G Adventures

Is G Adventures good for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want a small, sociable ship at a lower fare and you are willing to share a cabin. G Adventures is the Toronto company Bruce Poon Tip started in 1990, known as Gap Adventures until it changed its name in 2011, and it runs its own Antarctic program on one 128-passenger ship called the Expedition.¹²³⁴ IAATO's preliminary estimate has that ship making 14 Antarctic voyages with about 1,792 passengers in 2026-27.⁵

The low prices come with conditions. Every 2026-27 Antarctic fare we read on October 15, 2026 was a sale price that ends in October, and the cheapest cabin, a Lower Deck Triple, was sold out or waitlisted on every departure.⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰ The ship is 50 years old, has no elevator, and every landing is a wet Zodiac landing.⁴⁶ We have not sailed with G Adventures; this page draws on its published fares, ship details and terms, IAATO, AECO and trade press.

Which ship does G Adventures use in Antarctica in 2026-27?

G Adventures sails the Expedition, a ship built in 1976 that sailed as Ocean Adventurer until 2025. Its owner, SunStone, chartered it to G after Quark Expeditions retired it, and G renamed it Expedition in homage to its original "little red ship".¹¹¹² G scheduled its first Antarctic sailing for October 2025, and IAATO counted 14 voyages for it under G's name in 2025-26, so 2026-27 is its second season; SunStone's fleet list now shows it as M/V Expedition.¹²⁵¹³

The capacity figures do not agree. Cruise Industry News called it a 117-guest ship when the charter was announced, SunStone lists 160 berths in 70 cabins, and AECO's entry gives 128 guests with an expedition team of 16 and up to 14 Zodiacs.¹¹¹³¹⁴ G says the switch was about fuel: it estimates the new ship cuts the carbon footprint per person per day by up to 30%.⁴

The older ship did not disappear. Poon Tip said the original Expedition had run more than 270 departures with over 30,000 travelers, and that keeping it "would not be good for the environment, or the business".¹² In September 2026 Travel Weekly reported that the ship once called MS Expedition and G Expedition now sails as Terra Nova Adventurer, which will run the 2026-27 and 2027-28 Antarctic seasons for Terra Nova Expeditions under a three-season agreement.¹⁵

How much does a G Adventures Antarctica trip cost?

G's lowest 2026-27 Antarctic fare that was open to book on October 15, 2026 was $8,254.35 per person for a Lower Deck Twin on the 13-day Antarctica Classic in Depth, November 11, 2026, a 35% Last Minute price that ends October 16; the regular fare for that cabin is $12,699.⁷ Every trip leaves from Ushuaia except one from Montevideo, none flies over the Drake Passage, and each includes one hotel night before boarding, so an 11-day trip has nine nights on the ship.⁶¹⁰ The table shows the cheapest cabin with space on each trip; the per-day figure is our arithmetic.

The discounts are large and short. G's October Expedition Sale took 15% to 40% off depending on the departure and ends October 31, 2026, and the Last Minute offers on the three earliest departures end October 16 or 19.⁷⁸⁶¹⁰ If you book after the sales end and no new offer replaces them, plan on the regular fares: the cheapest open cabin at its regular fare was the $10,699 Lower Deck Twin on the March 22 Antarctica Classic, about $973 a day.⁶ If a Lower Deck Triple had been free, the March 13 Antarctica Classic would have cost $6,974.25 (25% off until October 31; regular $9,299), the lowest price on G's 2026-27 Antarctic pages; it was waitlisted.⁶

A worked example: two people sharing the Lower Deck Twin on the March 22 Antarctica Classic pay $8,559.20 each, or $17,118.40, if they book by October 31; at the regular fare the same cabin costs $21,398 for two.⁶ Add flights to Ushuaia, drinks, and tips, where G suggests $10 to $15 per person per day on board.⁶ Our Antarctica trip cost guide covers the rest of the budget.

Is G Adventures cheaper than Oceanwide, Intrepid and Quark?

During its October 2026 sales, yes: for two people sharing a two-bed cabin, G cost $635 to $778 a day, against $849 to $877 on Oceanwide and Intrepid and $1,681 on Quark. At G's regular fares the same cabins cost about $975 a day, more than Oceanwide or Intrepid but still far below Quark.^6716171819 The table compares the cheapest two-bed cabin open to book on each operator's own site, per person, on 2026-27 Antarctic Peninsula round trips from Ushuaia; per day is our arithmetic.

