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Peregrine Travel Centre

Semi-Circumnavigation from Antarctic Peninsula to Ross Sea

Semi-Circumnavigation from Antarctic Peninsula to Ross Sea

From AUD $45,435

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Description

Escape into another realm as you board our luxury boutique ice-class ship on this once-in-a-lifetime trip from South America to New Zealand. Our epic semi- circumnavigation cruise of Antarctica fulfils the ultimate bucket list, sailing on glassy seas, passing by monumental icebergs, unheralded landscapes and phenomenal wildlife. We explore icy waters to reach the world’s southernmost islands where only a handful of adventurers, explorers and scientists have been before. And as we cross the polar circle, you get to join an elite group of people who have been to some of the least-visited places on the planet.

Trip Name
Semi-Circumnavigation from Antarctic Peninsula to Ross Sea
Days
33
Overview
Vessel Type: Expedition Ship Length: 115 meters Passenger Capacity: 152 Built: 2020-2021 Arriving in November 2021, our 5 star elegant Scandi-design boutique ship offers you an intimate setting from which you will be fully immersed in all the sights and scenery of your voyage. Introducing SH Minerva Our brand new ship has been designed to journey to off the beaten path destinations and remote polar regions in style and comfort. The ship incorporates a PC5 ice-strengthened hull combined with extra-large stabilisers to make your journey as smooth as possible. Sophisticated Elegance We know how important outdoor space is, so our spacious, relaxing public spaces provide wide open, unobstructed views throughout the ship. The destination will always be in view. Your Wellbeing  The safety & happiness of our guests is paramount to our 120-strong crew on board as well as our passionate expedition team who'll be serving up thrilling shore excursions and lasting memories. Cabin Types Our 76 cabins including 6 suites have all the amenities you will need to feel comfortable including dressing gowns, hairdryers, personal safes and minibars. Our stylish cabins all have desks, a dressing area and comfy seating. En suite bathrooms all feature glass-enclosed rain showers.

