0333 405 0194
Enquiries & Reservations
Aurora Expeditions · 20 Days
Follow the Endurance story in the order it happened, from the Weddell Sea to Elephant Island, across the Scotia Sea and on to South Georgia, where the Boss now lies.
The Voyage
In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton set out on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, hoping to make the first crossing of the Antarctic continent on foot. His ship, the Endurance, left South Georgia in December 1914 and sailed into the Weddell Sea, where the pack ice closed around her. She drifted for months before the pressure crushed her, and she sank in November 1915. Shackleton and his 27 men camped on the moving ice until it broke up, then took to three open boats and reached Elephant Island in April 1916, 497 days after they had last stood on land.
What followed is the reason this voyage exists. Shackleton and five others sailed the James Caird, a lifeboat less than seven metres long, across the Scotia Sea to South Georgia. They landed in King Haakon Bay on the south coast, the wrong side of the island, so Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean walked over its unmapped mountains and glaciers to the whaling station at Stromness. All 22 men left on Elephant Island were rescued that August, and not one member of the ship’s party was lost.
This 20 day voyage follows that story in order. After the Drake Passage and the Antarctic Peninsula, the ship passes through the Antarctic Sound, known as Iceberg Alley for the huge tabular bergs that drift out of the Weddell Sea, and pushes as far into that sea as the ice allows. The wreck of the Endurance was found further south in the same sea in March 2022, sitting upright on the seabed about 3,000 m down. Then come Elephant Island, two days on the James Caird’s route and five days on South Georgia, with king penguins, fur seals, old whaling stations and Shackleton’s grave at Grytviken.
The voyage sails in November, on the Douglas Mawson in 2026 and the Sylvia Earle in 2027. Keen walkers can try the Fortuna Bay to Stromness hike, and the hardiest can book Shackleton’s Crossing, a full traverse of the island. Aurora Expeditions, now also known as AE Expeditions, include drinks throughout.
Day by Day
You are met on arrival in Ushuaia and taken to the Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort, where your first night and breakfast are included. If you are already in the city, make your own way there. Check in is from 3.00 pm, and the Aurora hospitality desk in the lobby opens from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm to give out luggage tags and answer questions. Arriving after 7.00 pm, you will find a welcome pack at check in and can see the team between 8.00 am and 10.00 am the following morning. The rest of the day is free and meals are at your own expense. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, and the old prison, now home to the city’s maritime museum, is well worth a visit.
Fix the cabin tags to your luggage and hand it in at reception before or as you check out, and it will be in your cabin when you board. Keep valuables and essentials with you. With a late check out and a hospitality room you can spend the day walking the waterfront, visiting museums and cafés, or trekking in the hills above the town. At the time confirmed by the ground team, meet in the lobby or at the car park near the pier. After the mandatory briefings everyone gathers on deck to watch Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego slip away, and a welcome dinner starts the voyage in style.
Two days crossing the Drake Passage give you time to settle into your stateroom and find your way around the gym, wellbeing centre and library. You collect your Muck Boots and attend the briefings on biosecurity, wildlife watching and Zodiac safety that come before any landing, and the expedition team begin their talks on Antarctica’s history and wildlife. On Day 4, as you near the South Shetland Islands, everyone heads for the observation decks to spot the first iceberg. South of the Antarctic Convergence the water turns colder and the penguins and ice appear. Time and weather permitting, there may be a first landing late in the afternoon.
The first part of these days is spent on the western Peninsula and South Shetlands, with Zodiac cruises among ice cliffs and landings at penguin rookeries and historic huts, usually twice a day. Then the voyage turns north and east into the Antarctic Sound, named after the ship of Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish expedition, which was crushed by ice nearby in 1903. Volcanic peaks rise above penguin colonies, and tabular icebergs drift through on their way out of the Weddell Sea. From here the ship pushes as far into the Weddell Sea as the ice will allow, looking for crabeater and Weddell seals on the floes and storm petrels and prions overhead. Somewhere beyond lies the Endurance, found in 2022 about four miles from where her captain, Frank Worsley, had last fixed her position in 1915.
