Antarctic Expedition Ross Sea Cruise

   
 
 

Epic Antarctica Ross Sea Discovery Cruise

Ross Sea Incl. Helicopters Antarctic Peninsula-Peter I

32 Days / 9 locations in Argentina, Antarctica, and New Zealand

A truly unique voyage of discovery to the southern parts of the Antarctic peninsula, Peter I Island, the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas into the Ross Sea, visiting Shackleton’s and Scott’s huts, Mc Murdo Station, the Dry Valleys and Campbell Island Island. Our strongest ice-class vessel, Ortelius will be equipped with helicopters. Be prepared for true emotion and one unforgettable memory!

Note: The Feb 11th departure is a reverse itinerary from New Zealand and ending in Ushuaia. and lasts for 30 nights instead of 32.

Itinerary

 
Day 1     Ushuaia
On Board the M/V Ortelius
Meals: Dinner

Ushuaia - In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

 
Days 2 - 3     At Sea
On Board the M/V Ortelius
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

At sea enroute to the Antarctic Peninsula

 
Day 4     Antarctic Peninsula
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We arrive in the Antarctic Peninsula and sail in the early morning through the spectacular Lemaire Channel and land on Pléneau Island, where Elephant Seals haul-out on the beaches. Gentoo Penguins, Kelp Gulls and South Polar Skuas are confirmed breeders. Pléneau Island was first charted by the French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-05 of Jean-Baptiste Charcot and was named after his expedition’s photographer Paul Pléneau. We will also visit Petermann Island with colonies of Adélie and Gentoo Penguins and Imperial Cormorants (Blue-eyed Shags). Petermann Island was named after the German geographer August Petermann who was a member of a German Expedition in 1873-74.

 
Day 5     Fish Islands
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Sailing south through the Penola Strait, we cross the Polar Circle and arrive at the Fish Islands. The small islands lying east of Flouder Island are called the Minnows, first charted by the British Graham Land Expedition (1934-37) of John Rymill. Detaille Island was discovered by the French expedition of Charcot (1903-05) and named for a shareholder in the Magellan Whaling Company. From 1956 till 1959, The British Antarctic Survey had their “Station W” located on Detaille Island. On both locations we may observe Adélie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags

 
Days 6 - 7     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Bellingshausen Sea, where we may see our first pack-ice

 
Day 8     Peter I Island
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Peter I Island or in Norwegian Peter I Øy is an uninhabited volcanic island (19 kilometres long) in the Bellingshausen Sea. It was discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen in 1821 and was named after the Russian Tsar Peter I. It is claimed by Norway and considered a territory on its own. It is sporadically visited by passenger vessels.

On earlier landings made by a staff member he saw groups of Elephant Seals and colonies of Southern Fulmars and Cape Pigeons

 
Days 9 - 14     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

These days we sail through the Amundsen Sea along and through the outer fringes of the pack-ice, which - depending on ice-conditions - will give us glimpses of the Antarctic Continent, while we take advantage of the west-going Antarctic coastal current. The sailing along and through the ice is very lively, with sightings of single straggling Emperor Penguins, groups of seals on ice-floes, and also Orca's and Minke Whales along the ice-edge, often accompanied by different species of fulmar petrels. If the sea-ice allows, we will try to land on Shephard Island in Marie Byrd Land among colonies of Chinstrap Penguins and South Polar Skua's. Shephard Island was discovered by the US Antarctic Expeditions (USAS) of 1939-41 and was named after one of the promoters of this expedition: John Shephard

 
Day 15     Ross Ice Shelf - Ross Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We approach the Ross Ice Shelf, a floating mass of land-ice, with a front 30 meters high. We intend to offer a helicopter landing on the Ross Ice Shelf.

In the Bay of Whales at the eastern side of the shelf, close to Roosevelt Island (named by the American aviator Richard E. Byrd in 1934 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt), Roald Amundsen gained access to the Shelf and ventured to the South Pole, where he finally arrived on 14 December 1911. For us it is perhaps a chance to climb on the shelf as well

 
Day 16     Ross Ice Shelf - Ross Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

We sail west along the Ross Ice Shelf

 
Days 17 - 21     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Ross Island, Cape Royds, Cape Evans

In the Ross Sea we intend to visit Ross Island, guarded by Mount Erebus, Mount Terror and Mount Byrd with all the famous spots which played such an important role in the dramatic British expeditions of the last century such as Cape Royds with the cabin of Ernest Shackleton. We also intend to visit Cape Evans with the cabin of Robert Falcon Scott; from Hut Point, Scott and his men set out for the South Pole. We will further make attempts to visit the US-station McMurdo and Scott Base (New Zealand). If ice and weather conditions are favourable, we will use the helicopters to offer landings. From Castle Rock we will have a great view across the Ross Ice Shelf toward the South Pole. We will have a view into Taylor Valley, one of the Dry Valleys, where on our planet you are closest to the conditions on Mars. For the Dry Valleys we plan to use our helicopters. This is just one example of helicopter use during this epic voyage.

 
Days 22 - 23     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Sailing northward along the eastern west coast of the Ross Sea, we pass by the Drygalski Ice Tongue and the Italian Station in Terra Nova Bay and further Cape Hallet

 
Day 24     Cape Adare
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Cape Adare is the place where people for the very first time wintered on the Antarctic Continent. The hut where the Norwegian Borchgrevink stayed in 1899 is surrounded by the largest colony of Adélie Penguins in the World

 
Days 25 - 29     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

At sea, working our way through the sea ice at the entrance of the Ross Sea. We sail along Scott Island and onwards toward Campbell Island.

 
Day 30     Campbell Island
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Campbell Island is a sub-Antarctic New Zealand Reserve and an Unesco World Heritage Site, with a luxuriant and blooming vegetation. The fauna on Campbell Island is fantastic with a large and easily accessible colony of Southern Royal Albatrosses on the main island and breeding Wandering, Campbell, Greyheaded, Blackbrowed, and Lightmantled Sooty Albatrosses on the satellite islands. Also three penguin species, Eastern Rockhopper, Erect-Crested and Yellow-Eyed Penguins breed here. In the 18th century seals were hunted to extinction, but Elephant Seals, Fur Seals and Sea Lions have recovered.

 
Day 31     At Sea
Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Making our way to Invercargill, New Zealand.

 
Day 32     Invercargill
Meals: Breakfast

We are in Bluff (New Zealand) where passengers disembark.

 

Notes

Helicopter Transfers

During the voyage we will transfer our passengers ashore by zodiac. But, we will also operate our two helicopters if zodiacs cannot be used. Potential candidates for helicopter transfers are Cape Evans (hut of Scott), Cape Royds (hut of Shackleton), Ross Ice Shelf at Bay of Whales and Kainan Bay, and Peter I Island.

Special Note Crossing The Date Line

This cruise has a total duration of 31 nights / 32 days. However, looking at the starting and ending dates of the voyages, it “seems” that it has a duration of 32 nights. This is explained by the fact that we cross the “date line” at 180 degrees longitude. Crossing the International Date Line, results in a day being added. In any case, the duration of the voyage is still 31 nights / 32 days

Price Includes

OCE-1269
1.28.15.WP26