The
Peninsula, Ross Sea, Helicopters
Antarctic Cruise and Adventure Travel With Cool Antarctica and Ice Tracks
All the highlights of Antarctica in one voyage. Peter I
Island, the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas into the Ross Sea,
the Ross Ice-shelf, Dry Valleys, McMurdo Station, Macquarie
Island, Campbell Island and the historic huts of Scott and Shackleton.
Kayaking, snow-shoeing.
33 Days | Depart:
13/01/22, 16/02/22 | Prices from $27,400
Information:
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Regions:
Antarctic Peninsula |
South Georgia |
South Shetland Islands |
Falkland Islands

Summary : An extraordinary voyage of the best that Antarctica has to offer to visitors. The Peninsula and East Antarctica are the two most visited regions. Usually a cruise to Antarctica means choosing one of these over the other, while trips to the Ross sea mean fairly long sea voyages to get to Antarctica and back. This trip combines the areas and maximizes the time spent in spectacular landscapes without having to choose, you will encounter everything, vast ice-shelves, abundant wildlife, enormous icebergs, the remotest places on the planet and historical sites.
You will sail along the Ross Ice Shelf, see prolific wildlife and visit rarely visited Marie Byrd land in west Antarctica. The Peninsula dazzles with mountains and icescapes, expect to see thousands of seals and millions of penguins in the World Heritage sites of Australian and New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands, following in the footsteps of Scott, Ross, Amundsen, and Shackleton.
Embark: Ushuaia, Argentina / Disembark: Bluff, New Zealand
13/01/22, the 16/02/22 departure runs in the opposite direction.
Rates: $27,400 quadruple, $34,500 - $39,500 per person, double occupancy
Ship - M/V Ortelius - Research Ship - Passengers: 116
M/V ortelius
Itinerary
This itinerary on 13th January 2022 departures, reverse on 16/02/2022
Day 1 - Ushuaia, Argentina / Embark
Arriving
in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Starting in
the afternoon, you embark and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle
Channel for the remainder of the evening.
Days 2 - 3 At Sea / Drake Passage
Settle
into shipboard life, you enjoy some of the same experiences
encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these
regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale
spouting up sea spray, spot albatross and other seabirds that
glide alongside the ship.
Day 4 - Antarctic Peninsula
You arrive
at the Antarctic Peninsula near the Antarctic Circle in the
afternoon. If sea ice allows it, you can then continue through
Pendleton Strait and attempt a landing at the rarely visited
southern tip of Renaud Island. Here you have the opportunity
to see the first Adelie penguins of the trip as well as enjoy
spectacular views of the icebergs in this surreal, snow-swept
environment.
Antarctic Peninsula
Day 5 - 6 - Bellingshausen Sea
From the
peninsula you head toward the open sea, your course set for
Peter I Island.
Day 7 - Peter Island
An uninhabited volcanic
island in the Bellingshausen Sea, discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen
in 1821 and named after Peter the Great of Russia. The island
is claimed by Norway and considered its own territory, though
it is rarely visited by passenger vessels due to its exposed
nature. If weather and ice conditions allow, you may enjoy a
helicopter landing on the glaciated northern part of the island.
This is a unique chance to land on one of the most remote islands
in the world.
Days 8 - 14 - Amundsen Sea
You then sail
through the Amundsen Sea, moving along and through the outer
fringes of the pack ice. Ice conditions are never the same from
year to year, though we aim to take advantage of the opportunities
that arise if sea ice is present. Emperor penguins, groups of
seals lounging on the ice floes, orca and minke whales along
the ice edge, and different species of fulmarine petrels are
possible sights in this area.
Day 15 - 20 - Ross Ice Shelf and Ross Sea
On these days we navigate some of the most remote regions
of the planet, as you explore the Ross Sea, just like Scott,
Shackleton, and James Clark Ross (the 19th-century explorer
for whom this sea is named). Here, you'll see the impressive
Ross Ice Shelf, the world's largest, and the TransAntarctic
Mountain Chain. Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf is enormous, covering
182,000 square miles - the size of France - and the edge of
the ice shelf is a wall of ice towering over the water by as
much as 200 feet, with the majority of the ice below the waterline.
The Ross Ice Shelf plays an important role in stabilizing the
Antarctic ice sheet, buttressing the ice that is constantly
moving over the land surface. Spot colonies of Adelie penguins,
lazy seals, and majestic whales. You may make a helicopter landing
on the ice shelf if conditions allow. During this part of the
voyage, we will also cross the International Date Line.