Three things change the picture. First, Quark's Ocean Explorer has no porthole twins: every two-person category on its cards is a veranda cabin or suite, so the nearest match is a 200 to 205 sq ft (about 19 m²) suite with a balcony, against 115 sq ft (11 m²) for G's Lower Deck Twin.¹⁹⁴ Second, G, Intrepid and Quark count a hotel night in Ushuaia as day one, while Oceanwide's fares cover the ship only and its 11-day Hondius trip is ten nights aboard, so Oceanwide gives you more time on the ship for the money.^1617206 Third, G's numbers are sale prices: at regular fares G's twins cost $973 to $977 a day, more than either Oceanwide twin.⁶⁷¹⁷

If you will share with strangers to pay less, compare berths in the same size of cabin. In a three-berth cabin, G's cheapest open berth on Antarctica Classic was $9,439.20 in an Upper Deck Obstructed View Triple on March 4, 2027 (20% off until October 31; regular $11,799), or $858 a day, against $15,095 for a Triple Suite berth on Quark's November 12 Ocean Explorer trip, $1,372 a day and marked "Please Call"; the triple cabins on both Oceanwide departures above were sold out.^6191617 Oceanwide also sells berths in four-berth cabins, from $7,050 on Plancius ($705 a day), a cabin type G and Quark did not list on these departures.¹⁶ For more ways to cut the cost, see the cheapest way to Antarctica.

Is G Adventures a good choice for younger and solo travelers?

G does not publish the ages of its Antarctic passengers, so we cannot tell you its ship carries a younger crowd. Its Antarctic trips are sold in its Marine travel style and are open to anyone 10 or older, with under-18s traveling with an adult; they are not part of its 18-to-Thirtysomethings line, which is for travelers aged 18 to 39.⁶²¹ For comparison, Oceanwide says passengers on a typical Plancius voyage range from their 30s to their 80s, most of them 45 to 65.²²

Solo travelers do well here. G charges no single supplement on its group trips: you are paired with another traveler of the same sex in a twin or multi-share cabin, including the hotel night, unless you buy a private cabin.⁶

What is included in a G Adventures Antarctic trip?

On Antarctica Classic the fare covers one twin-share hotel night in Ushuaia, arrival and departure transfers, nine nights aboard with all meals, coffee and tea, Zodiac excursions, lectures, loaned waterproof boots in US sizes 4 to 16, and an expedition parka you keep.⁶⁴ G aims to get everyone off the ship twice a day, weather permitting.⁴

Flights, alcoholic and other drinks, Wi-Fi data and tips cost extra. On Antarctica Classic, camping is from $399 and kayaking from $1,099, both added in advance by calling G, and camping is not offered on the March departures; see our kayaking and camping guide.⁶ You must carry insurance with at least US$200,000 of medical, evacuation and repatriation cover.²¹

What are G Adventures' booking and cancellation terms?

The deposit for a US booking on the Expedition is US$1,000 per person, and G holds it as a "Lifetime Deposit" if you cancel: a credit with no expiry that you can transfer to someone else or put toward the deposit on any other G trip.²¹ The balance is due 120 days before departure, and later bookings pay in full.²¹

Kayaking and camping are refunded in full if you cancel 60 days or more out, and every passenger must return a medical form signed by a physician by final payment.²¹

Is G Adventures safe in Antarctica?

G has a serious incident in its history. Its earlier ship, the Explorer, struck ice and sank in the Bransfield Strait on November 23, 2007; all 154 people on board were rescued by the Norwegian ship Nordnorge, with no injuries reported.³²³ The Liberian investigation found the ship had entered an ice field the evening before and hit what a passenger called "a wall of ice" around midnight.²³

Today G is a full IAATO member, listed in IAATO's directory among operators of ships under 200 passengers, and a provisional member of AECO in the Arctic.⁶²⁴¹⁴ The Expedition is Ice Class 1A and carries a licensed doctor.⁴ G rates Antarctica Classic 2, Light, but warns that you must climb in and out of Zodiacs, stand through landings with nowhere to sit, and use stairs, since there is no elevator.⁶

Does G Adventures go to the Arctic?

Yes. G announced in 2025 that it would return to the Arctic in June 2026 with the same ship, its first Arctic season since 2019, and the six trips below have 2027 departures.²⁵ Five of the six cheapest fares below were regular prices with no sale; the sixth, on Beyond the Arctic Circle, is a sale fare until October 31, 2026.^262728293031 The trips include an arrival transfer, insulated boots and the parka but not flights.²⁶²⁷

The polar bear trips stay in Svalbard, where the polar bear is the main draw, and start from Longyearbyen. Arctic Highlights Southbound adds the Greenland Sea and several days in Scoresbysund in East Greenland, with a community visit at Ittoqqortoormiit.²⁹ Our Svalbard cruise guide compares other operators there.

Who should skip G Adventures?

Skip G if you need an elevator or cannot manage wet Zodiac landings.⁶ Skip it if you want a balcony, since every cabin has a porthole or window, or if you want to fly over the Drake Passage, since every 2026-27 trip sails both ways; see fly or sail the Drake and our balcony guide.⁴⁶ Children under 10 cannot go.⁶ And if you cannot book while a sale is on, compare the regular fare: at full price G is no cheaper than Oceanwide, which also includes more nights at sea for an 11-day trip.⁶¹⁷ Our guide to choosing an Antarctica cruise and the small versus large ship guide can help you weigh the alternatives.