Call us on 646-895-8368
Start Planning
Four penguins on a rocky shore with a large cruise ship and icy mountains in the background during a polar safari.

Luxury Polar Safaris made for you

Immersive luxury polar safaris and bespoke expeditions, designed by local experts

Antarctica expeditions, Iceland whale watching and Svalbard wildlife on luxury polar trips

Polar expeditions are as much about the journey as the destination. Our travel specialists bring together expert-led explorations with stays aboard luxury vessels and in remote lodges and camps. Look for polar bears in Svalbard, spot humpback whales in Iceland or embark on a voyage to Antarctica.

Luxury tours in Iceland offer plenty of opportunities to experience its wildlife and glacial landscapes. Head out from Reykjavík by RIB boat to look for whales, dolphins and breeding puffins. Or cruise among the icebergs of Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, where seals can often be seen swimming or resting on the ice. In summer, look out for Arctic terns and other seabirds around the lagoon.

To venture deeper into the Arctic wilderness, explore the Svalbard archipelago, set in the Arctic Ocean roughly halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Depending on the season, you can travel by snowmobile, cruise alongside glaciers and look for Arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer and, with luck, polar bears.

At the opposite end of the earth, our luxury trips to Antarctica take you across the Southern Ocean into one of the world’s most remote environments. Look for penguins and fur seals, as well as humpback whales and orcas among ice floes and towering glaciers. Shore landings and guided excursions offer opportunities to learn about the region’s wildlife and landscapes alongside expert polar expedition teams.

Get in touch to start planning your luxury polar exploration trip. Jacada’s travel designers will create a bespoke itinerary, taking care of the details so you can focus on the experience.

  • The bow of a sailing yacht approaches a colossal, towering glacier wall rising from the dark water during an exploratory polar safari.
    Glaciers form as layers of snow compact into moving ice over many years, eventually calving icebergs where they meet the sea.
  • Person in a knit hat looking at large blue icebergs floating in a glacial lagoon on a polar safari.
    Jökulsárlón formed as Breiðamerkurjökull retreated, with freshly calved icebergs drifting through the lagoon towards the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Several puffins with bright orange and black beaks stand on a grassy, rocky cliff edge with a blue ocean in the background.
    Atlantic puffins spend much of the year at sea, returning to grassy cliffside burrows in spring to breed.
  • Aerial view of Reykjavik showing Hallgrimskirkja, colourful buildings, and mountains on a polar safari.
    Hallgrímskirkja’s 73-metre tower rises above Reykjavík, offering views across the capital to the surrounding mountains and ocean.
  • Woman in a teal hat standing on a ship deck looking at snow-covered mountains on a polar safari.
    Expedition ships act as floating bases in the polar regions, with smaller boats used for shore landings and exploring otherwise remote coastlines.
  • Three people riding snowmobiles on a snowy path through a snow-covered pine forest under a soft purple and pink twilight sky.
    Built for snowy terrain, snowmobiles use front skis for steering and a continuous rear track to propel them across the snow.
  • First-person view from a red kayak facing a massive blue ice wall in icy water on a polar safari.
    Glacial ice appears blue because dense ice absorbs more red light while transmitting and scattering shorter blue wavelengths.
  • Wooden church with traditional onion domes perched on a snowy, rocky hill under a blue sky on a polar safari.
    The High Arctic holds unexpected traces of human history, including the wooden Russian Orthodox chapel in Svalbard’s Barentsburg settlement.
  • Two people walking on a rocky shore looking at floating icebergs and distant snowy peaks on a polar safari.
    Around 90% of an iceberg lies below the waterline, meaning the ice visible above the surface is only a fraction of its full size.
  • A herd of reindeer with antlers grazing on a mossy Arctic tundra with snow-capped mountains in the distant background.
    Found only in Svalbard, the archipelago’s reindeer have short legs and compact bodies adapted to long Arctic winters.
  • Person kayaking in a red kayak on bright turquoise water near massive icebergs during a polar safari.
    Icebergs are fragments of glaciers or ice shelves that have broken free into open water, often revealing remarkably dense blue ice.
  • A lone polar bear standing on a rocky, sparsely vegetated shoreline near the water during a polar safari.
    Polar bears are classed as marine mammals, relying heavily on Arctic sea ice as a platform from which to hunt seals.

From our experts

Experiences picked by our polar safari specialists

Observe Antarctica’s penguins

Look for and learn about Antarctica’s Adélie and emperor penguins with expert guides. Observe chinstrap penguins in the Weddell Sea.

Cruise from Cape Horn to Antarctica

Cross the Drake Passage from Cape Horn in Chile to Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands, looking for fin, humpback and Antarctic minke whales.

View puffin colonies in Iceland

Take a cruise around Iceland’s Faxaflói Bay to look for humpback whales, dolphins and, between May and August, tens of thousands of nesting puffins.

