Unexplored Antarctica between Two Continents 31 Days

Unexplored Antarctica between Two Continents 31 Days

Prices From £54,278pp
January to February | 30 nights

Unexplored Antarctica between Two Continents 31 Days

Aboard: Le Commandant Charcot

Embark on the ultimate Antarctic adventure aboard Le Commandant Charcot, where the spirit of legendary explorers lives on. Joining this extraordinary voyage are Jonathan Shackleton, historian and descendant of Sir Ernest Shackleton, and British photo ambassador Sue Flood, author of “Emperor – The Perfect Penguin”. Together, they bring the heroic age of exploration to life as you journey from the southern tip of South America to Australia. This rare half-circumnavigation leads deep into the ice, across legendary southern seas, and into some of the most remote regions on Earth.

Trace the routes of pioneers like Ross, Amundsen, and Charcot as you sail through the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas, skirt the frozen coast of Marie Byrd Land, and (weather permitting) venture to Charcot Island and the vast Ross Sea. Encounter emperor penguins, whales, orcas, and seals, and witness surreal icescapes shaped by wind and time. From the towering Ross Ice Shelf to the stillness surrounding Mount Erebus, this is a voyage of discovery, reflection, and awe. Your unforgettable polar journey concludes in Hobart, Tasmania.

Highlights

  • Travel with Jonathan Shackleton, descendant of Sir Ernest Shackleton, and polar expert Sue Flood on a unique half-circumnavigation of Antarctica
  • Explore remote, little-known islands like Charcot Island and the islands of Marie Byrd Land
  • Visit historic sites including the Bay of Whales, symbolic of Amundsen’s 1911 South Pole expedition, and the historic base camps of other renowned explorers
  • Cross three legendary southern seas: Bellingshausen, Amundsen, and Ross
  • Enjoy thrilling Zodiac cruises and shore visits led by expert naturalist-guides
  • Witness dramatic polar scenery of towering icebergs, vast ice shelves, and surreal glaciers
  • Encounter wildlife such as emperor and Adelie penguins, Weddell and leopard seals, orcas, and humpbacks
  • Activities available including kayaking, hiking, and snowshoeing (fees may apply)

What's Included

  • Full board accommodation on board, including all beverages in restaurants, bars, and minibars
  • One night 5* hotel stay in Santiago pre-voyage, with breakfast, dinner and early check-in included
  • Flight from Santiago to Ushuaia
  • Transfers between airports, hotel and ship
  • Zodiac cruises and shore excursions
  • Entertainment and expert lecture programme
  • Loan of rubber boots
  • Expedition parka
  • 24-hour room service
  • Butler service for certain suites


Our popularitinerary Suggestions

All our itinerary holidays are fully customisable

Santiago
1Day

Santiago

Arrive independently to the Chilean capital of Santiago and join your transfer to your 5* hotel for your included overnight stay. Enjoy some free time this afternoon to explore the city before joining your fellow passengers for dinner.

Fly to Ushuaia - Embark
2Day

Fly to Ushuaia - Embark

After breakfast on day 2 you will take your transfer to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia in southern Argentina where upon arrival you will transfer to the port to board your luxury expedition vessel. Settle into your beautiful stateroom and watch as we sail into the scenic Beagle Channel and begin our journey to Antarctica.

At Sea - Drake Passage
3 - 4Days

At Sea - Drake Passage

The next two days will be spent at sea sailing towards Antarctica and into the legendary Drake Passage. These days can be spent relaxing in your comfortable surroundings, availing of the luxury onboard facilities, and enjoying some time on deck searching for whale and seabird sightings including albatrosses and cape petrels.

Your informative and entertaining lecture programme will begin, covering everything from Antarctic wildlife and geology to historical polar explorations, and there will be briefings around the strict IAATO rules that must be adhered to during your visit to the natural wonderland of Antarctica. There will also be briefings for the Zodiac (small inflatable boat) excursions, and as the icebergs begin to appear on the horizon and we reach the awe-inspiring Antarctic continent the excitement will build even more!

Crossing the Antarctic Circle
5Day

Crossing the Antarctic Circle

Today you will experience something that only a few lucky people in the world have ever experienced…crossing the Antarctic Circle! Weather and ice conditions dependent, we will cross the mythical line of the Antarctic Polar Circle, located along 66°33’ south of the Equator. This is sure to be a moment to remember and one that will be celebrated with aplomb!

As with all Polar expeditions, flexibility is key. Each day your experienced captain and crew will assess the weather and ice conditions to chart the perfect course for adventures, and planned routes can not always be guaranteed.

