Excellent
Based on 572 reviews
Quark Expeditions4.9Honesty, pricing, process and quality scores appear once 5 customers have rated them.
Quark Expeditions is an expedition travel company. The company offers Polar Region expeditions aboard purpose-built expedition ships and icebreakers and land-based trips.
Quark Expeditions (quarkexpeditions.com) has 572 customer reviews on Folks Told, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5.
572 approved reviews, newest moderated first
Christine
Rich polar experience, solid plan while facing unpredictable weather and ice condition. Bring us on snowhill island to visit the emperor penguin colony. I really appreciated whole expedition teams effort. Thanks everyone !
Barbara
Truly amazing experience! The Wuark expedition team went above and beyond to fulfill our mission of seeing emperor penguins on snow hill island. The team was extremely professional, knowledgeable and at the same time entertaining, and always safety minded. The on board crew was amazing with their service, professionalism and personal touch. I would highly recommend Quark for your polar adventure!
Juliette
This was by far the best trip I have ever taken. If you like adventure this is the trip for you. The crew and staff were amazing and the places we went and the amazing views were breathtaking. I went to Antartica for 11 days with Quark expeditions and I wish it would have lasted longer. Brought a book to read and a puzzle to do, but never had any chance to open either one!!
ANTONY MARK JOSHUA P.
One of the greatest travel experiences that I have ever had! What really made the trip was kayaking through the attic everyday. The staff were knowledgeable about the environment, and house keeping did an excellent job at keeping the ship clean even during the Drake shake. There was a lot of attention to detail in everything they did, and did a good job at managing expectations while delivering above and beyond.
Sarah W.
Just returned from a 19 day trip to Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica Peninsula. Due to bad weather the Falklands visit was cancelled. Spent 5 days at sea. Hotel Quark booked in Ushuaia was awful. Rooms, service and food were bad. Loved the ship Ocean Explorer. Ship’s Captain and Expedition leader were clearly very experienced and excellent. The main experienced lecturers on the cruise were also excellent. Main issues were:- On booking it should be made very clear that the itinerary is likely to be changed. Passengers were not treated equally. The younger expedition zodiac drivers lacked social skills, customer awareness and knowledge. At the end of the cruise the suggested tipping for the ships staff was a shock to many passengers. Either pay them properly or warn the passengers in advance. Tipping should be a personal choice.
Reply from Quark ExpeditionsFeb 26, 2026
Hi Sarah, Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback following your expedition. We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed Ocean Explorer and that the Ship’s Captain, Expedition Leader, and lecturers made a strong impression—your recognition of their experience and leadership is truly appreciated. We’re sorry for the disappointment caused by weather-related changes, including the cancellation of the visit to the Falklands. Expedition itineraries in the Polar Regions are always subject to environmental conditions, and while flexibility is a core part of expedition travel, we acknowledge your feedback on the importance of setting those expectations as clearly as possible at the time of booking. Your comments regarding onboard consistency, interactions with some members of the Expedition Team, and the tipping guidance have been shared internally. This feedback is valuable to us as we continue refining training, guest communications, and end-of-voyage processes to ensure a more seamless and equitable experience for all guests. We also regret to hear about your experience at the pre-expedition hotel in Ushuaia and will be passing this along to the appropriate teams for review. Thank you again for your thoughtful feedback and for traveling with us. Thank you, The Quark Expeditions Team
JONI
Excellent Antarctica expedition with Quark. The entire staff was very knowledgeable, friendly and well trained to manage all excursions. The ship was in excellent condition and very comfortable and the food was good. I highly recommend Quark for an incredible and fun visit to Antarctica.
Les C.
Antarctica itself is awesome but close second to that was the Quark expedition team. They did 110% everyday to make this trip special and were great at working together to do it. Highest recommendations.
Aruna
Lovely ship, excellent service, great shore expeditions and very informative presentations. Overall, a wonderful experience.
