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Ross Sea Antarctic Cruises
From New Zealand and Australia

Adventure Travel, Cruises in Antarctica with Cool Antarctica and Antarctica Travels

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Regions: Antarctic Peninsula | South Georgia | South Shetland Islands | Falkland Islands | Arctic

  Travel to the Ross Sea / Commonwealth Bay Region - Eastern Antarctica

Cruises to Eastern Antarctica from Australia and New Zealand usually leave from Invercargill / Port of Bluff in New Zealand (2 - map below) Invercargill has an airport, Bluff, 30km away by road has a deep-water port. Less frequently trips may leave from Hobart in Australia 1. They may also leave/return from Dunedin in New Zealand which is about 180 km / 110 miles from Invercargill.

Departure and return may be to the same port or leave from one and return to the other in either direction. It takes about seven days sailing to reach Antarctica from Australia or New Zealand, the journey there and back is usually broken up with visits to the wildlife rich Macquarie Island 3 and others such as Snares, Auckland and Campbell Islands that lie between Macquarie and New Zealand.

On reaching Antarctica trips usually spend their time either in the Commonwealth Bay area 4 or the Ross Sea region between Cape Adare 5 and McMurdo 6 with possibly a short trip along the front of the Ross Ice Shelf R

1 - Hobart - Australia
2 - Invercargill / Port of Bluff - New Zealand
3 - Macquarie Island
4 - Commonwealth Bay
5 - Cape Adare
6 - McMurdo / Scott bases
R - Ross Ice Shelf

Distances km / miles
1, Hobart - 4, Commonwealth Bay 2640 / 1640
2, Invercargill - 4, Commonwealth Bay 2760 / 1720
1, Hobart - 3, Macquarie Island 1500 / 940
2, Invercargill - 3, Macquarie Island 1110 / 690
4, Commonwealth Bay - 5, Cape Adare 1300 / 805
5, Cape Adare - 6, McMurdo 760 / 470


The distance travelled means that trips to Eastern Antarctica take longer than to the Peninsula region from South America and are also subsequently more expensive. These trips are typically 26-30 days.

There is no quick way of doing this, sailing to Antarctica and back takes around 12 days even if there were no stops at Sub-Antarctic islands along the way.

There are fewer trips departing from this region than there are from South America meaning less choice of dates and ship.

The Eastern side of Antarctica is entirely within the Antarctic Circle and a different kind of Antarctica, as remote as it's possible to get on the planet. It is colder than a Peninsula trip and with a higher chance of rough seas at some point. Getting to Antarctica and back again is more of an expedition than the traditional kind of cruise. You will probably not see any other ships during your cruise at all and other than visits to research bases, you almost certainly won't see any people apart from those on your ship.

What could you see in the Ross Sea region that you won't see on the Peninsula? You may visit the following places subject to the specific itinerary of your cruise and according to what the weather and sea will allow.

  • Mount Erebus - the world's southernmost active volcano.

  • Historic huts and sites - from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration from 1898-1922. Scott, Shackleton, Mawson and Borchgrevink's the oldest in Antarctica from the first overwintering here in 1899. These huts were all left behind, sometimes used later or available for emergencies, they are now preserved as historic relics and time capsules that can be visited.

  • The Ross Ice Shelf - which presents a 600 km long wall of ice between 15m and 50m high, the world's largest floating ice shelf about the size of France.

  • Isolated scientific bases - including the largest in the Antarctic, the American base at McMurdo Sound.

  • Emperor Penguins - the birds of the deep south that rear their young in the depths of the Antarctic winter, the largest of all penguins.

  • Sub-Antarctic Islands - on the way south and on the return journey back north, Snares, Auckland, Macquarie and Campbell islands, these are oases of abundant wildlife, especially birds which nest here in their almost countless thousands.

In the Wake of Scott and Shackleton, Ross Sea, Antarctica 2025

Ship Heritage Adventurer - 140 passengers
Cruise Dates 7th January 2025 - 3rd February 2025: 28 days
2nd February 2025 - 1st March 2025: 28 days
Prices USD
per person
Triple cabins: $31,500 and $32,650
Twin cabins: $34,775 and $35,880
Single cabins: $42,750 and $43,995
Suites: $43,250 and $63,000
Departure / Return Queenstown / Invercargill Airports, Port of Bluff (sea port) - New Zealand
Cruise summary Day 1 - Queenstown, NZ / Day 3 - Snares Islands / Day 4 - Auckland Islands / Days 6-7 - Macquarie Island / Days 11-22 - Antarctica's Ross Sea Region / Day 26 - Campbell Island / Day 28 - Invercargill, NZ.

  Travelling to the Antarctic Peninsula From Australia and New Zealand

If you live in or near Australia or New Zealand it is well worth considering travelling to South America and visiting the Peninsula Region of Antarctica. Also, once you have travelled to South America, there is about half the world in between you and home again with a whole wealth of opportunity to visit many other counties on your outward or return journey.

A trip to the Antarctic Peninsula from South America is much shorter than to the Ross Sea region due to the reduced distance and therefore the length of time spent at sea. If this is your first trip to Antarctica then it may be better to visit the Peninsula where the trips start at 6 days and are less expensive, it is also possible to fly from South America to Antarctica and join your ship there, an option that is not available in Eastern Antarctica. Wildlife is also much more plentiful around the Peninsula so for the majority wanting to see the beautiful scenery, penguins, whales etc. the Peninsula is the best option.

