Quark Expeditions has unveiled hiking and trekking options for guests traveling on Ultramarine. Explorers will have the opportunity to walk alongside polar experts for an immersive experience.
“Hiking and trekking in the Polar Regions are not your typical long-distance rambles on clearly marked trails,”Alex McNeil, director of expedition experience and innovation for Quark Expeditions, said. “We don’t just take our guests off the beaten path, but we take them to where there are no paths at all. And now, thanks to Ultramarine’s two twin-engine Airbus H145 helicopters and 20 quick-deploy Zodiacs, we can take guests—of all fitness levels, ages and areas of interest—on hiking and trekking adventures to remote areas of the Polar Regions where few, if any, have ever visited before.”
Quark’s guided hikes are offered at multiple levels from beginner to advanced, ranging from short jaunts to the top of lookouts or visits to see wildlife to longer walks of several kilometers over ice, rock and snow. Hiking excursions may last from two to three hours with plenty of time for photography, or with time to stand back and admire the polar surroundings.
Ultramarine’s twin-engine helicopters transfer guests to the start of the most scenic hiking routes of Southern Greenland and then pick them up at the endpoint of the route. Each guided heli-hiking departure will be tailored to guests’ needs and level of ability and interest. They may choose to join one of Quark’s fast walking groups which aims for exploration and distance, or the medium hiking routes where there will be plenty of time to pause for photography and reflection, or explore at a slower pace with ample time to immerse themselves in their polar surroundings.
Quark offers alpine trekking expeditions where guests will go on a guided, active adventure high up in the Antarctic Peninsula. Intimate groups of adventurers will board one of Ultramarine’s helicopters for a trekking excursion in an area only safely accessed by air. On land, during a walk or hike, guests will be rewarded with views of remote ridgelines, glaciated terrain and snow-capped peaks.
While not considered a traditional “hike,” Quark’s "Ice Sheet Experience" enables gets to disembark from their helicopter, and walk on the Greenland Ice Sheet, the second-largest ice mass on the planet.
For more information, visit www.quarkexpeditions.com.
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