light during summer, while winter brings the haunting dance of the aurora borealis.

Surrounded by the Southern Ocean, the 5th largest continent, Antarctica, is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on earth. It is a land of monumental scale that despite the harsh conditions is home to millions of penguins, seals, whales and seabirds.  A land where icebergs glow with hues of aquamarine within the realm where silence reigns, only punctuated by the distant crack of icebergs calving into the ocean. A land where the raw power of nature is on full display. To stand in its presence is to feel small yet infinitely connected to the grand, untamed forces that shape our Earth.