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Not An Atlas

By the numbers

The figures behind our reporting, each one published by someone accountable for it and linked to the source. Filter by region or topic, or shuffle and get lost.

206 figuresUpdated as we report
Polar · Cruise
85,195

Antarctic visitors who went ashore in 2025–26

Landed passengers rose about 6% even as total visitors fell 4.2% to 113,518. Fewer ships carried more people onto the ice.

Polar · Cruise
27,217

Antarctic cruise-only passengers, down from 36,769

Nearly all of last season's decline came from ships that sail past Antarctica without landing anyone, not from interest in going ashore.

Polar · Policy
500

Passengers above which a ship may not land anyone

Antarctic operators also allow one ship per site at a time, no more than 100 people ashore from a vessel and one guide per 20.

Polar · Cruise
21

Experts on the team of every Seabourn Antarctic voyage

Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit run 19 round trips from Ushuaia between November 2026 and March 2027.

Polar · Policy
43

Svalbard tourist landing sites in protected areas, from 2025

Landings in Svalbard's protected areas are limited to 43 mapped sites, against roughly 240 landing sites used across Svalbard in 2023.

Polar · Cruise
200

Maximum passengers on ships in Svalbard's protected areas

In force since 1 January 2025. Larger ships can no longer enter the national parks and nature reserves.

Polar · Cruise
26,491

HX citizen science entries, 2026 Arctic season

Guest contributions across nine research programmes over 31 Arctic sailings, HX's largest-ever science data collection, according to the company.

Source · HX Expeditions Read the story
Polar · Prices & Fees
US$4,000

Saving on Adventure Canada's shortest 2028 Passage fare

The 13-day Eastern Gateway starts at US$14,995 per person; the 17-day Into and Out of the Northwest Passage voyages start at US$18,995.

Polar · Cruise
86 days

St. Roch's 1944 east-to-west Northwest Passage transit

The RCMP schooner, launched in 1928, became the first vessel to cross the Passage in both directions. Its centenary sails in September 2028.

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