Prepare for an exceptional journey, filled with genuine emotion and unforgettable images.
Day 1 - Departure from Ushuaia
In the mid-afternoon, transfer from your hotel to the embarkation pier.
Start of the cruise and introduction to the expedition team. The ship leaves Tierra del Fuego for Antarctica. First night at sea.
Days 2 and 3 - Crossing the Drake Passage
During this crossing, we offer lectures introducing the region and the wildlife that can be observed there.
You will also be briefed on the code of conduct to follow when visiting Antarctica, in accordance with IAATO regulations.
You are also welcome on deck or the bridge to observe the numerous birds following the ship, including southern giant petrels, black-browed albatrosses and Cape petrels.
Day 4 - Graham Land - Pendleton Strait
Upon reaching Antarctica and Graham Land, the ship crosses the spectacular Lemaire Channel to anchor off Pléneau Island.
This is where you will have your first opportunities to see Adélie penguins and begin to see spectacular icebergs.
The area was first charted by Commander Charcot's expedition in 1903-1905.
Visit to Petermann Island, where Charcot wintered in 1909.
Days 5 and 6 - Bellingshausen Sea
Crossing the Antarctic Circle and continuing into the Bellingshausen Sea towards Peter I Island.
Day 7 - Peter I Island
Discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen in 1821, Peter I is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Antarctica.
Jean-Baptiste Charcot sighted the island during his expedition aboard the “Pourquoi-Pas?”. He came within 1 to 2 miles of the coast and discovered a dark mass shrouded in cloud but could not land, as its glacial front made access difficult and landing by boat risky due to falling ice séracs.
The island is very rarely visited by cruise ships. Weather permitting, a first helicopter flight will give you access to this remote island.
Days 8 to 14 - Amundsen Sea
Over the following days, the ship crosses the Amundsen Sea along the edge of the pack ice and, depending on ice conditions, you should be able to see the Antarctic continent. Ice conditions vary from year to year. If sea ice is present, emperor penguins, groups of seals hauled out on the pack ice, orcas and minke whales along the ice edge, as well as various species of fulmarine petrels, may be observed in the region.
Days 15 to 17 - Ross Ice Shelf
Entry into the Ross Sea from the east, heading south towards the Bay of Whales and near Roosevelt Island (named in 1934 by American aviator Richard E. Byrd after President Franklin D. Roosevelt).
The Bay of Whales is part of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in the world, which is constantly evolving as ice masses calve. Large icebergs are present here, along with great opportunities for wildlife.
Roald Amundsen accessed the plateau towards the South Pole, which he reached on December 14, 1911.
Conditions permitting, a helicopter flight over the ice shelf is planned.
During this crossing, you will cross the International Date Line.
Days 18 to 20 - Ross Sea
The goal now is to discover Ross Island. Here you will be able to see Mount Erebus, Mount Terror and Mount Byrd, as well as many other famous sites that played an important role in last century's British expeditions: Cape Royds, where Ernest Shackleton's hut still stands; Cape Evans, where Robert Falcon Scott's hut can still be seen; and Hut Point, from where Scott and his men set out for the South Pole.
If ice blocks the passage but weather conditions are favorable, helicopters may be used to land at one or more sites in the region. The American McMurdo Station and New Zealand's Scott Base are other places you might visit. From McMurdo Station, you can also take a 10 km hike to Castle Rock, where you can admire superb views of the Ross Ice Shelf and towards the South Pole.
In addition, you may be able to make a helicopter landing in Taylor Valley, one of the Dry Valleys, where conditions are closer to those on Mars than anywhere else on Earth.
Days 21 and 22 - Inexpressible Island
Sailing north along the west coast of the Ross Sea, you will pass the Drygalski Ice Tongue and Terra Nova Bay.
Ice conditions permitting, you will then reach Inexpressible Island, whose history is fascinating, tied to the lesser-known northern party of Captain Scott's expedition. It is also home to a large Adélie penguin colony.
If sea ice prevents entry into Terra Nova Bay, you may instead head further north to the protected area of Cape Hallett and its own Adélie colony.
Day 23 - Cape Adare
You will then attempt to land at Cape Adare, where men first wintered on the Antarctic continent: the Norwegian Borchgrevink stayed there in 1899, sheltering in a hut that is still surrounded by the world's largest Adélie penguin colony.
Day 24 - From the Ross Sea to the Southern Ocean
Sailing through the pack ice at the entrance to the Ross Sea, you will begin your journey north across the Southern Ocean.
The aim is to chart a course towards the Balleny Islands, depending on weather conditions.
Day 25 - The Balleny Islands
The planned route passes through the Balleny Islands archipelago and Sturge Island, which you will reach in the afternoon.
You will get a clear sense of these remote, wind-swept islands.
You will then cross the Antarctic Circle to continue your voyage north.
Days 26 to 28 - Crossing the Southern Ocean
You enter once again the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean.
Seabirds are prolific on this leg, during which we hope you will enjoy favorable weather conditions.
In 2020, due to the lack of authorization from New Zealand authorities to land on the Macquarie Islands, this stage was replaced by a landing on Enderby Island, placed after the visit to the Campbell Islands.
Day 29: Macca, aka Macquarie Island
Macca, also known as Macquarie Island, is a Tasmanian State Reserve that became a World Heritage Site in 1997. The Australian Antarctic Division has its permanent base on this island, which was discovered by Australian sealer Frederick Hasselborough while searching for new hunting grounds. The wildlife of Macquarie is remarkable, with colonies of king penguins, gentoo penguins and southern rockhopper penguins — as well as nearly a million breeding pairs of the endemic royal penguin. Southern elephant seals and various species of fur seals, such as the New Zealand fur seal, are also present.
Day 30: Northwest towards Campbell Island
Heading northwest towards Campbell Island, you will once again be followed by numerous seabirds.
Day 31: The abundant birdlife of Campbell Island
Today's program is a visit to the New Zealand Subantarctic Reserve and World Heritage Site of Campbell Island, home to lush vegetation.
Campbell Island's wildlife is also a highlight, with large and easily accessible colonies of southern royal albatrosses on the main island.
The satellite islands host breeding grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses and sooty albatrosses.
Three breeding penguin species are also present: Eudyptes chrysocome filholi (a subspecies of the rockhopper penguin), the erect-crested penguin (also called Sclater's penguin) and the yellow-eyed penguin.
In the 18th century, seals in the region were hunted to the point of extinction, but elephant seals, fur seals and sea lions have since recovered.
Day 32 - Crossing to Bluff
Sailing to Bluff, accompanied by numerous seabirds.
Day 33 - Bluff (New Zealand)
Disembarkation in the early morning at the port of Bluff and bus transfer to Invercargill (25 km).
