Antarctica, a Semi-circumnavigation

Your charter flight from Buenos Aires arrives in Ushuaia at 6:00pm. Transfer to the port to board the HANSEATIC inspiration.

Sailing towards the South Shetland Islands, the anticipation of this extraordinary adventure builds.

Experience the South Shetland Islands on deck as well as by Zodiac, then towering basalt cliffs, rugged volcanic rock and snow-covered mountains herald an impressive destination: the Antarctic Peninsula. Icebergs, glaciers and majestic mountains – populated by penguins, seals and a huge variety of seabirds. The small, maneuverable expedition ship promises unique days with numerous Zodiac rides and landings heightening the sense of discovery. Stories of pioneers are brought to life on islands, in bays and in seas with names harking back to great explorers. Whether in the footsteps of James Clark Ross, Robert Falcon Scott or Sir Ernest Shackleton – you’ll follow their pioneering spirit on your expedition. With the highest ice class for passenger ships, the Hanseatic inspiration can forge its way by crossing the Antarctic Circle to the most beautiful and rarely visited regions such as Marguerite Bay.

These days at sea will be shaped not only by fascinating expert presentations on board, but also by the golden age of Antarctic research as the HANSEATIC inspiration cruises in the Bellingshausen Sea, Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea. These seas take their names from the daring explorers who boarded their vessels many years ago to travel this remote region without modern technology, putting their lives on the line – and they may well have been just as impressed as you are by similar views. A day is lost when we cross the International Date Line.

It is the ideal season, the perfect timing – can the HANSEATIC inspiration make its way through the pack ice and drifting ice to get to Ross Island? Will the weather and ice conditions allow us to land in legendary places such as Cape Royds? The spot where Sir Ernest Shackleton built a base camp for his South Pole expedition in 1908 is now home to penguins. Cape Evans, by contrast, set the scene for the Terra Nova expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott, who never returned from his attempt to beat Roald Amundsen to the South Pole. The American McMurdo Station will also bring polar history to life (subject to authorisation). Perhaps you’ll spot emperor penguins and whales in this historically significant region.

Another indescribable highlight awaits as you cruise in front of the fantastic backdrop of the Ross Ice Shelf: the gigantic wall of ice as tall as houses stretches for hundreds of kilometres. Next, Victoria Land welcomes you with an endless expanse in Terra Nova Bay, named after the ship that Scott was sailing in when he discovered the bay in 1901. The features here now include an Italian research station. In Cape Adare, you will find the ruins of a hut that Borchgrevink built in 1899 and in which an expedition team spent a winter in Antarctica for the first time. The spectacular natural surroundings are just as moving as the region’s past – including the largest colony of Adelie penguins in Antarctica with over 250,000 breeding pairs.

Further along your route, you will come across untouched island worlds with a rich fauna that are hardly known in our latitudes. In a small group of like-minded people, the aim is to discover these paradises and develop a special awareness for them. Nature conservation is playing an increasingly important role in their preservation, which is why permits are becoming more and more complex. Destinations in New Zealand, for example, are dependent on the authorities granting permission to cruise and land. If they give the green light, you can enjoy mystical views of the largely glaciated Balleny Islands.

Which of New Zealand’s Subantarctic islands will a landing be successful on? With a bit of luck, you will experience Campbell Island and the world’s largest breeding colony of southern royal albatrosses. The Auckland Islands have the lushest flora of all the islands – yellow-eyed penguins and New Zealand sea lions are native here. The Snares penguin, meanwhile, is only found on the Snares Islands, alongside Cape petrels and albatrosses. By making this semi-circumnavigation of the Antarctic, you will be one of the few people who have delved deep into the secrets of this remote region.

Arrive Lyttelton (Christchurch) at 6.00am this morning and enjoy breakfast before you disembark.