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From Dumont D'Urville to Mawson: Retracing Heroic Age Expeditions

Highlights Itinerary Map Dates

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Length

27 Days

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Lyttelton

Disembark

Santiago

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Highlights

The half-circumnavigation of the Antarctic, an unforgettable trip into the heart of the ice and a continent full of extremes.
Dive into the history of the French and Australian conquests of the South Pole, with the approach to Adelie Land and the Dumont d’Urville scientific station and the exploration of Victoria Land.
Set off in the footsteps of the famous Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott on Ross Island, which still guards vestiges of the time they spent there.

Transfer + Flight Ushuaia/Santiago

With featured guests Ian Dawson and Sue Flood, British Photo Ambassadors.

Humans have always looked toward what some would call the ‘impossible elsewhere’. With Le Commandant Charcot, which is capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, we can dream even bigger and glimpse new horizons. This polar odyssey at the boundaries of the world follows the path of the first to discover Antarctica and sharpens our senses to let us see all the riches of a long journey marked by the nuances of the ice.

In the incredible comfort of an exceptional ship, you will take the time to observe the world around you, the landscapes and the fauna whose radiant beauty makes them seem surreal. Set off on an all-new half-circumnavigation of Antarctica from the New Zealand shores to Ushuaia, the city at the end of the world.

Following in the wake of courageous pioneers, explore the southern seas, including Ross Sea, which is the world’s largest marine protected area, a kingdom of prodigious wildlife. As a privileged witness, keep a watchful eye and take the time to observe the Antarctic petrels, whales, orcas, seals and penguins that are to be found here. In the steps of Sir James Clark Ross, you will attempt to reach the South Magnetic Pole, that moving and mythical point if there ever was one.

The attraction exerted by the White Continent’s infinite territories and their mythical names will soon intensify further. Adelie Land, Victoria Land, Marie Byrd Land. The first will plunge you into the heart of the French polar adventure where Paul-Émile Victor founded the Dumont d’Urville scientific station, in honour of the eponymous explorer.

The second, claimed by the Australians, is forever linked to the name of the explorer Mawson, who defied the winds in Commonwealth Bay, which may exceed 240 km/h (150 mph).

As for the third, it is one of the planet’s rare Terra nullius – a territory cla...

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Standard Activities

Bird Watching

Historic Hut Visits

Hiking

*with limited places available

Kayaking

*with limited places available

Lectures

Penguin Watching

About the From Dumont D'Urville to Mawson: Retracing Heroic Age Expeditions

Transfer + Flight Ushuaia/Santiago

With featured guests Ian Dawson and Sue Flood, British Photo Ambassadors.

The second, claimed by the Australians, is forever linked to the name of the explorer Mawson, who defied the winds in Commonwealth Bay, which may exceed 240 km/h (150 mph).

As for the third, it is one of the planet’s rare Terra nullius – a territory claimed by no State – whose remoteness and climate have kept it well away from human conquests. Bordered by the Ross Sea to the west and the Amundsen Sea to the east, Marie Byrd Land will plunge you into a world where nature has raised its own cathedrals of ice. Wonder and contemplation will mark this extraordinary exploration, a journey synonymous with a return to the essential.

Your great crossing beyond the Antarctic Circle will continue in the Bellingshausen Sea where the Charcot and Peter I Islands roll out their icy masses. Le Commandant Charcot will attempt to approach their shores, deemed impassable, before your arrival in the Tierra del Fuego.

Itinerary Day to Day

Day 1

Lyttelton

On the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Lyttelton (or Te Whaka Raupo in the Maori language) served, thanks to its proximity with Ross Island, as the starting point for the British expeditions in the mythical age of the South Pole explorations. It takes its name from George Lyttelton (1709-1773), aristocrat and colonial governor of South Carolina. In this colourful port town full of history, you’ll be able to discover the Time Ball: constructed in 1876, it rang at 1.00 pm every day for 58 consecutive years to give Greenwich meridian time, enabling ship captains to set their chronometer and very precisely calculate their position.

Embarkation from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM and departure at 6:00 PM.