Track Svalbard polar bears

Join a Svalbard sailing expedition, looking for animals of the arctic including polar bears, which hunt from the sea ice, and learning wildlife photography tips from onboard experts.

Look for rare and endemic birds

Seek albatrosses, blue-eyed shags and giant petrels in Antarctica. Or see thick-billed murres, barnacle geese and Atlantic puffins at Svalbard’s Diabas bird cliffs.

A word from one of our experts

These remote wilderness areas are characterised by ethereal landscapes and the incredible wildlife living within them. Our expert-led expeditions open up these dramatically different worlds. I particularly love planning safari trips to Iceland, which offers a more accessible way to explore otherworldly landscapes and marine life.

Luisa Armandine Travel Designer

Luxury polar accommodation

There are many incredible places to stay on a polar safari or Antarctica cruise. Here are some of our favourites, handpicked by our safari experts:

Why book with Jacada?

  • Personalised design

    We’ll plan your trip around your specific interests, tastes and preferences, providing helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.

  • Authentic experiences

    Our expert guides and brilliant travel concierges are hand-picked to provide a genuine experience, bringing your destination to life with care and passion.

  • Responsible travel

    Our luxury trips are designed with responsible travel principles that prioritise travel experiences that are both good for you and good for the planet.

Polar safari trip inspiration

Get inspired with our polar safari example trips and then get in touch to plan your own adventure

15 days From $23,925

Whales of the Weddell Sea

The sheer majesty of witnessing whales against the stark, icy canvas of Antarctica is an experience few can rival. This unforgettable journey immerses you in t…

Explore trip

14 days From $18,630

A Classic Antarctica Cruise

Book-ended with stays in sultry Buenos Aires, this 14-day Classic Antarctic Peninsula Cruise will take you on an extraordinary journey to the White Continent.…

Explore trip

Ready to plan your adventure?

Whatever you want from your luxury polar safari, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

Start Planning

Where to go on a luxury polar safari

When to plan a luxury polar safari

The best time for an Arctic Circle tour or cruise is between June and September, when the sea ice breaks up enough to let vessels navigate the waters. Explore Svalbard in May or June to see migrating seabirds and polar bear cubs against a still-snowy backdrop. And go in July or August for peak midnight sun. Luxury tours to Antarctica operate during the summer season, from November to March. December and January are key months for penguin viewing with hatching and chick-feeding activity. We recommend booking your cruise 12 to 18 months before departure.

Iceland’s puffins and whales

May–August

Arctic travel window

June–September

Svalbard midnight sun

July–August

Antarctica penguins

December–January

When Is the Best Time to Visit Antarctica?

Luxury polar safari guides

Plan your polar safari

Whatever you want from your luxury polar safari, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

Start Planning

Don't take our word for it

“We enjoyed our first trip with Jacada…”

We enjoyed our first trip with Jacada and it surely won't be our last! Every detail and moment of our trip was perfectly planned. We were met every step of the way with courteous and knowledgeable drivers and guides. We really appreciated the local guides and the commitment they had to make every day special. Thank you Jacada for the…

Amy Schulz Trustpilot ★★★★★

“heavenly honeymoon”

My wife and I used Jacada to plan our honeymoon to French Polynesia. Working with the Jacada team was fantastic and effortless. Every question was quickly answered. Every hiccup was quickly addressed. We felt like we were in the hands of experts who are equally passionate about travel, and who were committed to helping us have the trip of a…

MJ Trustpilot ★★★★★

“Jacada Travel has been outstanding”

We enjoy traveling and we have used Jacada Travel for some wonderful trips over several years. We have never been disappointed. In 2024 we took a Safari in Botswana Africa and walked with the gorillas in Rwanda planned by Jacada and the itinerary was amazing. In 2025 we had planned a trip to Antartica ( with another company ) but…

Lisa Schrage Trustpilot ★★★★★

“Communication and organization were…”

Communication and organization were excellent. The Jacada team was helpful and genuinely interested in our experience. The guides were personable, knowledgeable, and clearly enjoy their work. Vehicles were spotless, timely, and coordinators managed our every need brilliantly. I will recommend Jacada to friends and family. The only way to travel!

Andrew Woodcock Trustpilot ★★★★★

“Iceland 8 Days”

We had a wonderful trip planned through Jacada. We enjoyed the venues and the excursions. This is a beautiful place we'd recommend to anyone who wants to go on a new adventure.

The Reynolds Trustpilot ★★★★★

Your trip, your story

We craft trips deeply personal, delightfully surprising and entirely one of a kind. Every Jacada journey begins in conversation with a travel designer, a specialist in their destination of expertise. Behind each journey is a wealth of insight, gathered over years of on-the-ground exploration.

Once you’re booked, you’ll meet your concierge. Based in the region you’re visiting, they’ll take care of all the details so your mind is at rest. They make the trip truly special – and truly yours.

Find Out More