Adelie penguins and a leopard seal on an ice floe.

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Remote Weddell Sea Explorer Including SGSSI & Helicopters

A legendary expedition through South Georgia, the Weddell Sea, and beyond—where ice, wildlife, and history converge.

Highlights Itinerary Dates Extras

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Length

28 Days

Embark

Ushuaia

Disembark

Ushuaia

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Highlights

Encounter immense king penguin colonies and playful fur seals on the wild, wildlife-rich shores of South Georgia’s coast.
Explore deep into the rarely visited Weddell Sea to witness emperor penguins and colossal, sculpted Antarctic ice shelves.
Retrace Shackleton’s epic route to Elephant Island while exploring by Zodiac and helicopter amid breathtaking polar scenery.

Embark on the ultimate 28-day polar odyssey to the seldom-seen frontiers of the Southern Ocean—an awe-inspiring route that combines the sub-Antarctic wonders of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands with the remote, ice-choked expanse of the Weddell Sea and the legendary landscapes of Shackleton’s saga. This is a voyage for true explorers, one that ventures beyond the bounds of ordinary Antarctic travel.

Setting sail from Ushuaia, you’ll traverse the wildlife-rich waters of the Antarctic Convergence, where albatrosses wheel overhead and the sea teems with life. In South Georgia, behold immense king penguin colonies, playful fur seals, and the haunting remnants of whaling history at Grytviken—final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton himself. From here, follow in his wake toward the volcanic South Sandwich Islands, where steaming peaks rise dramatically from the sea, alive with seabirds and the possibility of whale encounters.

Venturing deeper into the Weddell Sea, you’ll experience one of Earth’s most extreme and untouched realms. Navigate near towering ice shelves named by early explorers—Filchner, Ronne, and Larsen—where crabeater seals sprawl on floes and, with luck, emperor penguins stand in regal solitude. Helicopter-assisted excursions may offer rare vantage points over endless fields of ice and breathtaking tabular bergs.

Each day brings a new sense of wonder: the volcanic splendor of Brown Bluff, the penguin-dotted cliffs of Kinnes Cove, and historic Elephant Island, where Shackleton’s crew endured the ultimate test of human resilience. Onboard lectures by polar experts deepen your appreciation for the region’s ecology and exploration legacy, while Zodiac cruises offer close-up encounters with nature’s frozen masterpieces.

Ideal f...

Ships

No departures available at this time

Standard Activities

Bird Watching

Hiking

Helicopter Flight

Navigation Workshops

Mountaineering

Photography Workshops

About the Remote Weddell Sea Explorer Including SGSSI & Helicopters

Ideal for seasoned travelers and adventure seekers, this voyage invites you to go where few have ever gone—to witness living polar history and experience a humbling sense of discovery that lingers long after you return home.

Helicopter transfers

During these voyages, we transfer our passengers to shore using Zodiacs and operate helicopters in areas where Zodiacs cannot be used. If conditions allow for helicopter transfers, we will attempt landings on both land and sea ice.

Our plan is to make helicopter landings when possible, though we cannot guarantee a specific amount of helicopter time in advance. Helicopters provide a great advantage in reaching certain landing sites that are otherwise almost inaccessible, but local conditions (weather, ice, and other forces of nature) determine the final itinerary. These conditions may change rapidly, impacting our ability to use helicopters. Please understand and accept this. Safety is our greatest concern, and no compromises can be made.

The vessel is equipped with three helicopters. One helicopter always needs to be supported by a second functioning helicopter. No guarantees can be given, and in no event will claims be accepted.

Remote Weddell Sea Explorer

Starting in South Georgia after leaving Ushuaia, we will be on the trail of famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and his ship Endurance, experiencing the Weddell Sea’s amazing wildlife and tabular icebergs before returning via Elephant Island.

The continental borders of the Weddell Sea are formed by huge floating sheets of ice. These ice shelves produce the massive tabular icebergs that are so abundant in the Weddell Sea. Scientists have declared the waters of the Weddell Sea to be the clearest water of any sea on Earth.

The tabular icebergs and other ice formations offer fantastic landscapes and unique photo opportunities. Especially on the east side of the Weddell, the chance of landings can be limited due to these ice formations. Zodiac cruises and possible ice landings are wonderful alternatives if conditions allow.

The Weddell Sea is home to a large number of orcas, humpbacks, and minke whales as well as leopard, Weddell, and crabeater seals. Several penguin species can be seen there too.

On the ship, our structured educational program will complement other activities. You will have the opportunity to attend several lectures on a variety of topics, such as wildlife, landscape, history, and more.