Cruises usually leave from Ushuaia in Argentina, Flights usually leave from Punta Arenas in Chile.

Shorter trips visit the Peninsula 6 and nearby islands such as the South Shetlands 5. Longer trips may also take in the Falkland Islands 3 and / or South Georgia 4 and possibly some other landings en route.

Cruises most commonly go down the western side of the Peninsula as they are less likely to encounter problematic sea ice that is more often found on the Eastern side in the Weddell Sea.

Distances miles / km
1, Ushuaia - 3, Falklands 480 / 770
1, Ushuaia - 4, South Georgia 1,255 / 2,020
1, Ushuaia - 5, South Shetlands 610  / 980
1, Ushuaia - Peninsula tip 724 / 1,165
2, Punta Arenas - Peninsula tip 870 / 1,395
Peninsula top to bottom 765 / 1,230
Peninsula top to Antarctic Circle 280 / 450



1 - Ushuaia, Argentina, 2 - Punta Arenas, Chile
3 - Falkland Islands, 4 - South Georgia
5 - South Shetland Islands, 6 - Antarctic Peninsula

Eastern Antarctica, Ross Sea Region v Antarctic Peninsula Cruises

Ross Sea region

  • Remoteness - You will see few if any other ships and get a greater feeling of isolation and being at the end of the world, this is a little visited part of the planet. You are going where the world's biggest icebergs are and the most extreme weather conditions.

  • Greater chance of rough seas due to longer spent crossing the open ocean which can take 6-7 days in each direction, no flights available.

  • See Emperor Penguins, the birds of the deep south that rear their young in the depths of the Antarctic winter, the largest of all penguin species.

  • See Mount Erebus, the world's southernmost active volcano and the Ross Ice Shelf, a 600km long wall of ice between 15m and 50m high.

  • Visit the huts of Scott, Shackleton, Mawson and other Heroic Age explorers depending on where your cruise goes. This is the area where much of the early exploratory history of Antarctica was played out and where historical remains still stand.

  • Exclusivity - of the people who go to Antarctica, only a small proportion visit regions other than the Peninsula, there are relatively few trips here and they are often fully booked up well in advance.

  • Trip length of 26-30 days, sometimes there may be the possibility of a semi-circumnavigation over a similar time period from the Ross Sea to the Peninsula.
Antarctic Peninsula

  • It takes 2 days to cross the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula, rough seas are possible though short-lived, you can also fly across it in 2 hours on a fly-cruise trip.

  • Varied mountainous scenery with glaciers and icebergs, some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.

  • The most wildlife rich area, with huge penguin colonies, and many other breeding birds, seals are common and whales may be seen. The sub-Antarctic islands you may visit en route are particularly wildlife rich, especially South Georgia.

  • Historic preserved British Base, now a working Post Office at Port Lockroy, you may also visit other currently active research bases and historic sites.

  • Easier to reach, The closeness of the peninsula to the tip of South America  means that travel time to reach Antarctica here is much less than in the East. It also means that a greater portion of the trip is spent in Antarctica rather than travelling there and back.

  • A larger number and variety of trips available, duration from 6-24 days, a wide range of ships and choice of travel dates and itineraries.

Antarctic Peninsula
Sample Cruises - 2024 / 2025

Trip Highlights Prices USD*
Classic Antarctic Peninsula Expedition

10 - 12 days
South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, Penguin Rookeries, Lemaire Channel. $4,860 -
$32,695

typically
$10K-12K
Antarctica Peninsula Basecamp

13 days
Antarctic Peninsula trip with inclusive activities on offer such as hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, and camping out under the South Polar skies. $9,100 -
$11,750
Crossing the Circle

11 - 23 days
typically 12 - 14

Sail down the Antarctic Peninsula and cross the Antarctic Circle, South Shetland Islands, Wildlife, Scenery. $7,700 - $66,367
  Fly-Cruise to Antarctica

Air-Cruise, Fly the Drake
Sample Cruises - 2024 / 2025

Trip Highlights Prices USD*
Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands. Fly across the Drake Passage

6 - 14 days
typically 8
Fly across the Drake Passage in 2 hours to join your ship, cruise the South Shetland Islands and western Antarctic Peninsula. Spectacular scenery, glaciers, icebergs, penguins, seals and whale sightings. Limited number of sail one way, fly the other trips. $4,995 - $36,495

typically
$12K-14K
South Georgia with the Falkland Islands and / or the Antarctic Peninsula

South Georgia with the Falkland Islands and / or Antarctic Peninsula
Sample Cruises - 2024 / 2025

Trip Highlights Prices USD*
South Georgia, Antarctic Peninsula and Falkland Islands

17 - 23 days

Sub-Antarctic South Georgia has some of the most unique and abundant wildlife on earth including the world's biggest King Penguin colony, one of the world's largest concentration of Southern Elephant Seals, and many other  penguins, whales, seabirds and seals all with a background of the Alps dropped in mid-ocean.

Falklands Islands - a British colony in the South Atlantic with wild places and diverse abundant wildlife.

The Antarctic Peninsula is Antarctica proper with icebergs, glaciers and wildlife.
$11,556 - $48,191
South Georgia and Falkland Islands

17 or 21 days

$9,995 - $25,990
South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula

15 or 20 days
$13,200 - $37,116
Notes

* Prices are per person. the lowest price is usually for triple occupancy in a basic cabin, the highest for double occupancy in the best available suite.

Options such as kayaking are usually booked when the cruise is booked, they may be at additional cost and have limited availability - it may be too late once the cruise has started.