Traveling south of the Arctic Circle by helicopter

Flightseeing – experience Antarctica from the air by helicopter

The polar landscape is spectacular from the sea – but it is even more impressive from the air! From aboard your expedition ship, you will experience at least two 10- to 15-minute sightseeing flights offering breathtaking panoramic views of glaciers, mountain peaks, and endless expanses.

Helicopter landing – Entering the most isolated places in the world

Imagine setting foot on a remote part of Antarctica that can only be reached by helicopter. Together with other travelers and experienced guides, you board one of the ship's twin-engine helicopters and fly to an exclusive landing spot that no ship can reach.

During the flight, you can take spectacular aerial photographs of glaciers, icy peaks, and breathtaking landscapes . After landing, you will have time to take in the surroundings at your leisure before the helicopters take you back to your ship. Each landing is planned individually by our expedition team, taking into account weather conditions, environmental regulations, and local conditions.

hiking

For shorter hikes in Antarctica, your expedition team will mark out predetermined routes or marked areas at each landing point. During your hike, your experts will be on hand to provide you with fascinating insights into the region's wildlife, history, and geography.

Zodiac excursions

The sturdy Zodiac inflatable boats are the perfect means of transport for reaching remote coastlines, navigating narrow passages, or going on wildlife safaris. Your experienced Zodiac operators will ensure safe boarding and disembarking and accompany you with expert commentary to bring the breathtaking scenery to life.

Lectures – Exciting first-hand knowledge

Look forward to daily talks and lectures with world-leading polar experts, including expedition leaders, specialists, photo guides, and other renowned guests. You will learn interesting facts about the history, biology, ornithology, glaciology, and geology of the region—and much more!

Polar Plunge – The ultimate leap into ice-cold water

This "test of courage," which takes place only once per expedition (voluntarily, of course!), offers you the chance to safely jump into the ice-cold Antarctic waters under the supervision of the team—while pretty much every camera on board captures the moment.

Photography tips

Documenting your journey will allow you to relive the experience even more intensely when you return home. Our photography guide will help you improve your technique and capture the spectacular polar landscapes in the best possible way—for memories that will last a lifetime.

photography workshop

The programis designed for photographers of all skill levels.

Each day of the trip, guests who sign up for the program receive priority access to the first Zodiac excursion of the day. This small group (maximum 16 participants, 8 per Zodiac) is accompanied by the same guide throughout the entire trip and receives professional advice, practical tips, and personalized feedback on photography during the excursions and in the subsequent workshops.

The program offers an excellent opportunity to explore the regions visited in depth while specifically honing your photography skills.

DISCOVERIES IN EXTREMELY REMOTE REGIONS

In the remote areas of Antarctica, the sea, ice, and weather determine the route and details of your expedition. Your expedition team will adapt the itinerary to the conditions on site. The following locations are examples of possible experiences – whether on board the ship, during a Zodiac ride, or during a landing.

South Shetland Islands

Aitcho Islands

These small islands are located at the northern entrance to the English Strait. Here you can observe a remarkable variety of wildlife, including colonies of gentoo penguins and chinstrap penguins. Southern elephant seals and fur seals also often rest on these shores.

Deception Island

Deception Island is a flooded caldera formed by the collapse of an active volcano. To reach this sheltered natural harbor, the ship must navigate through the narrow passage known as Neptune's Bellows. The island once housed whaling stations and research bases—some rusting remnants of this past can still be seen on the beach today. The mixture of white snowfields, black volcanic sand, and steam rising from geothermal activity gives the island a mysterious atmosphere.

Yankee Harbor

Yankee Harbor, a breeding ground for gentoo penguins, is located in the southwest of Greenwich Island. Here you will find an abandoned Argentine shelter and a large glacier that stretches along the bay. Historical artifacts, including an old sea pot once used to extract oil from marine mammal fat, are reminders of the whaling and seal hunting days of yesteryear.

Antarctic Peninsula

Paradise Harbor

A sprawling bay with impressive mountains, glaciers, and ice cliffs. Icebergs regularly calve here, serving as resting places for seals, penguins, and seabirds. The bay is also home to the Argentine Almirante Brown Station, which was partially rebuilt after a fire and now serves as a summer research station.

Yaour Islands

This archipelago was named after an Argentine naval lieutenant who rescued stranded members of a Swedish expedition in 1903. Around 8,000 pairs of Adélie penguins breed here, and the landscape is characterized by yellow lichens, greenish algae, and imposing icebergs.

