Viking EXPEDITIONS celebrates the initiation of its third expedition season in Antarctica, as the Viking Octantis and her identical counterpart, the Viking Polaris, return to the region. Both vessels will spend the Austral summer exploring Antarctica before transitioning to North America's Great Lakes for voyages spanning the spring, summer, and early fall.
Addressing the robust demand for Antarctic voyages, Viking has unveiled the opening of bookings for the 2025-2026 season, featuring a new 87-day expedition named "From the Arctic to Antarctica." Starting in Nuuk Greenland and concluding in Ushuaia Argentina in September 2025, this extensive journey will enable guests to traverse the natural beauty and historic waterways of the Canadian High Arctic. The itinerary then follows the eastern coast of North and South America, visiting ports in the Caribbean, Peru, exploring the Chilean glaciers, and culminating in Antarctica.
The arrival of Viking's expedition ships in Antarctica signifies the completion of two inaugural Longitudinal World Cruises - the 71-day Longitudinal World Cruise II (from Duluth MN to Ushuaia) and the 70-day Longitudinal World Cruise III (from Milwaukee WI to Ushuaia).
Both Grand Journeys offer travelers a diverse range of travel experiences within a single itinerary, navigating through North America's heartland, engineering marvels like the Welland Canal and Panama Canal, the Chilean Fjords/Patagonia, and concluding in Antarctica.
Following Viking's upcoming third season in the Great Lakes, the Viking Polaris is slated to embark on the Longitudinal World Cruise IV from Milwaukee to Ushuaia in October 2024, while the Viking Octantis will undertake another sailing of the Longitudinal World Cruise II.