21 Famous Polar Explorers You Should Know

The Arctic and Antarctic are full of stories of famous polar explorers, from tales of human triumph, survival and exploration to ill-fated quests that led to tragedy.

One of the main reasons I have repeatedly returned to the polar regions is to see firsthand the different places described in the polar history books that have captured my imagination.

From the iconic Point Wild on Elephant Island in Antarctica, where Ernest Shackleton and his men were stranded, to the North Pole, first reached by Roald Amundsen on his airship Norge, the polar regions are full of captivating places you can visit.   

Thanks to the advent of modern expedition cruise ships, you do not have to be a seasoned polar explorer to see these sights for yourself. With Polar Escapes, you can visit famous polar explorers’ sites safely and comfortably on our large selection of polar expedition cruises and tours to the polar regions.

From modern-day explorers to early pioneers, here is my list of the Top 21 Famous Polar Explorers You Should Know:

1. Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874 – 1922)

One of the most famous Antarctic explorers, in 1908, Ernest Shackleton became the closest person to the South Pole on the British Antarctic Expedition. Due to a lack of supplies, he turned back just 97 nautical miles from the South Pole. The expedition, however, did record many firsts, including the first summit of Mount Erebus. Today, it is possible to visit Shackleton’s hut in Cape Royds.

Shackleton then led the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Endurance expedition in 1914. When his ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice, it led to one of the most daring rescue attempts in history to try to reach the Antarctic peninsula.

Shackleton and five of his men sailed 800 miles in the lifeboat The James Caird from Point Wild on Elephant Island in Antarctica to South Georgia to seek rescue. All men survived in a true miracle and as a testament to Shackleton’s leadership.   

2. Ann Bancroft (1955 – )

In 1986, Bancroft became the first woman to reach the North Pole, crossing the pack ice on foot and dogsled on an arduous 56-day expedition. In 1993, Bancroft made history again by reaching the South Pole, becoming the first woman to reach the North and South Poles by crossing the ice.  

3.Roald Amundsen (1872 – 1928)

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen holds one of the most extensive accolades of any polar explorer. In 1906, Amundsen was the first to navigate the entire Northwest Passage on his ship Gjøa.

In 1911, Amundsen and four other team members became the first men to reach the South Pole, narrowly beating Scott, who arrived one month later. He is also accredited as the first person to reach the North Pole in 1926 on the Norge airship.

Did you know visiting the North Pole on an icebreaker cruise today is possible? See our North Pole Cruises to find out more.

4. Robert Falcon Scott (1868 – 1912)

Robert Falcon Scott led two critical expeditions to Antarctica. The Discovery Expedition of 1901 – 1904 was credited with reaching the most southerly latitude at the time, 82 degrees south, and discovering the Antarctic Plateau.

On the second expedition, Scott aimed to be the first to reach the South Pole but was narrowly beaten by Roald Amundsen. Tragically, Scott and his men perished in a blizzard in the harsh Antarctic Environment on their return.

5. Fridtjof Nansen (1861 – 1930)

Norweigan explorer Nansen made history with the first crossing of Greenland on skis in 1888, an incredible polar achievement for the time.

Not continent with this one adventure. In 1893, Nansen set out on his ship, Fram, to attempt to reach the North Pole. His theory was to lock the ship in the ice and drift to the North Pole. He didn’t make it to the furthest point north but set the record for the time.  

6. Knud Rasmussen (1879 – 1933)

Knud Rasmussen was a Greenlandic and Danish explorer who was often overlooked in history. Through his Thule expeditions, Rasmussen became the grandfather of Inuit Studies, collecting important ethnographic work throughout his travels in Greenland and Canada. He is also credited with being the first European to cross the Northwest Passage on a dog sledge.

7. Robert Peary (1856 – 1920)

Peary was an American explorer who claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole in 1908. Although the claim was credited at the time, it is now highly disputed. It is estimated he could have made it to within 100 miles of the pole, which was a massive achievement for the time.

Peary also led several notable expeditions in Greenland. In 1886, he attempted to determine whether the landmass of Greenland extended all the way to the North Pole. Peary was notable as one of the few explorers to have studied Inuit survival techniques.

8. Felicity Aston (1978 – )

In 2012, Felicity became the first female to ski across the Antarctic landmass on a solo expedition, covering 1,084 miles. Other notable achievements include leading the first all-female expedition to cross the Greenland ice sheet in 2006.

9. Sir James Clark Ross (1800 – 1862 )

James Clark Ross played an important part in the discovery of Antarctica. Between 1839 and 1843, he charted a large proportion of Antarctica’s frozen coastline and is credited with the discovery of the Ross Sea, after which he was named in East Antarctica. He is also credited with the discovery of the Ross Ice Shelf, one of the most iconic sites on an expedition cruise to East Antarctica.

10. Sir Edmund Hillary (1919 – 2008)

Famous as the first person to summit Mount Everest, Hillary also played a role in polar exploration. In 1958, he reached the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. At the time, no one had reached the South Pole since Amundsen and Scotts’ expeditions nearly fifty years before. They also became the first group to reach the South Pole using motorized vehicles.

