Be sure to stay close to your verandah as you enter the Ross Sea – wandering albatrosses are a common sight, and icebergs will begin to pop up around you as well. The pristine, nutrient-rich ocean is popular among orcas, seals, penguins and whales.
This rugged and remarkable body of water is surrounded by sky-scraping mountains and carved by glacial ice tongues, vast ice shelves and drifting sea ice. Some of the most famous Antarctic explorers – Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and Borchgrevink among them – used it as a gateway on their quest to the South Pole.
The conditions here can be quite extreme, with the weather and ice influencing your daily plans. Your Captain and Discovery Leader will seek out the safest opportunities for you to explore the area.
Over the next few days on Ross Island, at the base of Mount Erebus, you'll walk in the footsteps of legendary explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott. These pioneers chose Cape Royds and Cape Evans as the sites for their base camps, where they prepared for their iconic Antarctic expeditions.
Discovery: An opportunity today to fly on one of the two on board helicopters^ to the McMurdo Dry Valleys. This area is one of the world’s driest and coldest deserts, devoid of snow, revealing a stark, moon-like landscape. Guided by your Discovery Team, marvel at rare archaeological sites while treading lightly to preserve this delicate ecosystem.
Today you may have the opportunity to explore this fascinating landscape on the fleet of custom-built Zodiacs, kayaks, stand-up paddleboarding, guided and self-paced hikes. Your expert Discovery Team can take you on enlightening excursions to historic explorers’ huts.