Day 21 - 22 - The coast to inexpressible Island
Sailing north along the west coast of the Ross Sea,
you pass the Drygalski Ice Tongue and Terra Nova Bay. If ice
conditions allow, a landing will be made at Inexpressible Island,
the site of an enforced winter in awful (inexpressible) conditions
by the less-known Northern Party of Captain Scott's expedition.
It is also home to a large Adelie penguin rookery. Should sea
ice prevent entry into Terra Nova Bay, you may head farther
north to the protected area of Cape Hallett and its own Adelie
rookery.
Day 23 - Cape Adare
An attempted landing
at Cape Adare, the site of the first wintering on the Antarctic
Continent: Norwegian Borchgrevink stayed in here 1899, taking
shelter in a hut that to this day is surrounded by the largest
colony of Adelie penguins in the world.
Cape Adare, Borchgrevinks Hut
Day 24 - Ross Sea to the Southern Ocean
Leaving the sea ice at the entrance of the Ross Sea,
you start your journey north through the Southern Ocean.
Day 25 - The Balleny Islands
The intended
route is past Sturge Island in the afternoon, getting an impression
of these windswept and remote islands before crossing the Antarctic
Circle.
Days 26 - 28 - Sailing Amongst seabirds
With whales beneath and birds above, watch for marine life in
the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean.
Day 29 - Macquarie Island
A Tasmanian
State Reserve and World Heritage Site, the Australian Antarctic
Division has its permanent base on this island. grounds. The
fauna on Macquarie is fantastic, and there are colonies of king,
gentoo, and southern rockhopper penguins - as well as almost
one million breeding pairs of the endemic royal penguin. Elephant
seals and various fur seal species, such as the New Zealand
fur seal, are also present.
King Penguin at Macquarie Island
Day 30 - Northwest to Campbell Island
Followed by numerous seabirds, head northwest to Campbell
Island.
Day 31 - Campbell Island's bounteous birdlife
The plan today is to visit the sub-Antarctic New Zealand
Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Campbell Island. Amongst
its luxuriantly blooming vegetation are large and easily accessible
colonies of seabirds such as southern royal albatrosses and
three breeding penguin species, eastern rockhopper, erect-crested,
and yellow-eyed. In the 18th century, seals in the area were
hunted to extinction, but the elephant seals, fur seals, and
sea lions have since recovered.
Day 32 - At sea the last of the Southern Ocean
Take in the vast horizons of your final sea day before
you reach New Zealand.
Day 33 - Bluff, New Zealand / Disembark
You disembark in Bluff, the southernmost town in New
Zealand, and return home with memories that will accompany you
wherever your next adventure lies.
Included:
- Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated
in the itinerary.
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship
including snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout
the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and
leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel
on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
- Group transfer from the vessel in Bluff to the
airport in Invercargill.
- Ship-to-shore helicopter transfers (with no
specific amount of helicopter time guaranteed).
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges
throughout the programme.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Not Included:
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter
flights.
- Pre- and post- land arrangements.
- Passport and visa expenses.
- Government arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance
(which is mandatory).
- Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal
nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and
telecommunication charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Antarctica Ross Sea Region - Sample Cruises - 2021 / 2022
Trip | Highlights | Prices USD* | Days |
---|---|---|---|
The Ross Sea and Helicopters, Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea | East Antarctica, Ross Sea, Emperor Penguins, West Antarctica, Peninsula, Sub-Antarctic Islands. | $27,400 - $39,500 |
33 |
The Ross Sea Region - Historic Huts | Auckland Islands, Macquarie and Campbell Islands, Explore the Ross Sea, Historic Huts, Ross Ice Shelf, McMurdo base. | $23,000 - $32,000 |
30 |
* Prices are based per person, the lowest price is usually for triple occupancy in a basic cabin, the highest for double occupancy in the best available suite.
Options may be at additional cost and are usually booked when the cruise is booked - it may be too late once the cruise has started.
Contact me about a trip to the Antarctic!
Our partner company, Ice Tracks
UK based and ATOL protected, will help you find the perfect trip to Antarctica, all enquiries will be answered from our office in Warwickshire.
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Departures from late October to early March
Dozens of trips - unique combinations of ship + itinerary
Choice of ships - 108 to 139 passenger capacity
$8,050 to $40,000
10 to 33 days