11. Sir John Franklin (1786 – 1847)

Sir John Franklin was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer who attempted to traverse the Northwest Passage 3 times. In 1847, Sir John Franklin departed England on his third expedition with two ships, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, but was never seen again. A great deal of mystery surrounds the ill-fated expedition, although notes and skeletons were later found by search parties in 1857. Today, the graves of 3 of Franklin’s men can be seen on Beechey Island in the Northwest Passage.   

12. Polar Preet Chandri MBE (1989 – )

Not all polar records and achievements were set in the distant past. In 2023, Preet Chandri recorded the longest solo and unsupported polar expedition across the Antarctic continent. Chandri is also the fastest woman to ski to the South Pole. The question is, what will her next expedition be?

13. Douglas Mawson (1882 -1958)

Douglas Mawson was a geologist and Antarctic explorer, a prominent figure in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first experience in the Antarctic was on the Shackleton Nimrod expedition, and one of the party to be first to climb Mount Erebus.

Mawson later led his Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911, mapping the coastline and collecting geological samples. The expedition turned into a survival story when he missed the ship Aurora by a mere few hours and had to endure a second winter in Antarctica.

14. Caroline Mikkelsen (1906 -1998)

In 1935, polar explorer Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to step foot in Antarctica. Travelling with her husband on a mission to find Antarctic lands that Norway could annex, they made landfall on the Tryne Islands just off the coast of the mainland, where they hoisted the Norwegian flag.   

15. Barbara Hillary (1906 -2019)

Polar explorers come from all walks of life. In 2007, Barbara Hillary became the oldest person and the first black woman to reach the North Pole at the age of 75. What is unique about her story is that she didn’t become interested in polar exploration until after she retired from her job as a nurse. She had to undergo intense training and learn to ski to participate in the expedition.

Five years after reaching the North Pole, Barbara became the first African American woman to reach the South Pole.

16. Ranulph Fines (1944 -)

One of the world’s greatest living polar explorers, Ranulph Fiennes, was the first person to reach both the north and south poles across the ice. He is also the first person in history to have crossed the Antarctic continent by foot. If those achievements were not enough, at the age of 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. He was awarded the Polar Medal for his achievements.

17. Frank Wild (1873 – 1939)

Known as Ernest Shackleton’s right-hand man, Frank Wild was an important figure during the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration. Frank Wild would participate in multiple expeditions to Antarctica, including Scott\s discovery expedition, Shackleton Nimrod expedition, Douglas Mawson Aurora expedition and as the second in command on the Imperial Trans/Arctic expedition.

Point Wild on Elephant Island is named after Frank Wild, who waited while Shackleton set off on a rescue mission to South Georgia. In 2011, many years after his death, Frank Wild’s ashes were taken to South Georgia and placed next to Ernest Shackleton’s grave.

18. Salomon August Andrée (1854 – 1897)

One of the first to attempt to reach the North Pole was Swedish polar explorer S.A. Andree in 1897. Andree’s method of transport was a helium-filled balloon named The Eagle. The plan was to take off from Svalbard and be blown all the way to the North Pole, but Andree and two other expedition members were never seen alive again. In 1930, an expedition discovered the bodies of Andree and his companions on the remote island of Kvitoya, along with photographs of the ill-fated voyage.

19. Ingrid Christensen (1891 – 1976)

Ingrid Christensen is widely believed to be the first woman to land on the mainland of Antarctica. An avid polar explorer, she joined her husband’s Antarctic expeditions and has a large section of East Antarctica named after her—the Ingrid Christensen Coast. In 1937, she became the first woman to fly over Antarctica.

20. Frank Hurley (1885 – 1962)

Frank Hurley, a photographer and polar explorer, was one of the most important figures in polar exploration. During his lifetime, Hurley spent more than four years in Antarctica, first as Mawson’s photographer on the Australian Antarctic Expedition. Hurley then documented Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition and captured countless iconic images. The famous images detailed the Endurance becoming trapped and sinking in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea and Shackleton leaving Point Wild on his famous rescue attempt to South Georgia.

21. Captain James Cook (1728 – 1779)

Captain James Cook was one of history’s greatest explorers and is credited with mapping much of the Pacific Ocean. He led three major voyages to discover Antarctica, which at the time had never been seen. Although Cook did manage to cross the Antarctic Circle, becoming the first person to do so, he never saw the seventh continent.

On Cook’s second voyage, they first landed on South Georgia and discovered the South Sandwich Islands for the first time.

Famous Polar Explorers Summary

In my personal experience, nothing brings history to life more than visiting the historic sites of polar exploration. From the Shackleton Hike in South Georgia to seeing Point Wild in Antarctica, the polar regions are fascinating places to explore.  

Are you feeling inspired to be a polar explorer yourself?

Many of Polar Escapes’ expeditions visit the sites of these explorers in safety. Onboard ships, guides and historians bring the stories of famous polar explorers to life.

We offer the greatest selection of ships and expedition cruises, so you can comfortably follow in the footsteps of famous explorers.

To find out more, please visit our Arctic and Antarctica cruises.