0333 405 0194
Enquiries & Reservations
Aurora Expeditions · 17 Days
Seventeen days and ten of them in Antarctica: south below the Antarctic Circle on the Peninsula’s western side, then round to the iceberg filled Weddell Sea in the east.
The Voyage
Most visitors to Antarctica see one stretch of coast, the sheltered channels of the northern Peninsula. Southern Antarctic Realms sets out to show you two quite different Antarctic worlds. With ten days, Days 5 to 14, between the Drake crossings, it gives you more time in Antarctica than Across the Antarctic Circle or Antarctic Circle in Depth, and that time is split between the far south of the western Peninsula and the ice choked waters of the Weddell Sea on the eastern side.
The first part heads south past towering cliffs and glittering bergs towards the Antarctic Circle at 66°33' South, which the ship aims to cross, weather and ice permitting. Down here the coast is quieter and colder, with wide fields of pack ice, snow petrels overhead and leopard seals hunting along the ice edge. People have long found it a hard place to live. Just south of the Circle on Detaille Island stands a hut built by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, the forerunner of the British Antarctic Survey. It was occupied from 1956 and closed in a hurry in 1959, the same year the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington, and it is now protected as a historic site.
The ship then sails north and aims to pass through Antarctic Sound into the Weddell Sea. Nothing about this is certain. The Weddell Gyre, a slow clockwise current, carries huge amounts of ice up from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and can pack the entrance solid, and the not knowing is part of the appeal. When the way is open you find tabular icebergs the size of city blocks, beaches where fossil shells and ammonites lie in the stones, and a large Adélie colony just outside the Sound. Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish expedition spent two winters on this coast, and Shackleton’s Endurance was trapped and lost further south in the same sea.
The voyage sails late in the season on the Douglas Mawson, Aurora’s newest ship. A night at Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort and premium drinks throughout are included. Aurora are also known as AE Expeditions.
Day by Day
Aurora’s representative meets you on arrival and takes you to Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort, or you can make your own way if you are already in town. Check in opens at 3pm, and the Aurora hospitality desk in the lobby is staffed from 3pm to 7pm with luggage tags, answers to your questions and tips on where to eat. If you arrive after 7pm there will be a welcome pack for you, and the desk opens again from 8am to 10am tomorrow. The rest of the day is free, and meals are at your own expense. Ushuaia began as a missionary station and later a penal colony, and the old prison is now a museum well worth an hour.
After breakfast, label your cases with your name and cabin number and leave them at reception. They go to the port and on to your cabin. Thanks to a late check out and a hospitality room the day is your own, whether for a hike, a walk along the waterfront or a browse in the town’s shops and cafés. At the time the ground team give you, meet in the lobby or at the pier car park and board the ship. After the mandatory briefings everyone heads out on deck to watch Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego fall away behind, before a welcome dinner with the expedition team and crew.
The Drake crossing takes two days. The expedition team cover wildlife guidelines and biosecurity, then begin the lecture programme on Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment. Albatrosses and giant petrels ride the wind behind the ship, and you have the gym, sauna and Jacuzzis to fill the gaps. On the afternoon of Day 4, as the South Shetland Islands draw near, the decks fill with people hoping to spot the first iceberg. Crossing the Antarctic Convergence, where cold southern water slides beneath the warmer sea to the north, you feel the temperature drop. With time and good weather there may be a first landing that evening.
Ten days, planned day by day by the expedition team around weather, ice and wildlife. First the ship heads down the western Peninsula and attempts to cross the Antarctic Circle, where pack ice, snow petrels and hunting leopard seals set the scene and a toast marks the crossing. Then it turns north, with stops at favourite places on the way, where fur seals play on the beaches and fledging penguins take to the water. Near Antarctic Sound, iceberg alley, the team hope for ice that lets the ship into the Weddell Sea. Expect two landings or Zodiac outings most days, fossil hunting on remote beaches, the big Adélie colony outside the Sound, and humpback, minke and orca. Optional activities run when conditions allow, and there is a polar plunge for the bold.
A final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands is usually possible before the ship heads back across the Drake. Lectures and films help you make sense of ten days that will have covered a lot of ground, and there is time to talk it all over with the people you have shared it with. Aurora hope you go home as an ambassador for Antarctica, and after this voyage you will have plenty to say. If weather and time allow, the captain may sail close to Cape Horn as you approach South America.