Itinerary

Fly

Cruise

Days 1-3

End of the world, start of a journey

Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Enroute to South Georgia, you now cross the Antarctic Convergence. The temperature cools considerably within the space of a few hours, and nutritious water rises to the surface of the sea due to colliding water columns. This phenomenon attracts a multitude of seabirds near the ship, including several species of albatross, shearwaters, petrels, prions, and skuas.

Ushuaia

Embarkation Point

Days 4-6

South Georgia journey

Entering the South Georgia Maritime Zone, one of the largest protected waters in the world, we sail past the Shag Rocks. These impressive rocks lay 240km (150 miles) west of South Georgia and are home to several thousand South Georgia shags. The area around the rocks is known for its abundance of larger marine mammals, which feed on this comparatively shallow area of the South Georgia Ridge.

After reaching South Georgia, you will have the chance to visit some of the following sites:

Prion Island – This location is closed during the early part of the wandering albatross breeding season (November 20 – January 7). From January on, the breeding adults have found their partners and are sitting on eggs or nursing their chicks. Enjoy witnessing the gentle nature of these animals, which possess the largest wingspan of any birds in the world.

Fortuna Bay – A beautiful outwash plain from Fortuna Glacier is home to a large number of king penguins and seals. Here you may also have the chance to follow the final leg of Shackleton’s route to the abandoned whaling village of Stromness. This path cuts across the mountain pass beyond Shackleton’s Waterfall, and as the terrain is partly swampy, be prepared to cross a few small streams.

Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour – These sites not only house the three largest king penguin colonies in South Georgia, they’re also three of the world’s largest breeding beaches for Antarctic fur seals. Literarily millions breed on South Georgia during December and January. By February the young fur seals are curious and playful and fill the surf with life and fun and large elephant seals come to the beaches to moult.

Grytviken – In this abandoned whaling station, king penguins walk the streets and elephant seals lie around like they own the place – because they basically do. Here you might be able to see the South Georgia Museum as well as Shackleton’s grave.

In the afternoon of day 6 and depending on the conditions, we will start sailing southwards in the direction of the South Sandwich Islands.

Shag Rocks

South Georgia

Prion Island

Fortuna Bay

Salisbury Plain

St Andrews Bay

Gold Harbour Bay

Grytviken

Days 7-8

Sea Days

Day 9

South Sandwich Islands

Days 10-12

Southward bound

Days 13-14

Neuschwabenland / New Swabia

Days 15-23

Deep inside the Weddell Sea - Filchner, Ronne and Larsen Ice shelves

Sailing deep into the Weddell Sea, chances are we can spot crabeater, leopard, or Weddell seals. If we are lucky, we might even see emperor penguins. Humpback, orca, and minke whales are also present in this area, along with various birdlife.

Ice conditions in the Weddell Sea vary seasonally. We will encounter a vast nautical wilderness of sea, and while heading to high latitudes (far south) will enjoy the raw beauty and power that makes Antarctica so special. It will become apparent why it took so long to discover the Great White Continent and how tough it must have been for Shackleton’s expedition.

We’ll make a circular route toward the Brunt Ice Shelf and along the Luitpold Coast, discovered and named during the second German Antarctic expedition (1911 – 1912) of Wilhelm Filchner. If conditions allow, we will have opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and possibly an ice floe landing.

We now head west toward the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf before changing course north, following the coast along the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula and Larsen Ice Shelf. This brings us close to the spot where Shackleton’s vessel Endurance was trapped in pack ice during his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-17), drifting toward the Antarctic Peninsula before ultimately sinking. In an exciting conclusion to this story, the wreck was discovered on March 5, 2022, the 100th anniversary of Shackleton’s burial, after 107 years below the Weddell Sea waves. While we can’t get close to the discovery site due to pack ice, we will be in the area where the ship was trapped and abandoned. There are colonies of 6,500 emperor penguins nearby, so we hope to see one or more in this area.

As we reach the northern section of the Antarctic Peninsula, we enter the area of Erebus and Terror Gulf. Far-wandering emperor penguins often perch on Snow Hill Island’s numerous ice floes, possibly offering you another opportunity to spot these emblematic creatures. If conditions allow, we may attempt a landing on James Ross Island.

Weddell Sea

Terror Gulf

Day 24

Brown Bluff and Kinnes Cove

This morning we hope to land at one of the most scenic locations in the northern Antarctic Continent, with a large Adélie penguin rookery, gentoo penguins, and nesting snow petrels also to be found. Sheer canyon walls, fallen boulders, and beautiful volcanic creations capped with ice make Brown Bluff a truly unforgettable location.

Across the Antarctic Sound is Kinnes Cove, where you can see the nearby Madder Cliffs with their subtle red coloration as well as possible gentoo penguins.

Brown Bluff

Antarctic Sound

Day 25