An Australian-owned expedition line since 1991, sailing three X-BOW ships to Antarctica and the Arctic, plus the Ross Sea season direct from Hobart or Dunedin.
Aurora Expeditions was founded in Sydney in 1991 by mountaineer Greg Mortimer and Margaret Mortimer, and named after Sir Douglas Mawson’s historic ship. It runs three purpose-built small ships fitted with the Ulstein X-BOW, each carrying no more than 130 expeditioners on polar voyages, with an Australian-based expedition team running Zodiac landings, kayaking, diving, camping and ski touring at an expedition team ratio of about 1 to 7. It suits travellers who want to get off the ship, not watch the view from a balcony.
Most Aurora voyages fly Australians to a gateway port: Ushuaia in Argentina for the Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands and South Georgia, or on to Svalbard for the Arctic. The exception is the Ross Sea and East Antarctica season, which Aurora sails direct from Hobart or Dunedin for 2026, 2027 and 2028, no flights required beyond getting to Tasmania or New Zealand. The subantarctic islands of Auckland and Campbell sail from the same two ports.
All three ships share the same X-BOW hull, a mudroom for wet gear and a Glass Atrium Lounge with floor-to-ceiling views over the bow. Meals, tea and coffee run all day, and for the 2026 to 27 Antarctic season Aurora added premium spirits and cocktails to the wine and beer already included with dinner. Greg Mortimer folds out hydraulic viewing platforms over the water, Sylvia Earle runs a dedicated Citizen Science Center, and Douglas Mawson, delivered in 2025, carries the fleet’s widest range of staterooms.
Starting-from fares per person, twin share, in AUD as published on Aurora’s Australian site on 14 September 2026. Aurora runs frequent air-credit and save campaigns on top of these fares, so ask us for the current offer on your dates.
Greg Mortimer · from Sails from Hobart or Dunedin · 26 days, cruise only
Greg Mortimer · from Fly to Ushuaia, cruise Ushuaia to Ushuaia · 14 days, activities included in the fare
Greg Mortimer · from Fly to Ushuaia, cruise Ushuaia to Ushuaia · 23 days, cruise only
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Call a Cruise Expert · 1300 214 840 Enquire TodayThree purpose-built X-BOW ships, each carrying no more than 130 to 154 expeditioners.
The ship that started it all: the first vessel built with the Ulstein X-BOW, designed with expedition leader Greg Mortimer himself. It carries 130 guests in 76 staterooms, 85 per cent with a private balcony, plus hydraulic viewing platforms that fold out over the water, two Jacuzzis, a sauna and the reservations-only Tuscan Grill alongside the main dining room.
Named for oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, this sister ship carries the same 130-guest limit across 71 staterooms. Its Glass Atrium Lounge inside the bow gives floor-to-ceiling views over the water, and the Citizen Science Center puts you to work on real research projects between landings. Public decks honour six pioneering women in conservation.
Aurora’s newest ship, named for the Australian geologist and explorer, carries up to 130 expeditioners on polar voyages or 154 on Discovery small ship cruises to the Mediterranean and British Isles, across the fleet’s widest stateroom range, including several single cabins. The Hut, its top-deck restaurant, joins the main dining room, and there is a heated pool on the back deck.
The fleet is these three ships, rotating between Antarctica and the Arctic each year, with Douglas Mawson and Sylvia Earle also running Discovery voyages to Costa Rica, Panama, the Mediterranean, Scotland and the British Isles between polar seasons.
What each cabin type gives you. Fares vary by ship, sailing and date, so ask us for the rate on the departure you want.
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A taste of the restaurants, bars and spaces. Anything marked Included carries no extra cost.
Open-seating buffet breakfast and lunch with an à la carte dinner, and tea, coffee and snacks around the clock.
Douglas Mawson’s top-deck alternative restaurant, a change of scene from the main dining room most evenings.
Floor-to-ceiling windows inside the bow, the best seat on the ship for watching ice and wildlife pass by.