In the early morning the ship makes its way up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, and you can disembark from around 8am. Transfers to a hotel are arranged for guests who booked their accommodation through Aurora or are staying in the centre near the port. If your flight leaves before 2.30pm you go straight to the airport; if it is later you can explore the town before an afternoon transfer. Details are confirmed on board. Please do not book a flight from Ushuaia before midday, as delays can happen.
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
Sea kayaking is offered on this voyage, and there are few better ways to find your way through the sea ice. Aurora’s film shows what a paddle among the floes is like.
Video: Kayaking in Antarctica, from Aurora Expeditions on YouTube.
2027/28 Season
Southern Antarctic Realms has one departure, from Ushuaia on 24 February 2028, returning on 11 March, on the Douglas Mawson. Fares start from £18,518 per person twin share, with savings of up to 15% at present. Late February and March is an excellent time for this route. The summer sea ice has had the longest time to break up, which helps on the push south and into the Weddell Sea. Whale sightings are at their best, penguin chicks are fledging and fur seals are hauled out on the beaches.
One departure in the 2027/28 season, on the Douglas Mawson.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Feb 202817 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 15% | Douglas Mawson | £18,518was £21,786Limited | £20,089was £23,634 | £29,578was £34,798 | £21,786Limited |
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 on this departure: sea kayaking, paddling and snorkelling. Kayaking in particular is a wonderful way to see the sea ice of the Weddell region. All must be booked in advance, and places are limited. Our activities page has the details.
Aurora’s extension tours include a two day Ushuaia City Stay before the voyage, Taste of Santiago (4 days), the Santiago & Valparaiso Explorer (6 days), Taste of Buenos Aires (4 days), the Buenos Aires & Iguazu Falls Explorer (6 days), the Patagonia Eco Camp (5 days) and the Atacama Desert Adventure (4 days). See our gateway cities guide for ideas.
| Add-on activity | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Paddling | £269 |
| Snorkelling | £662 |
| Sea kayaking | £1,382 |
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
No, and Aurora are honest about it. Both the crossing of the Circle and the entry into the Weddell Sea depend on weather and sea ice. The Weddell Gyre can push so much ice towards Antarctic Sound that the way in is blocked. Ten days in Antarctica gives the team the best possible chance of doing both, but they decide each day on the spot.
Seventeen days from Ushuaia and back. You spend Day 1 in a hotel, board on Day 2, cross the Drake on Days 3 and 4, explore on Days 5 to 14, return across the Drake on Days 15 and 16 and disembark in Ushuaia at around 8am on Day 17.
In the south, Adélie penguins, leopard and crabeater seals on the ice and snow petrels. In the Weddell region, a large Adélie colony outside Antarctic Sound, blue eyed shags and Wilson’s storm petrels, with Weddell seals on the floes. Humpback, minke and orca are all possible, and late season brings fur seals to the beaches and penguin chicks fledging.
The Douglas Mawson, Aurora’s newest ship, built in 2025. She carries up to 130 guests on expedition in 86 cabins, from single staterooms to suites. She has a heated outdoor pool and pool bar, a Science Centre, a lecture theatre, sauna and two Jacuzzis, plus the X-BOW hull and a Polar Class 6 rating for ice.
It is one of the best. Few people who have been to the northern Peninsula have also been below the Circle or into the Weddell Sea, and this voyage tries to do both. The ice, wildlife and history are quite different on each side of the Peninsula, so it feels like a new trip rather than a repeat.
One night at Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort, transfers in the itinerary, all meals, premium spirits, cocktails, beer, wine and liqueurs, every landing and Zodiac cruise, lectures, a three in one polar jacket, Muck Boots on loan, landing fees and Wi-Fi. A suggested gratuity of US$20 per person per day is added to your onboard account, adjustable and included for suites.
Aurora grade the voyage as moderate. You need to manage Zodiac transfers with a helping hand and walk on uneven and sometimes icy ground. Landings are at your own pace, and you can always stay on board or choose a Zodiac cruise instead. Both Drake crossings can be lively, so bring a seasickness remedy.
Other Voyages
For the Circle alone in fewer days, look at Across the Antarctic Circle. If it is the Weddell Sea that draws you, Wild Antarctica featuring the Weddell Sea flies you south and sails you home. Or celebrate the festive season on the ice with Antarctic Circle in Depth. All the options are on our Antarctica cruises page.