Itinerary



Day 1 - DAY 1, USHUAIA
Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbour and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.
Day 2 - DAY 2 - DAY 3, AT SEA
Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
Day 3 - DAY 4, ANTARCTIC SOUND
As you sail quietly past house-sized, free-floating tabular icebergs and pancake ice, you may be able to hear the sounds of creaking and popping as huge chunks break off and crash into the sea. While Gerlache Strait is filled with ice, the Antarctic Sound takes it up a notch with even more impressive bergs and ice cliffs. Possible landing points where you will meet thousands of breeding Adélie penguins include Brown Bluff and Paulet Island.
Day 4 - DAY 5 - DAY 6, ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
Among captivating glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy islands, the Antarctic Peninsula is where most visitors to the White Continent will live out their Antarctica dream. The Antarctic Peninsula, the most accessible area of the continent, hosts several scientific bases and some of the most interesting wildlife scenery, such as the extremely photogenic Lemaire Channel. Shore excursions might include Petermann Island, where among Adelie penguins, blue-eyed shags and skuas, huge, lumbering elephant seals haul out.
Day 5 - DAY 7, ANTARCTIC PENINSULA / BELLINGSHAUSEN SEA
As we sail gently through this vast frozen wilderness, keep an eye out for the elusive minke or humpback whales who accompany us. The ship edges southwards as we cross the Polar Circle at 66 degrees south and experience the midnight sun. Here, Adelaide Island is the site of the British research station. Although there is less wildlife to see this far south, we might visit one of the world’s southernmost Adélie penguin rookery on Fish Island.
Day 6 - DAY 8 - DAY 11, BELLINGSHAUSEN SEA
Take in the magnitude of translucent bergs silently floating on crystal-clear seas, often broken up by the tail of a fluking whale and leopard seals resting on an ice floe, as we sail via two of the largest islands in the Antarctic - Alexander and Thurston Islands - past Peter I Island. Rarely visited by ships, Peter I is claimed by Norway. This ice-covered volcanic island is home to elephant seals, cape pigeons and southern fulmars.
Day 7 - DAY 12, BELINGHAUSEN / AMUNDSEN SEA
Filling bays and passing islands, pack ice stretches out into the distance. Gaze into the icy horizon and try to spot lone emperor penguins or seals resting on the ice floes, or check for spouting orca and minke whales as they come up for air. Fulmar petrels guard the skies as we sail into the Amundsen Sea on the outer edge of the pack ice. If you are feeling brave, end the day with an icy polar plunge.
Day 8 - DAY 13 - DAY 18, AMUNDSEN SEA
One of the most remote areas of Antarctica, covered mostly by glacial ice from the Thwaites ice tongue, and part of the Southern Ocean, Amundsen Sea is named for legendary Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen who led the first team to reach the South Pole in 1911. Marie Byrd Land on Antarctica’s western coast is the largest single unclaimed territory on earth where chinstrap penguins and skuas have set up home on the ice-capped Shepard Island.
Day 9 - DAY 19, AMUNDSEN /ROSS SEA
Setting sail across the Ross Sea, we approach the Bay of Whales on the eastern side of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica. Several hundred metres at its thickest, below the water surface, the vertical front we see reaches 50 metres high. We will attempt to land on the shelf where, on Roosevelt Island, Roald Amundsen began the first ever successful journey to the South Pole, arriving on 14 December 1911.
Day 10 - DAY 20 - DAY 23, ROSS SEA
One of the least-visited spots in Antarctica, our on-shore excursions will hopefully take us to Hut Point on Ross Island, site of the US McMurdo research station and New Zealand’s Scott Base. But the big draw is following in the footsteps of the great explorer, Robert Scott. Scott’s cabin is here on the slopes of Mount Erebus, where he set off for the South Pole reaching it on 17 January 1912 five weeks after Amundsen.
Day 11 - DAY 24 - DAY 26, AT SEA
Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
Day 12 - DAY 27, MACQUARIE ISLAND
Sealers discovered the tiny windswept Macquarie Island (or Macca) in 1810. The southernmost territory of Australia, it is the site for Macquarie Island Station, an Australian Antarctic base, and a Tasmanian natural reserve and world heritage site protecting a pesty tundra ecosystem. Colonies of loudly barking southern elephant seals breed here and you might spot giant petrels and albatross. Four species of penguin make the island home including royal penguins, king, gentoo and southern rockhoppers.
Day 13 - DAY 28, AT SEA
Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
Day 14 - DAY 29, AUCKLAND ISLAND
Renowned for their seafaring and whaling traditions, the principal Māori iwi, Ngāi Tahu considers Auckland Islands (Maungahuka) a place of great spiritual significance. Port Ross at the north end of the main Auckland Island - the largest of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands - is a breeding site for southern right whales. You might also get to spot New Zealand sea lions alongside some of the world’s rarest birds including yellow-eyed penguins, white-capped mollymawk and Gibson’s wandering albatross.
Day 15 - DAY 30, ENDERBY ISLAND
The smaller Enderby Island is a treat for birders including the Auckland Island snipe and teal, southern royal and light-mantled sooty albatrosses. The pocket-sized Auckland Island tomtit is a regular visitor and Hooker's sea lion haul out here. Growing on this remote archipelago 465 km south of South Island is an exceptionally rich flora of 200 native species such as pink gentiana, red rata blossoms, white tree daisies and megaherbs including the Campbell Island carrot.
Day 16 - DAY 31, AT SEA
Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
Day 17 - DAY 32 - DAY 33, DUNEDIN
Your luxury expedition cruise sadly comes to an end in Dunedin, on the South Island, the principal city of the Otago region. Set in a pretty bay that serves as a port and surrounded by bush-covered hills, the town has quirky historic appeal. One of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere, Dunedin is known as the Edinburgh of New Zealand, and it’s proud of its Celtic connections. Small and eminently walkable, see elaborate civic buildings, New Zealand’s only castles, funky alleyways filled with street art, and picturesque parks. The Toitu Otago Early Settlers Museum and Otago Museum come highly recommended, as well as a visit to the Dunedin Chinese Garden.
Day 18 - Please Note:
Itineraries are subject to change.

Trip Dates

StartEndPrice FromRoom Type
08-02-202212-03-2022AUD $45,435Oceanview
08-02-202212-03-2022AUD $50,550Balcony. From
08-02-202212-03-2022AUD $67,340Suite
08-02-202212-03-2022AUD $77,859Premium Suite

Inclusions

    • Enjoy the unique experience of a sun that hardly sets as we cross the polar circle
    • Create unforgettable memories by reaching earth’s southernmost regions
    • Follow in the footsteps of the world’s most legendary explorers who reached the South Pole within weeks of each other
    • Marvel at the colours as they change from glassy white to turquoise green in this vast frozen wilderness
    • Discover rarely-visited islands where the world’s rarest birds live among exceptional flora

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