Aurora Expeditions

Is Aurora Expeditions good for Antarctica?

Yes, if small landing groups and activities matter more to you than price. Aurora Expeditions has run Antarctic trips since 1992 and sails three purpose-built X-BOW ships that carry at most 130 guests on polar voyages, so a full ship can go ashore in two groups.¹² Its fares include drinks and a pre-voyage hotel night, and it sells a long list of paid activities, from camping to scuba diving and ski touring.¹⁰¹¹

The trade-offs are price and availability. The lowest 2026-27 Antarctic fare we found was $14,106 per person in a triple cabin, and that cabin, like most of the cheapest ones, was already sold out on October 14, 2026.¹⁵ Oceanwide Expeditions sells shared berths for about half as much.²²

Aurora says the guest reviews on its own website are genuine and unedited.⁴ We have not sailed with Aurora, and we do not quote reviews; this page sets out what the company publishes and how it compares.

Who owns Aurora Expeditions?

Aurora Expeditions describes itself as Australian-owned, and its September 2026 anniversary release names Michael Alscher as co-owner; it is headquartered in Sydney, with offices in the US (Boston, New York and Dallas), Canada, the UK and China.²¹ Greg and Margaret Mortimer founded it in Sydney in 1991; Greg Mortimer was one of the first Australians to summit Mount Everest, in 1984.¹³ Michael Heath is chief executive.⁵

Aurora joined IAATO, the Antarctic tour operators' association, in 1991, the year it was founded, and ran its first Antarctic expedition in 1992.¹ It is also a full member of AECO, the Arctic equivalent.⁴⁶ Its firsts, by its own account, include camping and kayaking on the Antarctic Peninsula in 1994, diving in Antarctica in 1998 and the first passenger expedition to retrace Shackleton's crossing of South Georgia in 2001.¹ It became a Certified B Corporation in 2024 and says it is the only cruise line with that status.¹

What ships does Aurora Expeditions use?

Aurora sails three ships with Ulstein X-BOW hulls, all about 104 m (341 to 343 ft) long and built between 2019 and 2025.¹⁷⁸⁹ Each is capped at 130 guests on polar expeditions; two take more on other cruises:

All three list a cruising speed of 10 to 12 knots and Ice Class 1A, Aurora says its ships carry 15 Zodiacs each, and the Greg Mortimer was the first passenger ship built with an X-BOW.³⁷⁸⁹ In the 2025-26 season Aurora ran all three in Antarctica at once for the first time, completing 30 Antarctic voyages, and says the Douglas Mawson set a record for the southernmost voyage, at 78°44.405' S.⁵

How much does an Aurora Expeditions Antarctica cruise cost?

Aurora's 2026-27 Antarctic fares start at $14,106 per person, and trips that sail at least one way across the Drake Passage cost about $1,100 to $1,600 per person per day at the lowest fare shown; flying both ways costs about twice as much per day at Aurora's listed trip length.^15121117 These are the fares Aurora displayed on October 14, 2026, in USD, after the discounts it showed that day, for the cheapest cabin on any 2026-27 departure of each trip we read:

Per-day figures are our arithmetic: the fare divided by the trip's listed days. Two 2027 departures are dated longer than Aurora's listed length (Wild Antarctica runs March 2 to 14, Fly the Drake January 13 to 22), so their per-day cost may be lower; confirm the length with Aurora.¹⁶¹⁷ Most discounts were "save up to 10%" or "up to 15%", and Aurora's offers page advertises savings of up to 35% on select Antarctic voyages "for a limited time."¹⁸ On the Whale Migration departure two-person cabins cost more than the triple: the cheapest twin still for sale was a Balcony Stateroom Category A at $17,846 per person.¹⁵ Aurora also sells longer trips, including the 34-day Epic Antarctica: Crossing the 7th Continent, from Dunedin, New Zealand, on January 7, 2027, from $52,286 per person, twin share, after discounts; the 23-day Antarctica Complete is advertised from $33,231, but that fare is for its December 19, 2027 departure.¹⁸

Our Antarctica trip cost guide adds flights, insurance and tips to these fares.

What is included in an Aurora Expeditions fare?

From the 2026-27 Antarctic season, Aurora's fares include premium spirits, cocktails, beer and wine, all meals, Starlink Wi-Fi, a 3-in-1 polar jacket, Muck boots on loan, landing fees and an initial consultation with the ship's doctor.¹⁰ All Antarctic voyages include one pre-voyage hotel night and an arrival airport transfer on selected flights.¹⁰ Junior and Captain's Suites add binoculars, a stocked minibar, a bottle of champagne and crew gratuities.¹⁰¹¹

Not included: flights to the start port, travel insurance (compulsory, and it must cover medical evacuation), and a crew and expedition team gratuity of $20 per person per day that Aurora adds to your onboard account unless you are in a suite; you can remove or change it when you settle up.⁴¹¹

Which activities cost extra with Aurora?

