Antarctic Continent Semi-Circumnavigation

Start your adventure in Santiago, Chile! With a pre-selected hotel and airport transfers, these days are used to prepare you for an intense 30 days onboard. Enjoy the sightseeing onshore, have a delicious meal, and stretch those legs before stepping onboard your expedition vessel! The Santiago summer can be quite warm, with temperatures often between 20-35C (68-95F) so wear your warm weather clothes before packing them away, as they won’t be needed in Antarctica.

You will take a charter flight from Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina and prepare to board the ship! All travel arrangements are included in the trip.

Once Le Commandant Charcot leaves the Beagle Channel, you’ll enter the open ocean for a two‑day crossing of the Drake Passage. Although there’s no land in sight, the experience is far from quiet. The expedition team begins their lecture programme, and time on deck may reward you with whales, dolphins, albatrosses, and storm petrels.

Life onboard offers plenty of comfort and indulgence. Enjoy exceptional gastronomy in the ship’s two restaurants, or unwind in the indoor pool, wellness area, sauna, and unique “Snow Room” as the ship continues its steady course south.

As you near the Antarctic Peninsula, the ocean transforms. Sculpted icebergs drift past, and whale sightings become more frequent as you approach rich Antarctic feeding grounds.

Over the next 13 days, you will cover a lot of ground and also a lot of remarkable landmarks! Starting off with Crossing the Antarctic Circle at 66°33′ S of the Equator, a memorable experience for many and a marking of true southern exploration.

Each day, based on the ice condition and the weather, the expedition team will aim to plan a zodiac cruise or a landing to discover the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. Follow in the footsteps of many historic 19th century polar explorers such as Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Adrien de Gerlache and Sir Ernest Shackelton.

Some potential destinations include:

• Pourquoi Pas Island: discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition under Charcot.
• Marguerite Bay: named after Charcot’s wife, and a place known for its wildlife.
• Charcot Island: a largely untouched island with many seabirds, located in Wilkins Sound, notorious for its amount of ice.

If the itinerary and weather conditions allow, there will be a chance to go kayaking on this voyage!

During your voyage, Le Commandant Charcot serves as a true platform for polar research. Through enriching onboard lectures and informal discussions, you’ll have the chance to learn directly from leading specialists about the polar world. You are also invited to contribute to ongoing scientific projects, helping to uncover what the poles still have to reveal.

Marie Byrd Land is one of the most remote regions of Antarctica. Simply seeing its untouched shores is a privilege. Nestled between the vast Ross Ice Shelf to the east and the Bellingshausen Sea to the west, its frozen coastline is bordered by the Amundsen Sea, much of it sealed beneath a thick ice floe. Spanning more than a million km² in Western Antarctica, it is further isolated from the rest of the continent by the Transantarctic Mountains.

This extreme remoteness and harsh climate have kept Marie Byrd Land one of the world’s last true Terra nullius, a territory claimed by no state. It wasn’t until 1929 that it was first sighted from the air by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who named it in honour of his wife during his pioneering expedition.

Exploring its sculpted ice landscapes feels like entering an endless Antarctic desert, where penguins, seals, whales, and orcas are the region’s only inhabitants. If time and conditions allow, your journey may also lead to a chain of little‑known yet fascinating islands, including Siple Island with its volcanic Mount Siple, and the seldom‑visited Clark Island.

At a certain point on this stretch of the voyage, you will also cross the International Date Line. This line follows the 180th meridian in the Pacific Ocean and has always been a collector’s item for many sailors and Magellan’s historic expeditions.

The southernmost sea in the world, arriving at the Ross Sea is a fantastic achievement. First charted by Sir James Clark Ross in 1841, this remote region is defined by dramatic mountain ranges and the vast Ross Ice Shelf. Located just 320 km from the geographic South Pole, the Ross Ice Shelf is the largest in Antarctica and a marine sanctuary for many wildlife species.

Wildlife in the Ross Sea differs from the species seen in the ‘Classic Antarctica Expeditions‘, not only in behaviour but also species prevalance. With far fewer ships visiting each summer, much remains unknown about precise penguin colonies, whale migration paths, and bird highways. This sense of true exploration is part of the magic here.

Some species you could stumble upon include cetaceans such as humpbacks, minkes, and fin whales. Additionally, there are many pinniped species calling the Ross Sea home, such as ross, crabeater, Weddell, elephant, and leopard seals. Of course, you are still in Antarctica so there will be penguins! Such as the Adélie and chinstrap.

Possible excursion locations you might be able to visit in this part of Antarctica include:

• Cape Adare: home to the world’s largest colony of Adélie penguins and located on the Borchgrevink coast
• Terra Nova Bay: housing a few research stations
• Inexpressible Island: Robert Falcon Scott’s historic expedition’s cave and Antarctica historical monument
• Ross Island: follow in the footsteps of Sir James Clark Ross and Sir Ernest Shackelton. Listed as an Antarctica historical monument due to Shackelton’s hut built at Cape Royds.
• Balleny Islands: volcanic remote islands rich with species diversity

As Le Commandant Charcot turns northward toward Hobart, the final days at sea offer the perfect opportunity to unwind and absorb everything you’ve experienced in Antarctica. Far from being a simple transit, this stretch becomes a serene conclusion to your expedition and a time for relaxation and reflection.

Life onboard invites you to slow down and enjoy the ship’s exceptional comforts. Whether you to choose to relax in the panoramic lounges with a good book or a warm drink, have a quiet moment by the indoor pool or join an insightful lecture with the expedition team, the days unfold at your own pace.

And even though the continent lies behind you, the Southern Ocean remains very much alive. From the outer decks, keep watching for albatrosses tracing effortless arcs above the waves, or perhaps a final encounter with whales, dolphins, or other marine life that roam these remote waters. Sunrises and sunsets at sea can be spectacular, vast horizons painted in soft polar light, offering a fitting farewell to your journey.

With Mount Wellington in the background, your arrival in Hobart will feel like another planet after your many weeks at sea. Hobart is also known for its polar explorer history, with legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen making landfall here after his historic race to the South Pole.

Full Antarctic Circumnavigation

This expedition is the first half of a full circumnavigation of Antarctica onboard Le Commandant Charcot. The second half completes the circle by sailing deep into the eastern and rarely accessible areas of Antarctica. From the vast coastal expanses shaped by historic explorers to the icy solitude of the Southern Ocean.

Part 2 – Eastern Antarctica: Hobart to Ushuaia
Itinerary: Hobart, Tasmania (Australia) → Ushuaia (Argentina)
Duration: 31 days
Dates: 11 February 2028 – 12 March 2028

Combining both expeditions back‑to‑back gives you the full 62‑day Antarctic circumnavigation, tracing more than 14,000 miles (23.000 km) of untouched coastline.

Please note, spaces for the voyage from Hobart to Ushuaia are very limited. Please contact us for more information regarding the full circumnavigation.