Secret Atlas vs Oceanwide Expeditions: which is better?

No score and no verdict of ours: what Secret Atlas and Oceanwide Expeditions each publish on their own websites, read 9 November 2026, topic by topic, each line linked to the page it came from.

Secret Atlas vs Oceanwide Expeditions: which is better?

Neither is better for everyone: Secret Atlas carries 12 guests on Vikingfjord and Freya and 36 on Aureum and prices 8 days in Svalbard from 19 May 2027 at £9,500, while Oceanwide Expeditions sails four ships and prices Around Spitsbergen, 19 to 28 July 2027, from US$6,250 in a quadruple cabin.

What is each line?

Secret Atlas runs its own scheduled Expedition Micro Cruises to the polar regions as tour operator and expedition organiser; it also sells private charters. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions runs polar expedition voyages in the Arctic and Antarctica on its own fleet and says it began in 1993 from a university research programme in the northern Netherlands. Source

Which ships does each line sail?

Secret Atlas sails its scheduled voyages on Vikingfjord and Freya in Svalbard and Greenland and on Aureum in South Georgia and Antarctica, without saying whether it owns them. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions sails m/v Hondius, m/v Ortelius, m/v Plancius and the sailing vessel s/v Rembrandt van Rijn; it has signed a letter of intent for two eco-sail expedition vessels from 2029. Source

How many guests are on board?

Secret Atlas carries 12 guests on Vikingfjord and on Freya and 36 on Aureum. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

Where does each line sail?

Secret Atlas sells named voyages in Svalbard, East Greenland, South Georgia, the Falklands, the Antarctic Peninsula and the Antarctic Circle. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions sells named voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic Circle, the Weddell Sea, the Bellingshausen Sea, South Georgia and the Falklands, Svalbard, Northeast and East Greenland, Iceland and the North Sea. Source

What ice class are the ships?

Secret Atlas describes Freya as having a sturdy, ice-strengthened 1A hull and Vikingfjord as a new ice-strengthened ship; it gives no Polar Class. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions says Hondius holds Polar Class 6 and Ortelius UL1 (both equivalent to 1A-Super) and Plancius ice-class notation 1D; it calls Hondius the world's first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel. Source

Who leads the landings?

Secret Atlas keeps a 1:6 guide ratio in the Arctic and in Antarctica and South Georgia, with leaders and specialists in marine biology, ornithology, geology, glaciology, polar science and wildlife photography. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions puts an expedition leader in charge of naturalists, scientists and guides, with one mountain guide to every 6 to 8 skiers on ski mountaineering voyages. Source

How much time ashore?

Secret Atlas says it lands all guests at once, twelve or thirty-six, with two Zodiacs in the Arctic and four in Antarctica rather than shuttling them in shifts. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions includes all shore excursions and Zodiac activities, with hikes of about 2 to 3 hours and long hikes of about 6 hours. Source

What can you do off the ship?

Secret Atlas offers glacier hikes and Zodiac cruises on its Svalbard voyages; it does not say which activities are included or extra. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions includes camping (8 to 30 campers), kayaking, snowshoeing, mountaineering and a photo workshop free on Basecamp voyages; snowshoeing and hiking carry no surcharge, diving costs extra and select Ortelius voyages use helicopters. Source

What does a voyage cost?

Secret Atlas prices the Svalbard Spring Micro Cruise, 8 days on Vikingfjord departing 19 May 2027, at £9,500 or US$12,500 per person in a Signature Twin/Double. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions prices Antarctica Basecamp on m/v Hondius, 12 nights round trip from Ushuaia, 23 November to 5 December 2026, from 10,150 USD per person in a Quadruple Porthole cabin. Source

What does the fare include?

Oceanwide Expeditions' fares include all meals with snacks, coffee and tea, all shore excursions and Zodiac activities, lectures, free use of rubber boots and snowshoes on Plancius, Ortelius and Hondius, port charges and taxes; airfare, insurance, wifi, bar charges and gratuities are extra. Source

Secret Atlas does not publish this on the pages read.

What do solo travellers pay?

Secret Atlas sells single cabins at their own prices, plus female-only and male-only cabin shares; it states no single supplement percentage. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions charges single occupancy at 1.7 times the Twin or Superior cabin rate, or lets solo travellers share a Twin, Triple or Quadruple cabin at no extra cost in male-only or female-only berths. Source

How much is the deposit?

Secret Atlas takes 30% on booking, 30% six months before departure and 40% three months before when you book more than six months ahead; inside three months the full fare is due on booking. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

What happens if you cancel?

Secret Atlas never refunds the initial 30% deposit; cancel 3 months or more before departure and anything paid above it is refunded, less bank fees and a £/$/€250 processing fee, while under 3 months nothing is refunded. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions does not publish this on the pages read.

What insurance do you need?

Secret Atlas makes travel insurance a condition of joining, shown at or before final payment, covering repatriation, emergency evacuation and search and rescue, cancellation, medical expenses and luggage; it names no minimum sum. Source

Oceanwide Expeditions strongly recommends baggage, cancellation and personal insurance, which its fares do not include. Source

Can children come?

Oceanwide Expeditions gives children under 16 sailing with parents a 40% discount in Grand Suite, Superior, Triple and Quadruple cabins on request, with some voyages excluded. Source

Secret Atlas does not publish this on the pages read.

When is each not the fit?

The limits below are published by each line on their own websites.

• Secret Atlas: not the fit if your mobility is limited: it says its expeditions are intended for persons of reasonably good health and mobility. Source
• Oceanwide Expeditions: not the fit if you count on camping or kayaking on any departure: each needs a minimum group (8 campers, 4 kayakers) and camping is capped at 30. Source

How do their reviews compare?

Their figures per platform, read 9 November 2026, each from a listing under the line's own name; a whole-company profile is marked. Figures are never added together.

• Secret Atlas: Google: 5.0 out of 5 from 82 reviews. Read 9 November 2026.
• Oceanwide Expeditions: Google: 4.5 out of 5 from 66 reviews. Read 9 November 2026.

The lines at a glance

One card each, as on every Uncompromised Travel expedition page: what each sells, why to choose each, what to ask for and the limits each publishes.

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 9 November 2026 · updated 9 November 2026