Wildlife guides, books and binoculars on hand, and the closest thing to a bar on most evenings.
A quiet sanctuary of non-fiction titles, wildlife guidebooks, travel journals and board games, behind floor-to-ceiling windows on the upper decks.
Lockers and rapid-drying racks for wet gear, so staterooms stay warm and dry between landings.
Daily Zodiac cruises and shore landings with the expedition team, run twice a day where weather and ice allow.
Guided sea kayaking on most polar voyages, with scuba diving and snorkelling offered on selected Antarctic departures.
A guided walk across the snow on selected landings, with ski touring offered on some Antarctic voyages.
Two Jacuzzis on the top deck, a gym and a sauna, best used straight after the Polar Plunge.
Contribute real data on clouds, whales or phytoplankton alongside the onboard naturalists, at no extra cost.
Aurora covers the expedition and the kit: meals, drinks, every landing and Zodiac cruise, your polar jacket and the Wi-Fi. Gratuities are charged separately.
In a Junior or Captain’s Suite? Binoculars, a stocked mini bar, champagne, and the daily gratuity is covered.
Adventure activities cost extra on standard voyages, but are bundled into the Active departures.
Most voyages fly you to a gateway port: Ushuaia in Argentina for the Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands and South Georgia, or Longyearbyen for Svalbard. The exception is the Ross Sea and East Antarctica season, sailing direct from Hobart or Dunedin for 2026, 2027 and 2028, so there is no need to fly further than Tasmania or New Zealand.
Your stateroom, all meals, tea, coffee and snacks, and from the 2026 to 27 Antarctic season, premium spirits, cocktails, wine and beer from lunchtime on sea days. Also included are daily Zodiac cruises, an expert expedition team, a 3-in-1 polar jacket to keep, muck boots and, on most Antarctic sailings, a pre-voyage hotel night. Flights, gratuities and optional activities are extra.
Greg Mortimer (2019) was the first ship built with the X-BOW and carries 130 guests with 85 per cent balcony cabins. Sylvia Earle (2022) is its near-identical sister, with a Citizen Science Center and a Glass Atrium Lounge inside the bow. Douglas Mawson (2025) is the newest and largest, with the widest range of staterooms and single cabins. All three carry the same 130 guests on polar voyages.
Couples, solo travellers and families with older children who want an active, hands-on expedition rather than a relaxed cruise: expect an early Zodiac landing most days, with kayaking, diving, camping or ski touring on offer for an extra charge. It is not the fit for anyone wanting a fixed itinerary, big-ship entertainment or a lazy day by the pool.
Ice, wind and swell decide the day in the polar regions, so the printed itinerary is a guide rather than a guarantee. The expedition team and captain reset the plan each morning around what is actually possible, and voyages build in spare time for exactly this. It is part of what makes an expedition different from a scheduled cruise.
Aurora sails Antarctica through the Australian summer, when whale sightings are most likely from late October to early April as the pack ice retreats. The Ross Sea and East Antarctica season, direct from Hobart or Dunedin, runs across the same months for 2026, 2027 and 2028. The Arctic season runs during the Northern Hemisphere summer, when Svalbard and Greenland are clear of winter ice.
Tell us the region and dates in the enquiry form on this page, or call 1300 214 840. We are an independent Australian cruise agency: you get Aurora’s advertised fare, we confirm the total for two in AUD with taxes and fees included, and one specialist looks after the booking from quote to homecoming.
Call 1300 214 840, message us on WhatsApp, email, or tell us what you want and a Aurora Expeditions specialist will come back with a quote.
Enquire TodayLuxury Cruises Guide is an independent Australian cruise agency operated by Orange Ninja Pty Ltd, ABN 17 682 640 713. It is not owned or operated by Aurora Expeditions. Aurora Expeditions and its ship names are trademarks of their owner and are used here to identify the cruise line. Fares shown were published by the cruise line at the time of writing and change with availability.