• Navigate through gleaming pack ice alive with Weddell and leopard seals, Adélie and emperor penguins and whales feeding in fathomless leads.
• Reflect on the remarkable achievements of the Heroic Age explorers as we attempt to visit some of their beautifully preserved historic huts (conditions permitting).
• Revel in the richness of the unique Ross Sea ecosystem, part of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area and a Sylvia Earle Mission Blue “Hope Spot”.

Embark on the Ross Sea Odyssey with Aurora Expeditions, where adventure meets luxury aboard the elegant Douglas Mawson. Explore one of the most remote and historically significant regions of the South Pole. Begin your expedition in the subantarctic, where yellow-eyed penguins waddle through ancient rātā forests and royal albatross nest among the lush megaherb meadows.

Cross the Antarctic Circle, navigating the pack ice and keeping an eye out for emperor and Adélie penguins leaping through the ice, orcas hunting their prey, and snow petrels gliding above the vast expanse of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Continue your journey along the Victoria Land Coast and into the Ross Sea, where the Antarctic Ice Sheet meets the world's largest floating ice shelf. These waters are steeped in history, as they were the launch point for some of the boldest expeditions during the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration.

Hear the stories of their expeditions and attempt to land at some of their remarkably well-preserved huts.