Lemaire Channel

One of the most spectacular places on the west coast of the peninsula! This narrow waterway is flanked by the steep cliffs of Booth Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. The channel can sometimes be blocked by ice, but when the water is clear, passing through it is an unforgettable experience.

Southern Polar Circle & "Deep South"

Crossing the Antarctic Circle

No shore leave, but a memorable moment! Crossing the 66° 33′ latitude is celebrated on deck with a special toast.

Carvajal Station

This Chilean research station on Adelaide Island was originally a British base (Station T), which was handed over to Chile in 1984. Today, it primarily serves as a logistical base for flight expeditions into the Antarctic interior.

Crystal Sound

This ice-filled strait is named after scientists who researched ice crystals. Only a few expedition ships make it this far, but when they do, they are rewarded with breathtaking views of icebergs 30 to 50 meters high.

Debenham Islands

This archipelago was explored during the British Graham Land Expedition (1934–1937) and named after polar explorer Frank Debenham. Each of the six main islands is named after one of his children.

Detaille Island

This is the location of the historic W research station from 1956, which has been preserved as a time capsule of British Antarctic research. Visitors can immerse themselves in the lives of researchers in the 1950s—including preserved supplies from that era!

Fish Islands

These islands, located west of Graham Land, are home to approximately 4,000 pairs of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed cormorants. Here, you can often see impressive table mountains that have broken off from the ice shelf in the Bellingshausen Sea.

Horseshoe Island

This horseshoe-shaped island was discovered in 1937 by the British Graham Land Expedition and played a key role in British polar research. Today, it is home to the historic Base Y station, which served as a meteorological and geological research base.

Petermann Island

This is where the southernmost breeding colony of gentoo penguins is located. Adelie penguins and skuas are also native to this area.

Plenau Island

This island is known for its "iceberg garden" with stranded table and overturned icebergs originating from the Ross Ice Shelf. Sea leopards and Weddell seals can often be observed here.

Port Charcot

This historic site on Booth Island was the winter quarters for the 1904 Français expedition led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot. The crew established a scientific station here.

Pourquoi Pas Island & Blaiklock Island

This island was named after Jean-Baptiste Charcot's expedition ship "Pourquoi Pas?" Peaks here rise to 1,585 meters (Mt. Arronax, named after a character in Jules Verne's novel). Neighboring Blaiklock Island is home to a historic British research station.

Red Rock Ridge

Red Rock Ridge rises steeply from Marguerite Bay to a height of 690 m. No wonder Jean-Baptiste Charcot, John Rymill, and the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey explored and mapped this area. Charcot named it Cap Pavie or Île Pavie in 1909, but Rymill later gave it the more apt, descriptive name. The picturesque red-colored rocks have been rounded and smoothed by erosion, making the landscape more reminiscent of Utah or Arizona than Antarctica. A short climb from the shore offers spectacular views of Marguerite Bay – a perfect place to pause and take in a very different side of Antarctica. The peaceful sight contrasts with the lively wildlife, including breeding Adélie penguins, Antarctic cormorants, and you may spot various species of seals and whales.

Stonehouse Bay

Hidden on the inner coast of Adelaide Island lies Stonehouse Bay – an impressive cathedral of ice and rock stretching from Laubeuf Fjord. This fjord separates Adelaide Island from Graham Land. With a length of 139 km, Adelaide Island is both large and mountainous. Its extensive glacial landscapes mean that the island's largest glacier, the Shamble Glacier, which is 10 km wide, flows into Stonehouse Bay, while the peaks of the Stoke Mountains rise above the ice-covered waters. Although Adelaide Island was discovered as early as 1832 during the British Southern Ocean Expedition under John Biscoe, a more accurate survey was carried out by Jean-Baptiste Charcot during the French Antarctic Expedition of 1909. The bay was named by the British after Bernard Stonehouse, a leading biologist and meteorologist with the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey.

Stonington Island

There are two abandoned research stations on this island south of the Antarctic Circle. East Base, built by the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, was once the wintering site for the first women in Antarctica. Only about 200 meters away is the British Base E, which was also used for scientific research.

The Gullet

As its name suggests, The Gullet is an extremely narrow and spectacular waterway between Adelaide Island and Graham Land. Jean-Baptiste Charcot first mapped this area and suspected the existence of the passage by sketching it on his expedition charts. It was not until John Rymill of the British Graham Land Expedition in 1936 that the narrow channel was surveyed, before the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey re-examined it in 1948 and officially named it. The Gullet connects Laubeuf Fjord in the south with Hanusse Bay in the north and offers an impressive shortcut between these two waterways – provided it is ice-free and navigable.