A day given over to the heart of the story. In the morning the expedition team tell the tale in the lecture room: months beset in the pack, the long months camped on drifting ice and the desperate week in three open boats before the men reached land here. The ship then plans to sail past Cape Valentine, the narrow beach where they first came ashore, and follow the coast west to Point Wild, the exposed spit where 22 men lived under two upturned boats through the winter of 1916, led by Frank Wild. Weather permitting, there will be a Zodiac cruise or a landing at Point Wild. It is a bleak, beautiful place, and it is hard to imagine waiting there for more than four months.
Two quieter days at sea following the course of the James Caird. Shackleton, Worsley, Tom Crean and three others spent about 16 days crossing this stretch of ocean in an open boat, navigating by sextant on the rare occasions the sun appeared, before reaching King Haakon Bay on South Georgia. Seeing these seas from the bridge of a modern ship makes the achievement feel even more remarkable. Lectures cover South Georgia’s wildlife, geology and history, or you can simply take a long lunch and curl up in the library. The Scotia Sea is rich in whales, so keep watch for fin, humpback and blue whales and the occasional orca, with cape petrels, prions and albatrosses around the ship.
Five days on an island Cook reached in 1775 and mistook for the edge of a southern continent. It is only about 176 km long, but its mountains climb to around 3,000 m. Zodiacs explore rocky coves and kelp beds, and landings take you among some of the largest king penguin colonies on Earth and past fur seals and elephant seals. Aurora also hope to visit the old whaling stations and Grytviken, where Shackleton was buried after he died aboard the Quest in 1922. For keen walkers there is the optional hike from Fortuna Bay over an alpine plateau and steeply down to Stromness, the last stage of Shackleton, Worsley and Crean’s crossing. Guests who have booked Shackleton’s Crossing attempt the full traverse, conditions permitting.
Four days at sea back to South America. Seabirds follow the ship as she leaves South Georgia, riding the air currents off her hull, and if conditions allow you may pass close to Shag Rocks, a group of jagged islets standing alone in the ocean. There is plenty of time to sit out on deck, go to the final lectures, use the ship’s facilities and share a drink with the friends you have made. On the last night the Captain’s farewell dinner celebrates the voyage. Aurora hope you will go home as ambassadors for this part of the world, and after following Shackleton’s route most people need no persuading.
Early in the morning the ship sails up the Beagle Channel and docks in Ushuaia, and you disembark at around 8.00 am. Transport to a hotel is arranged for guests who booked their accommodation through Aurora or are staying in the centre near the port. If your flight leaves before 2.30 pm you transfer directly to the airport, and later flights allow time to explore the town before an afternoon transfer. Aurora recommend not booking a flight out of Ushuaia before midday, in case of delays.
Every Antarctic itinerary depends on the ice, the weather and the wildlife. The Captain and Expedition Leader choose each day’s landings and Zodiac cruises on the spot, so the order of the days and the places visited can change.
Watch
Five of the twenty days are spent on South Georgia. Aurora’s film gives a sense of the wildlife, the mountains and the history waiting for you there.
Video: South Georgia expedition, from Aurora Expeditions on YouTube.
2026/27 to 2027/28 Seasons
In Shackleton’s Footsteps runs once a season, in November, which is late spring in the far south. The Weddell Sea ice is still extensive, South Georgia’s mountains carry plenty of snow, and the elephant seal and fur seal breeding season is getting under way on the beaches. The 2026 voyage is on the Douglas Mawson and the 2027 voyage on the Sylvia Earle. There are two departures on sale, from £21,529 per person, with savings of up to 15%. Places on Shackleton’s Crossing are very limited, so if you want to do it, book early.
One departure in the 2026/27 season, on the Douglas Mawson.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 202620 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 15% | Douglas Mawson | £21,529was £25,328Limited | £22,118was £26,021Limited | Sold out | £25,328Limited |
One departure in the 2027/28 season, on the Sylvia Earle.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 202720 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 10% | Sylvia Earle | Sold out | £24,944was £27,715 | £34,922was £38,802 | £29,794 |
Prices are per person in pounds, two sharing, and include Aurora’s current savings. The Solo column is the price for a cabin to yourself. They are taken from Aurora Expeditions’ UK fares on 3 November 2026. Flights from the UK are not included, and we are happy to arrange them for you. Aurora adjust fares and offers often, so prices and availability can change daily. Call us on 0333 405 0194 for today’s fare and the full range of staterooms on your chosen date.