Charcot Island
6Day

Charcot Island

Today we explore more of the lands below the Circle, lands that few travellers have ever explored and that hold sights and delights that are completely unique to this part of the world. In the heart of the Bellingshausen Sea - this area is covered by ice floe for the majority of the year - this sailing has been timed to coincide with the best time to discover these remarkable lands, especially the renowned Charcot Island which is entirely covered in ice and sheer cliffs, with the exception of the rocky outcrops extending over a dozen kilometres in the far north-west. Very few people have ever landed here, but with the help of our Zodiac boats we plan to achieve just that. Whilst we explore around, we will also be on the lookout for the numerous seabirds, such as petrels, Antarctic terns and skuas that abound here.

Bellingshausen Sea
7 - 9Days

Bellingshausen Sea

Venture into the remote Bellingshausen Sea, a wild stretch of icy ocean named after the explorer who first glimpsed mainland Antarctica in 1820. Sailing through this region offers an unforgettable immersion in Antarctica’s mesmerising landscapes. Flanked by the vast Alexander and Thurston Islands, this frozen frontier is a maze of drifting floes and sculpted icebergs.

As you navigate its pristine waters, keep watch for emperor penguins along the coast. Lone adults, playful juveniles, or newly independent young may appear, offering a rare glimpse into their remote world.

Amundsen Sea
10Day

Amundsen Sea

Sail through the remote and rarely visited Amundsen Sea, named in 1929 after legendary polar explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole. Lying between the Bellingshausen and Ross Seas along the icy coast of Marie Byrd Land, this vast, frozen expanse is dominated by thick sea ice and towering icebergs.

Onboard, take time to absorb the serene grandeur of this untouched seascape. Whether engaging with expert-led talks and scientific insights, exploring the ship’s innovative features, or simply taking in the silence from the observation decks, this is a rare chance to connect deeply with one of Earth’s last true frontiers.

Marie Byrd Land Exploration
11 - 18Days

Marie Byrd Land Exploration

We will now spend around one week exploring one of the most remote and untouched regions on Earth, Marie Byrd Land, a vast expanse of Western Antarctica that remains unclaimed by any nation. Flanked by the Ross Sea to the east and the Bellingshausen Sea to the west, this icy frontier is bordered by the Amundsen Sea and cut off from the rest of the continent by the formidable Transantarctic Mountains.

Named by Admiral Richard E. Byrd in 1929 in honour of his wife, this territory stretches over a million square kilometres of raw, frozen wilderness. As you explore its stark, ice-sculpted coastline, you may encounter the only signs of life here: penguins, seals, whales, and orcas navigating the stillness. Conditions permitting, your journey may lead to rarely seen islands such as volcanic Siple Island or remote Clark Island, each a reminder of the raw power and mystery that define this extraordinary polar landscape.

During your time here, we will cross the International Date Line, an imaginary boundary near the 180th meridian in the Pacific Ocean where calendar dates change. As your ship travels across it, you'll either gain a day (heading west) or lose one (heading east), a fascinating quirk of global timekeeping first encountered by Magellan’s crew and famously featured in Around the World in Eighty Days.

Ross Sea Exploration
19 - 23Days

Ross Sea Exploration

Welcome to the awe-inspiring Ross Sea region, the southernmost sea on earth, where a world of towering icebergs, thundering glaciers and the largest ice shelf on the planet awaits. Inaccessible for 10 months of the year, the Ross Sea region is rarely-explored and your time here will see you become one of only a few people to have ever traversed this enigmatic area. Enjoying unforgettable cruising and thrilling Zodiac rides, you will spend your days soaking up the most pristine, spectacular landscapes you could imagine, and searching for wildlife including the world’s largest Adelie penguin rookeries and Weddell seals relaxing and hunting on the icefloes.

Your team of expert guides will invite you to learn all about the area’s fascinating history and natural environment, and you will have the chance to visit historic buildings including Sir Ernest Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds, and reflect on the heroic polar journeys of some of the world’s most intrepid polar explorers.

There are several emblematic sites we will hope to visit during your time here, including Cape Adare at the northern end of the Borchgrevink coast, along with Terra Nova Bay where the Italian and South Korean scientific stations are located to the north and the Drygalski Ice Tongue to the south. Historical insights await on Ross Island, and other stops may include Cape Evans, the McMurdo Sound, the Taylor Glacier and the Bay of Whales. Each day will hold a new unforgettable adventure!

