Antarctic Half-Circumnavigation: The Ultimate Challenge Among Antarctic Expeditions

Hello, dear polar pioneers,

In the fourth part of our tour of the travel regions, we present the "supreme discipline" of all Antarctic voyages.

The Antarctic semi-circumnavigation takes you from Ushuaia along the south coast through the Ross Sea to southern New Zealand.

Some providers then also travel back in the opposite direction, so you can choose whether you want to do a "half-round" from New Zealand to South Americaor from South America to New Zealand.

Don't be surprised if the journey from South America to New Zealand takes two days longer than the return trip. Among many other highlights, you will cross theInternational Date Line during this tour. This means you will lose a day on the way there and gain one on the way back.

In fact, both trips are the same length if you go by the number of nights.

The Ross Sea: the largest marine protected area on Earth

Since December 2017, the Antarctic Ross Seahas been protected under an agreement between 24 countries and the European Union, which together form the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Fishing (including, and especially, for krill and whales) is prohibited in this 1.55 million square meter protected area in the Southern Ocean. This benefits the more than 10,000 animal species that live in Antarctica.

The wildlife here is unique: 24,000 whales, 300,000 seals, and millions of seabirds —all of which feed on krill. Emperor penguins, the largest species of penguin, are the only ones that breed during the harshest winter on Earth. Approximately 240,000 penguins raise their families in the Ross Sea region. Conditions permitting, you’ll be flown by helicopter close to the penguin colonies.

The Ross Sea is located in southern Antarctica on the side facing New Zealand and is only included in very few itineraries to Antarctica. This makes it the perfect destination for adventurers and explorers:

If you are looking for the most remote corners of our planet, which have been visited by only a few people so far, then you have come to the right place.

Example route: Antarctic semi-circumnavigation:

The Antarctic semi-circumnavigation from South America to New Zealand | © Oceanwide Expeditions

The highlights of the trip

These natural spectacles await you on the Antarctic semi-circumnavigation from South America to New Zealand or vice versa :

Please note that landings and helicopter flights are dependent on weather and wave conditions. In addition, many locations require official permits, which can only be applied for shortly before the trip. Different trips/providers may visit different locations. Please refer to the descriptions and itineraries of our trips listed below.

• 3 continents in one trip: South America, Antarctica, New Zealand (Oceania)
• [MS Ortelius only:Panoramic flightsover the Ross Sea and to the penguin coloniesinthe ship's own helicopter are special experiences that can only be topped by landing on the ice shelf. Unfortunately, there are no dates available at present.]
• Crossing the InternationalDate Line
• Thevolcanic island of Peter I Island withits coastline consisting largely of glacier fronts
• Cape Royds: Here stand the huts ofBritish explorer Shackleton, now surrounded by thousands of Adelie penguins in the world's southernmost penguin colony.
• Cape Evans:Robert Falcon Scott'swell-preserved Terra Nova hut, built in 1911, stillcontainsa great deal of equipment. It provides interesting insights into the explorer's life in Antarctica. From here, he and his crew set out for the South Pole.
• TheAmerican McMurdo Station isthe largest of more than two dozen research centers in Antarctica.
• TheNew Zealand research station Scott Base: If ice and weather conditions permit, landings are carried out by helicopter.
• Ross Island: The activevolcano Mount Erebusdominates the island's landscape. Some expeditions also offer hikes to Castle Rock. The total distance is approximately 10 km.
• Campbell Island: New Zealand's sub-Antarctic island has been designateda World Heritage Site by UNESCOasa nature reserve. For an Antarctic island, it has lush vegetation and animal species. You will encounter royal albatrosses as well as wandering, Campbell, black-browed, gray-headed, and gray-mantled sooty albatrosses, as well as rockhopper penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, and crowned penguins. Unfortunately, seals have been almost wiped out, but elephant seals, fur seals, and sea lions have recovered.
• TheAmundsen Sea: a marginal sea of the Southern Ocean on the South Pacific side
• Macquarie Island, the sub-Antarctic Australian island, is also aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Crossing the InternationalDate Line
• Unique animal worlds: emperor and other penguins, whales, seals, and seabirds

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With polar regards,

Yours, Stephanie Gräf