Departing from the Secret Atlas expedition hub in Puerto Natales, Chile, guests will fly for around 2 ½ hours to King George Island, skipping the traditional two-day Drake Passage crossing in both directions and gaining time on the Antarctic Peninsula instead.
Carrying 36 guests, Aureum is the first ship of its size operating in Antarctica and South Georgia. It is also the Antarctic flagship of the Expedition Micro Cruise, a category pioneered by Secret Atlas where polar expeditions are limited to 12 guests in the Arctic and 36 in the Antarctic, led by Senior Polar Guides.
Most Antarctic expedition ships carry between 100 and 200 guests. With 36 on board and one Senior Polar Guide for every six guests, every landing and Zodiac outing is in a small group. Guests can expect gentoo and Adélie penguins, humpback whales, and leopard and Weddell seals, with expedition leaders, scientists, and naturalists on hand to share expert insights.
"Crossing the Drake is a rite of passage but sailing it both ways takes four days out of a short Antarctic expedition," said Michele D'Agostino, Co-Founder and CEO of Secret Atlas. "Flying gives those days back to the Peninsula. With 36 guests on board, we can use every one of them: everyone ashore at once, no queue for the Zodiacs, and a team small enough to change the plan when the ice or the wildlife asks us to."
Built for polar operations, Aureum is an ice-class vessel with fin stabilisers to keep it steady in open water. Hybrid propulsion cuts emissions, and low-RPM running reduces underwater noise around marine wildlife.
Eight of its 22 cabins are Single Cabins with no single supplement, so solo explorers don't pay for an empty berth. On board are panoramic observation areas, daily cabin service, and a programme of talks and workshops on wildlife, photography, and conservation.
Secret Atlas’s Antarctic Circle Expedition Micro Cruise by Air departures aboard Aureum are now open for bookings for the 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons.