Balleny Islands
24Day

Balleny Islands

Your next adventure brings you to the Balleny Islands, an extremely remote series of volcanic islands which straddle the Antarctic Circle some 270 kilometres north of the Antarctic mainland. Heavily glaciated throughout the year, the islands receive few human visitors which has resulted in a magnificent diversity of wildlife at home within the rich waters surrounding the islands, including elephant, Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, and fin, minke and humpback whales. The islands are also home to large colonies of chinstrap and Adélie penguins which we will hope to encounter during one of your Zodiac cruises along the spectacular coastline.

At Sea
25 - 30Days

At Sea

For the next 6 days, we will spend memorable days at sea sailing towards Tasmania and the conclusion of our voyage. Experience true polar expedition sailing aboard the world’s first luxury icebreaker designed to navigate deep into regions unreachable by conventional ships. Equipped with advanced scientific instruments and guided by onboard experts, the ship offers a rare chance to engage with polar research firsthand. Attend dynamic lectures, join in thoughtful discussions, and even contribute to ongoing scientific projects. This is more than a voyage, it's a journey of discovery into the planet’s most remote and revealing frontiers.

Hobart, Tasmania
31Day

Hobart, Tasmania

Your epic Antarctica expedition cruise concludes in Australia’s second-oldest city, the Tasmanian capital of Hobart. After disembarkation, a transfer will be provided either to the airport or to a downtown location should you wish to extend your stay here.

A view from Above

All Aboard

Le Commandant Charcot
Luxury  first class vessel

Le Commandant Charcot

The truly luxurious, brand-new (2021) Le Commandant Charcot is the latest addition to the stunning fleet of high-class Ponant expedition ships. Re-imagining luxury Polar cruises, the ship is the very first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas and has been designed with the greatest attention to detail in terms of safety and respect for the environment. Offering more comfort and luxury than any other expedition ship on the market, Le Commandant Charcot features a beautiful indoor swimming pool, a fantastic spa, gym and wellness area, and truly elegant common areas including a panoramic indoor restaurant, Blue Lagoon outdoor restaurant, lounge bar, observation lounge and conservatory. Every element of the ship has been designed to both convey French-style discreet luxury and arouse wonder and amazement.

The 123 exceptional suites and staterooms, ranging in size from 20 to 115 m², provide ultimate relaxation after a long day of exploring. With private balconies or terraces, each room allows for incredible views of your surroundings, and with their unique understated design, each room exudes the feeling and sense of sailing on a private yacht. Large comfortable beds, air-conditioning, minibars, satellite TV, Bose Bluetooth speakers, Wi-Fi, bathrobes and top-of-the-line toiletries are just a few of the room features. Premium rooms also feature a butler service, and some even have their own private jacuzzis.

we work hard to earn passionate reviews from our clients.

4.9
44 Google reviews

Now that I am back from my odyssey voyage, I thought I would let you know that after all that planning it really did exceed my expectations – we managed landings everywhere even on Tristan da Cuhna and had great bird sightings. The guides all knew what they were talking about too and made sure I got some great photos – still sorting them all out! Thanks for everything and see you at Birdfair!

Dave Martin

I want to thank you for all you did to make my recent Falklands trip run so smoothly and comfortably. Thank you for all your help over the diet too.

Dr Lorna Mairs

Just a quick note to express my sincere thanks to you and all your staff for making this an epic adventure of immense proportions. Everything went smoothly, pickups, hotels and most of all the expedition itself. Truly a mind blowing experience unlike any I have ever taken.

Mr J Borg, Malta

Too much to choose from? This is where we come in

Take advantage of our vast experience, passion and expertise to help you hand craft the perfect Antarctica adventure for you.

Simon Rowland Senior Travel Expert

As Senior Travel Expert, Simon has an absolute wealth of experience in adventure travel in some of the most fascinating places in the world. With in-depth knowledge and fantastic organizational skills, Simon’s first-hand experience and genuine passion drive him to work to create your perfect itinerary.

Michael Gardiner Senior Travel Expert

Mike has more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry and continues to be inspired by the people, places and wildlife he discovers. His in-depth personal knowledge of a diverse range of destinations ensures your adventure itinerary will be a holiday like no other.

Sheena Ogley Senior Travel Expert

Having amassed a host of extraordinary adventures in destinations all over the world, Sheena’s experience, skills and enthusiasm for helping clients plan their ideal itinerary will help make your holiday unforgettable, action packed and life-changing.

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Ready to start planning youronce in a lifetime trip?

Call us - 0800 195 3385
Outside the uk? + 44 1625 5811 43
+ 44 1625 5811 43 Call us - 0800 195 3385

Chat Now

Fill in our
Enquiry form

Book Consultation

Book a
Consultation

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