The Ross Sea – From the 28th Jan to the 4th Feb, you will be able, weather and ice conditions permitting, to discover several emblematic sites in the region.
Among the possible stopovers, are – Cape Adare, at the northern end of the Borchgrevink coast, home to the world’s largest colony of Adélie penguins.
We will attempt to reach Terra Nova Bay where the Italian and South Korean scientific stations are located to the north and the Drygalski Ice Tongue to the south. Dating back at least 4000 years, it extends 70 km offshore from the David Glacier and is 24 km at its widest point. On the Inexpressible Island, discover the exceptional survival conditions of a group of six men of the Terra Nova expedition, led by Robert Falcon Scott (1910-1913), forced to winter in a cave dug in the ice, today classified as an Antarctica historical monument.
On Ross Island, follow in the footsteps of the polar explorers Sir James Clark Ross and discover Sir Ernest Shackleton’s hut, classified as an Antarctica historical monument. Built at Cape Royds during the British expedition Nimrod (1907-1909), it proudly stands at the bottom of Mount Erebus.
Sixty years earlier, while Captain James Ross was trying to reach the South Magnetic Pole, he discovered Franklin Island, located 130 km east of Cape Hickey in Victoria Land. He named it after Sir John Franklin, Arctic explorer and governor of the territory of present-day Tasmania.
You will be offered there, a privileged position to observe Adélie penguins in their daily ballet as well as Weddell seals, resting on the shore.
Image Credit – Ponant Cruises
