Antarctica: Ross Sea and the Far Side

Next voyage departs Ushuaia, Argentina on 13 January 2020, ending in Bluff, New Zealand on 15 February 2020.

This voyage encompasses all Antarctica’s experiences:  wildlife, icy wilderness scenery, the Antarctic Circle, exploration history (explorers huts), the Ross ice shelf and helicopter landings.

The ambitious route, followed by the ship MV Ortelius, takes you beyond the Antarctic Peninsula, the final destination of many cruises, and travels down the rarely visited west coast of Antarctica proper to cross the Antarctic Circle en route to New Zealand. Way beyond the Antarctic Peninsula and the Phantom Coast, close to the shores of the Ross Sea, research stations cling to the ice shelves alongside the poignant reminders of the heroic, early expeditions. The ship’s itinerary is designed to stop at some of these sites, along with the wildlife-rich bays and islands – including the little-visited volcanic Peter 1 Island – where the cries of penguins and seabirds pierce the frozen austral silence of this most remote side of the world. The huts of Scott and Shackleton are well preserved and maintained. 

Conditions permitting, helicopter and Zodiac landings will allow you to set foot here and on the Ross Ice Shelf, Dry Valleys and Campbell Island (New Zealand).

The itinerary detailed here is for guidance only, and given the expeditionary nature of this voyage, changes are highly likely. Although 32 nights are spent on board, the ship arrives in New Zealand 33 calendar nights after leaving South America (please note that 1 calendar day is skipped as you cross the International Date Line from east to west).