Your Fare
Aurora’s fares cover more than many people expect, including drinks, landings and your polar jacket. On this voyage the price includes:
Not included: flights to and from South America unless shown above, travel insurance (which must include at least US$250,000 of medical, repatriation and evacuation cover), optional add-on activities, visas and personal spending. A crew gratuity of US$20 per person per day is added to your onboard account, and you can adjust or remove it when you settle up. For suite guests the gratuity is already included. Our Aurora what’s included page has more detail.
Make More of It
Three optional activities are offered: sea kayaking, snowshoeing and Shackleton’s Crossing. The Crossing is a serious mountain journey across South Georgia, over glaciers and alpine passes. It is quite different from the Fortuna Bay to Stromness hike, which follows only the last stage. On the November 2026 departure all three activities have already sold out with Aurora, and on the 2027 departure the Crossing has limited availability. Our activities page has more on each.
Before or after the voyage, Aurora’s extension tours include an Ushuaia City Stay (2 days), Taste of Buenos Aires (4 days), Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls Explorer (6 days), Taste of Santiago (4 days), Santiago and Valparaiso Explorer (6 days), the Patagonia Eco Camp from Punta Arenas (5 days) and an Atacama Desert Adventure from Calama (4 days).
| Add-on activity | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Snowshoeing | £339 |
| Sea kayaking | £1,344 |
| Shackleton’s Crossing | £1,709 |
Activity prices vary by departure. Places are limited, they are booked with your voyage, and every activity depends on the weather and ice on the day. See our Aurora activities page for what each one involves.
Questions
It is an optional add on activity in which a small group attempts to cross South Georgia on foot, as Shackleton, Worsley and Crean did in 1916. The route crosses glaciers and alpine passes, so it is a genuine mountaineering undertaking. Places are very limited and it depends on the weather. Call us to discuss whether it suits you.
No. The Fortuna Bay hike is an optional walk that repeats only the final section of Shackleton’s route, climbing to an alpine plateau before dropping steeply to the abandoned Stromness whaling station. It is offered to guests on the voyage, conditions permitting, and is a good choice if you want a taste of the crossing without committing to the full traverse.
No. The Endurance lies about 3,000 m down on the floor of the Weddell Sea, found by the Endurance22 expedition in March 2022 and protected as a historic site. The ship sails as far into the Weddell Sea as the ice allows and you pass through the waters where she drifted, but the wreck itself cannot be visited.
Aurora plan to visit the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton at Grytviken, which most guests count as one of the most moving moments of the voyage. Frank Wild, who led the men on Elephant Island, now lies beside him. As with all landings, the visit depends on weather and sea conditions on the day.
The November 2026 departure is on the Douglas Mawson, Aurora’s newest ship, launched in 2025, and the November 2027 departure is on the Sylvia Earle, launched in 2022. Both are X-BOW expedition ships carrying 130 guests, with an observation lounge, library, lecture theatre, gym, sauna and two outdoor Jacuzzis. The Douglas Mawson also has a heated outdoor pool.
Aurora grade the voyage as moderate. You need to be steady enough to climb in and out of Zodiacs and to walk on uneven, sometimes slippery ground, but most excursions are at a gentle pace. The Fortuna Bay hike is more strenuous, with a steep descent, and Shackleton’s Crossing is in another league altogether, so talk to us before you book it.
Yes, flights are not included. You need to reach Ushuaia in time for Day 1, usually flying via Buenos Aires, and your first night at the Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort is included along with the transfers in the itinerary. The voyage ends back in Ushuaia on Day 20, and Aurora advise against booking a flight home before midday.
Certainly. Aurora keep up to 10 dedicated solo cabins on every sailing with no single supplement, and a twenty day voyage with a shared interest in Shackleton is a sociable way to travel. If those cabins have gone, you can book any other stateroom for sole use with a 50% supplement. Ring us on 0333 405 0194 to check.
Other Voyages
If you would like South Georgia with the Falklands too, South Georgia, Falklands & Antarctic Odyssey takes in all three over three weeks. Wild Antarctica featuring the Weddell Sea concentrates on the ice of the Weddell Sea in a shorter fly and sail voyage, and South Georgia & Antarctica: Through the Lens follows a similar route with a photography focus. See every voyage on our Antarctica cruises page.