Lyttelton

Embarkation Point

Days 2-6

At Sea aboard le Commandant Charcot

Day 7

Adélie Land

Days 8-9

Victoria Land

Reach the inaccessible by exploring extreme Victoria Land. You will discover part of the history of the Australian polar expeditions: in Commonwealth Bay, slip into the shoes of the legendary Douglas Mawson, who created his main base in 1911 in Cape Denison, where there are still remnants of his wooden cabin. Welcome to the country of blizzards, these violent winds filled with snow flakes. Among the natural marvels of this territory, you will note the glacial tongue of the impressive Mertz Glacier whose wall of ice is cut with immense crevasses. The grandiose sight of absolute nature. Marking the border with Marie Byrd Land, the Transantarctic Mountains, extending the Andes, offer this Eden of ice some mountainous landscapes.

Victoria Land

Commonwealth Bay

Days 10-13

The Ross Sea

‘The last ocean’ is what scientists from all around the world call this deep bay that runs along the edge of Antarctica between Marie Byrd Land and Victoria Land. Since 2016, the world’s largest marine protected area has been keeping this last marine ecosystem intact. The theatre of the most impressive expeditions, it was discovered by James Clark Ross between 1839 and 1843. It was then that he discovered the enormous ice barrier formed by a gigantic ice shelf extending out to the open sea and from which titanic icebergs are calved. At a later stage, it was Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott who explored the region and installed their base camp on Ross Island, at the foot of Mount Erebus. Weather and ice conditions permitting, perhaps you will be able to discover one of these two emblematic sites. Among the possible ports of call, Cape Adare, at the far north of the Borchgrevink Coast, is home to one of the world’s largest Adelie penguin colonies. One third of the world’s population of these penguins lives in the area where this barrier breaks into icebergs. The currents maintain polynyas there, vast areas of persistent open water surrounded by sea ice. These give the penguins access to food.

Ross Sea

Ross Island

Mount Erebus

Cape Adare

Day 14

Crossing the International Date Line

Days 15-18

Marie Byrd Land Exploration

Marie Byrd Land is one of the most remote territories of our planet’s most inaccessible continent. It is a real privilege to just be able to contemplate its shores! Between the Ross Sea and its large shelf to the east and Bellingshausen Sea to the west, the frozen coastlines of these lands are bordered by the Amundsen Sea, partially covered by a thick ice floe. Stretching over more than a million km2 (over 620,000 square miles) in Western Antarctica, its ground is also isolated from the rest of the continent by the Transantarctic Mountains.

It is certainly this geographic remoteness and its harsh climate that have made it one of our planet’s rare Terra nullius, a territory claimed by no State. In 1929, Marie Byrd Land got its name from Admiral Richard E. Byrd, in honour of his wife, following his expedition to the region. The exploration of its ice-sculpted landscapes will plunge you into the infinite Antarctic desert, where penguins, seals, whales and orcas are the only living souls. Depending on the time and weather conditions, your exploration of the region will take you towards a string of islands which, although little-known, remain fascinating: Siple Island and its eponymous mount, resulting from an old volcano and Clark Island.

Marie Byrd Land

Day 19

Amundsen Sea

Day 20

Expedition to Peter I Island

Day 21

Bellingshausen Sea

Day 22

Expedition to Charcot Island

Day 23

Marguerite Bay

Days 24-25

Crossing the Drake Passage

Day 26

Ushuaia & Santiago de Chile

Route Map

There are 18 main destinations visited

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Cabin Details

What's Included

Outbound flight Ushuaia/Santiago in economy class.
Services of local guides in Ushuaia.
Transfer as mentioned in the programme.

What's Excluded

Mandatory travel insurance.
Tips for the local guide.
Personal expenses.
Other services not mentioned in the programme.

We’ll carefully listen to your aspirations and curate an impartial shortlist of personalized polar cruise recommendations—and pre- and post-cruise extensions—to match your desired experience.

Next we’ll place a free, no obligation, 24-hour cabin hold on your preferred cruise option whilst we discuss the final details. Book and relax safe in the knowledge you’ll be paying the lowest price guaranteed.

Then we’ll provide you with our expert packing advice, insider travel tips, and more to ensure you are fully prepared for—and maximize your enjoyment of—your once-in-a-lifetime Antarctica expedition.

From Dumont D'Urville to Mawson: Retracing Heroic Age Expeditions

Highlights

Ships

Standard Activities