‘Having started my career working on smaller boats, I’m excited to get back to my roots and join Secret Atlas in its mission to make polar expeditions low impact, personal and more sustainable,’ commented Curiel.
‘Secret Atlas offers a level of comfort, flexibility and a true sense of wilderness experience, as well as a human approach that is so important to the conscious modern traveller of today.
‘As a start-up operation Secret Atlas can be nimble to the desires of its guests and respond to making polar expeditions as environmentally efficient as possible, this is an exciting prospect to help shape a brand with exploration and conservation at its core.’
New ship, new product
This comes as Secret Atlas prepares to launch new tours to Svalbard onboard its new vessel Vikingfjord in July. The ship’s engine will allow NOx reductions of up to 95%. It has a 1B rating for exploring the polar regions and can navigate hard to reach areas. Itineraries will include expedition micro cruises, specialist photography expeditions and bespoke private charters.
In 2024 new tours will be available to Greenland and Antarctica, with destinations such as the Canadian Arctic on the horizon.
Secret Atlas co-founder Andy Marsh remarked, ‘We’re delighted to welcome Mariano to the team at an exciting time for Secret Atlas as we launch our new Greenland product for 2024 and introduce our newest micro cruise vessel in Svalbard, Vikingfjord. This is a great development for Secret Atlas as it strengthens our core team by having such an experienced expedition industry veteran onboard who shares the same passion and vision for the exploration and protection of the polar regions.’
Participated in more than 200 polar expeditions
Born and raised in Argentina, Curiel is a senior polar guide and expedition leader with a wealth of experience in the execution and management of operations.
He first witnessed Antarctica just after obtaining a university degree in communications and strategic planning in Buenos Aires. Today, he has 20 years’ experience in guiding and leading projects in the Antarctic, Greenland, and Svalbard and has participated in more than 200 sea, land, and ice-based polar expeditions. He has sailed pole to pole, becoming the first Argentinian to ski across Greenland in 2016.
Curiel has been working with Antarctica21 since 2010 contributing to the executive management of the operations, specialising in expedition performance, delivery and team development. As well as acting as one of the company representatives at IAATO, he is one of the founding members and former VP of the Polar Tourism Guides Association.
Secret Atlas
Launched in 2019, Secret Atlas offers micro cruises comprising 12 passengers. The line is currently operating expedition and photography micro cruises and private charters in Svalbard.
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