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In an era when cruise ships compete over who can squeeze the most passengers into the fewest square metres, Secret Atlas has chosen the old-fashioned path of understatement: smaller is better. The company, which has carved a reputation as the pioneer of Expedition Micro Cruises, has now turned its attention to Antarctica and South Georgia, offering the smallest guest groups the region has ever seen.

Departing from October 2026, their freshly minted collection of voyages allows just 42 guests per departure, making most “small ship” operators look overcrowded. It’s a bold stroke in a marketplace dominated by floating hotels.

The fly-cruise with flair

Secret Atlas isn’t just thinking small; it’s thinking smart. The line has stitched together an itinerary that begins in Puerto Natales, a windswept Patagonian town framed by the granite towers of Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Instead of attempting the dreaded Drake Passage on a lumbering liner, guests will hop aboard a two-and-a-half-hour charter flight to King George Island.

And so begins a polar safari that trades queues and buffet lines for zodiacs and seabird sightings. The MV Polar Athena, a sturdy, ice-strengthened vessel, will be home. Think of it as a floating lodge: all the grit and mettle needed to nose through pack ice, but with ensuite cabins, a lounge, restaurant, sauna, and hot tub for thawing afterwards.

A new category of polar travel

Michele D’Agostino, Co-Founder of Secret Atlas, is blunt about the philosophy behind these micro voyages:

“At Secret Atlas we’ve built our entire philosophy around Expedition Micro Cruises because we believe the polar regions deserve to be explored slowly, respectfully, and in the smallest groups possible. By limiting our voyages to just 42 guests, we’re offering something that larger ships simply cannot: more time ashore, more space in zodiacs, and genuine freedom to follow wildlife and weather conditions as they unfold. It’s an experience that is highly personal, unhurried, and deeply immersive.”

He goes further:

“This is the future of polar exploration impactful experiences shared with a small community of like-minded explorers, led by experts and carried out while leaving the smallest footprint possible. The raw beauty of Antarctica and South Georgia experienced the way it should be.”

One can almost hear the sighs of relief from penguins and elephant seals everywhere.

Wildlife without the waiting

The real trick of micro cruising isn’t simply fewer people; it’s what fewer people allow. No queues for zodiacs, no hanging about waiting for 200 passengers to don parkas, no bottlenecks at the gangway. Guests can be ashore within minutes, wandering among Gentoo penguins, elephant seals, orcas, and humpback whales.

It’s the sort of intimacy impossible to replicate when travelling in convoy with a shipload of passengers. This is how it should be for those who’ve always imagined Antarctica as a frontier, not a theme park.

Dates, itineraries and fares

Secret Atlas has structured three distinct itineraries, each appealing to a different brand of adventurer:

Antarctica Spring Micro Fly Cruise: Four departures in December 2026, from USD $17,995 per person.
Antarctica Spring Micro Fly Cruise–Sail One-Way: Five departures across November and December 2026, from USD $14,495 per person.
South Georgia & Antarctica Fly-Cruise Micro Cruise: Two departures in November 2026, from USD $22,995 per person.

The 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons are open for reservations, catering to FIT explorers, private groups, or those fortunate enough to charter the entire vessel. With just 42 berths per voyage, hesitation is not recommended.

Why this matters

The Antarctic has long attracted dreamers, writers, and fortune-hunters. Secret Atlas has returned the experience to its elemental form: fewer people, more wilderness. Where once Shackleton’s men cursed their luck on South Georgia, today’s traveller can stand on the same beaches, this time with a hot tub waiting on board.

There’s a healthy whiff of nostalgia in Secret Atlas’s approach. In some ways, it’s a throwback to the golden age of exploration, when ships were small, experiences raw, and the only bragging rights worth having were born of hardship and awe. Except now, thankfully, you can have your hardship with an ensuite and a sauna.

A final word

For the would-be polar explorer, the choice is clear. Do you join the hordes on a cruise ship the size of a football stadium, or do you tuck yourself into a snug cabin on the Polar Athena with 41 other adventurers and let Antarctica work its magic?

If you’re inclined toward the latter and have the means, Secret Atlas has redefined how the world’s last great wilderness should be seen.

For details, visit Secret Atlas Antarctica Cruises and South Georgia Cruises.