Anyone who has watched a thousand-passenger ship disgorge its zodiacs onto a penguin colony knows the paradox of modern polar travel: the further we go to escape the crowds, the more often we bring them with us. Secret Atlas has built its reputation on the opposite idea, and its newest announcement doubles down on it — in Antarctica, of all places.
The expedition micro cruise specialist has revealed Aureum, an ice-class explorer yacht that will carry just 36 guests to Antarctica and South Georgia from the 2027/28 season, continuing into 2028/29. The company describes it as the first purpose-designed expedition vessel of this size operating in Antarctica, and it will sail under a long-term partnership with Antarpply Expeditions, an operator with more than 25 years of experience in these waters.
Aureum: Key Facts
- First season: 2027/28 (Antarctica and South Georgia), continuing into 2028/29 — bookings already open
- Guests: 36, across 22 cabins — including 8 dedicated single cabins with no single supplement
- Guide ratio: one polar guide for every six guests
- Ship: ice-class explorer yacht, currently being refitted in South America
- On board: panoramic observation lounge, bridge lounge, open observation bow, outdoor viewing decks, wellness area with sauna, outdoor hot tub; dining in a single sitting, all guests together
- Operators: Secret Atlas, in long-term partnership with Antarpply Expeditions (25+ years in Antarctic waters)
- Itineraries from: £13,500 per person (By Air & Sea) to £17,995 (Shackleton Special)
A Different Scale of Polar Travel
The numbers are what set Aureum apart. Where conventional expedition ships in Antarctica carry 200 guests or more, Aureum takes 36, across 22 cabins. Eight of those are dedicated single cabins with no single supplement — a rare and genuinely meaningful gesture toward solo travellers, who usually pay dearly for polar berths. The guide-to-guest ratio is one polar guide for every six guests, which in practice means expert eyes and context at your shoulder on every landing.
The ship is currently being refitted in South America. When she emerges, guests will find a panoramic observation lounge, a bridge lounge, an open observation bow and generous outdoor viewing decks, plus a wellness area with sauna and an outdoor hot tub — because there are few better places to sit in steaming water than surrounded by icebergs. Dining happens in a single sitting, all guests together, which tells you a lot about the atmosphere Secret Atlas is aiming for: closer to a private expedition among friends than a cruise.
The Itineraries: South Georgia, Shackleton, and Antarctica By Air
Two programmes launch with the ship. South Georgia In Depth gives the island — arguably the greatest wildlife stage on Earth — the time most itineraries deny it. The South Georgia & Antarctica Shackleton Special traces the explorer’s legend across both.
The more radical option is Antarctica By Air. Operating from Secret Atlas’s expedition hub in Puerto Natales, Chile — the gateway to Torres del Paine — guests fly directly to Antarctica, trading the two-day Drake Passage crossing for more time actually exploring. A By Air & Sea variant sails one way from Ushuaia, so you cross the Drake once and fly the other leg.
Tip: the eight single cabins with no single supplement are close to unheard of in polar expedition cruising — if you travel solo, expect those to be the first berths to sell out for the inaugural season.
Why It Matters
Secret Atlas made its name in the Arctic running voyages for just 12 guests, and Aureum carries that philosophy south. The polar expedition market has been drifting toward ever-larger, ever-more-hotel-like ships; this is a bet that a meaningful number of travellers want the opposite — smaller groups, flexible schedules, and wildlife encounters that don’t come with a queue. Co-founder Michele D’Agostino frames the ship as enabling “exploration in small groups, deeper wildlife encounters” — the principles the company started with.
The Lens I’m Reading This Through: My Own Antarctica Sailing
I’ve made this journey myself. In late February I spent nine nights in Antarctica aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Voyager — no relation to Secret Atlas, despite the name — a purpose-built expedition ship that caps polar sailings at around 160 guests. I rated it five stars, and it remains one of the most beautiful trips I have ever done: leopard seals drifting past on the ice at sunrise in the Lemaire Passage, ten humpbacks breaching at once while we sat at dinner, four more circling my kayak at Portal Point. You can read my full Atlas World Voyager Antarctica review for the whole story.
That trip is also the lens through which I read Aureum’s numbers. Even on a ship that never felt crowded, going ashore was a managed rotation; at 36 guests, that choreography should all but disappear. I also came home across the Drake in 140 km/h winds and six-metre waves — precisely the experience the Antarctica By Air itineraries are built to trade away, and having lived the rough version, I understand the appeal. As for an outdoor hot tub surrounded by icebergs: after my polar plunge, the first thing I did was head straight for the sauna. Some ideas need no selling.
Prices and How to Book
Bookings for the 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons are open now at secretatlas.com.
- South Georgia In Depth — from £15,995 per person
- South Georgia & Antarctica Shackleton Special — from £17,995 per person
- Antarctic Circle By Air — from £16,500 per person
- Antarctica By Air & Sea (one way from Ushuaia) — from £13,500 per person
Images shown are renders based on the current design concept. Rendering © Secret Atlas / Antarpply Expeditions.
This preview is based on official announcements — I haven’t sailed aboard Aureum yet. Read more about how I review or visit my Work With Me page.