Zodiac cruises, landings, guided walks, lectures and, conditions allowing, a polar plunge are included; most other activities are paid add-ons that you book in advance.¹¹⁴ These were Aurora's prices for its 2026-27 Antarctic voyages, per person, with Quark Expeditions' prices where it lists the same activity:

The Quark column is from its World Voyager departure of November 15, 2026, which also listed stand-up paddleboarding at $295.²³ Aurora's Antarctica Active trip includes paddling, camping, snowshoeing and snorkeling in the fare, and Aurora said its first season of those trips offered 14 included activities.¹²⁵ Aurora asks for a 25% deposit to confirm an activity place.¹⁹

How many people go ashore at once with Aurora?

Up to 100, the IAATO limit for any one landing site, or fewer where a site's guideline sets a lower cap, so a full 130-guest ship lands in two groups.²⁰²¹ IAATO also requires one guide for every 20 visitors ashore and only one ship at a site at a time.²⁰ Aurora says its expedition team works at about one staff member to seven guests.⁴

Ship size also decides where you can land. Of the 45 visitor site guidelines the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat publishes, 11 admit only ships carrying 200 passengers or fewer, including Penguin Island, Paulet Island and Baily Head on Deception Island; all three Aurora ships qualify.²¹ In Svalbard, ships in protected areas have been limited to 200 passengers since January 1, 2025.³²

Can you fly over the Drake Passage with Aurora?

Yes, but on few departures. Aurora's 8-day Antarctic Peninsula: Fly the Drake trip flies from Punta Arenas to King George Island and back, a flight of about 1 hour 45 minutes each way, and had one 2026-27 departure, on the Douglas Mawson, dated January 13 to 22, 2027, although Aurora lists the trip at 8 days.¹⁷ Its triple cabins were sold out; twin cabins were $25,395 per person.¹⁷ Wild Antarctica flies one way and sails back to Ushuaia, and Aurora sells other fly-sail trips such as the 9-day Antarctic Explorer Express.¹⁶²⁷ Flights to King George Island need clear weather, and Aurora's terms say charter flights are beyond its control.¹⁷¹⁹ Our fly or sail the Drake guide weighs the options.

Does Aurora Expeditions go to Svalbard and the Arctic?

Yes. Aurora first went to the Arctic in 1997, and its 2027 Svalbard Odyssey and Spitsbergen trips start in Oslo with charter flights to Longyearbyen in Svalbard.¹²⁴²⁵ These were the lowest fares shown for summer 2027, after discounts:

The Realm of Ice and Wildlife fare was 25% below its regular $14,395, and a twin cabin on that departure was still for sale at $11,171 per person.³³ Sea kayaking in Svalbard costs $630 per person on the 8-day Spitsbergen trips and $780 on Svalbard Odyssey.³³²⁴

Is Aurora Expeditions safe?

Aurora runs the safeguards you should expect of a polar operator. Each ship carries a doctor and a medical center, every guest must hold insurance that covers medical evacuation, and the Sylvia Earle's owner lists it as certified under the IMO's Safe Return to Port rules.⁴³¹

Its most serious publicized incident came at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Greg Mortimer left on March 15, 2020 for Antarctica and South Georgia, was refused permission to land its passengers in Uruguay, and 128 of the 217 passengers and crew on board tested positive before Aurora chartered a medical flight to take Australian and New Zealand passengers home.²⁸

How does Aurora compare with Quark and Oceanwide?

Aurora is priced close to Quark with smaller ships; Oceanwide is far cheaper. The lowest published 2026-27 Antarctic fares we found on October 14, 2026:

Pick Aurora for its X-BOW ships, included drinks and add-ons such as scuba diving and ski touring.¹¹ Pick Quark for helicopter flights on Ultramarine.²⁹ Pick Oceanwide if price matters most and you can share a cabin. For other lines, see our guide to choosing an Antarctica cruise.

Is a balcony worth it on an Aurora cruise?

Usually yes, because the step up is small. On the Sylvia Earle's December 29, 2026 departure the cheapest private balcony cost $600 per person more than the cheapest twin cabin with a French balcony.¹¹ Most of the Sylvia Earle's 71 cabins have private balconies, and its ten solo cabins are balcony cabins with no single supplement.⁸⁴ See our Antarctica cruise balcony guide.

Who should not book Aurora Expeditions?

Skip Aurora if price decides it: Oceanwide's lowest berth costs half as much.²² It is also the wrong pick if you want helicopter flightseeing, if you are traveling with children under 6 (bookings are open to ages 6 and over, and ages 6 to 15 pay the adult fare), or if you may need to cancel late: from 120 days before departure the cancellation fee is the full fare, softened only by a future cruise credit worth half the fare if you cancel 90 to 120 days out.¹⁹