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Aurora Expeditions · 11 Days
Fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island, explore the Peninsula and push east into the Weddell Sea, the sea of giant tabular icebergs and Shackleton’s Endurance, then sail home to Ushuaia.
The Voyage
In February 1823 the British sealer James Weddell took his brig Jane further south than anyone before him, to 74°15', through a sea that happened to be unusually free of ice that year. It now carries his name, and his luck has seldom been repeated. The Weddell Sea is the great ice trap of Antarctica, where a slow clockwise current, the Weddell Gyre, keeps the pack ice turning and drives huge flat topped tabular icebergs north towards the tip of the Peninsula. In January 1915 it caught Shackleton’s Endurance. She drifted with the pack for most of that year before the ice crushed her, and her wreck was not found until 2022, about 3,000 metres down.
Twelve years earlier the sea had already claimed a ship. Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish expedition was landed at Snow Hill Island in 1902, and when their ship Antarctic, under the Norwegian whaling captain Carl Anton Larsen, was crushed and sank on her way back to collect them the following summer, the expedition ended up scattered across three winter camps: Nordenskjöld’s hut at Snow Hill, a stone shelter at Hope Bay and another on Paulet Island, built by Larsen’s crew. All but one man survived, and an Argentine naval ship, the Uruguay, rescued them in November 1903. Antarctic Sound, the gateway to the Weddell Sea, is named after their lost ship.
Wild Antarctica works its way into this history from an unusual direction. Instead of crossing the Drake Passage twice you fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island and join the ship there, then sail back across the Drake to Ushuaia at the end. That leaves Days 3 to 8 for the western Peninsula, the South Shetlands and, if the ice allows, Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea beyond. It is iceberg alley, and getting in is never certain. When it works you find fossil strewn volcanic islands that an onboard palaeontologist helps explain, and a large Adélie colony just outside the Sound.
The 2028 departure sails on the Douglas Mawson. There is also a 13 day special edition in March 2027 on the Sylvia Earle, run with New Scientist Discovery Tours, which adds two more days in Antarctica and a programme of science talks. Aurora, also known as AE Expeditions, include the charter flight, a hotel night in Punta Arenas and premium drinks throughout.
Day by Day
Aurora’s representative meets you in Punta Arenas and takes you to the group hotel. Please arrive by 2pm, because the briefings matter and, if the weather looks set to close in, the flight south may leave today rather than tomorrow. The Aurora hospitality desk in the lobby is open from 2pm to 6pm for cabin luggage tags and questions. Punta Arenas grew up on the Strait of Magellan, and its grand old mansions were built on wool and shipping by settlers from Britain, Croatia and beyond. Meals today are at your own expense. At 7pm there is a voyage briefing to confirm tomorrow’s transfer times, explain the flight and go through the IAATO rules for visitors to Antarctica.
After a morning transfer to Punta Arenas airport you take the charter flight to King George Island, weather permitting, which takes about an hour and forty five minutes. The expedition team meet you on the ground and take you out to the ship by Zodiac, and there is time to settle into your cabin before the safety briefings. King George Island lies in the South Shetlands, and its airstrip needs clear skies and good visibility for both take off and landing. If the flight cannot go today, Aurora’s contingency plan comes into effect, and their terms and conditions explain how this works.
Six days, planned day by day around weather, ice and wildlife, on the western Peninsula and in the South Shetlands, with the aim of slipping through Antarctic Sound into the Weddell Sea. Landings or Zodiac outings usually happen twice a day: along ice cliffs, among grounded bergs, to penguin rookeries and historic huts. In the Weddell region the beaches hold fossils of gastropods, large clams and coiled ammonites from a warmer age. Look out for the big Adélie colony outside the Sound, where blue eyed shags and nesting Wilson’s storm petrels share the rocks, along with chinstraps, gentoos, humpbacks, minkes and orca. Daylight lasts up to 20 hours in midsummer, optional activities run when conditions allow, and there is a polar plunge. On the New Scientist edition this section runs from Day 3 to Day 10.
A final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands usually comes before the ship turns north into the Drake Passage for the sail back to South America. Unlike the flight down, this is your chance to see the Southern Ocean at its own pace, with albatrosses and petrels for company. Lectures and films round off the trip, and Aurora hope you go home ready to speak up for Antarctica. As you near South America, the captain may sail close to Cape Horn, weather and time permitting. On the New Scientist edition the crossing falls on Days 11 and 12.
Early in the morning the ship sails up the Beagle Channel and docks in Ushuaia, and you can disembark at around 8am (Day 13 on the New Scientist edition). Guests with hotels booked through Aurora, or staying in the centre near the port, are taken to their hotel. If your flight is before 2.30pm you transfer straight to Ushuaia airport; with a later flight you can explore the town before an afternoon transfer. Details are confirmed on board. Please do not book 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
Getting into the Weddell Sea takes a nimble ship. Aurora’s short film explains why they keep their ships small and what that means for you on board.
Video: Small Ships, Big Adventures, from Aurora Expeditions on YouTube.
2026/27 to 2027/28 Seasons
Wild Antarctica featuring the Weddell Sea has two departures on sale, from £13,371 per person twin share, with savings of up to 15% on selected dates. The 13 day New Scientist edition leaves Punta Arenas on 2 March 2027 on the Sylvia Earle, a late season sailing when whales are feeding hard before heading north. The 11 day voyage leaves on 15 February 2028 on the Douglas Mawson, when penguin chicks are growing fast. Both sailings fly south from Punta Arenas and finish in Ushuaia.
One departure in the 2026/27 season, on the Sylvia Earle.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 202713 days, Punta Arenas to UshuaiaNew Scientist editionSave up to 15% | Sylvia Earle | Sold out | Sold out | £21,922was £25,790 | Sold out |
One departure in the 2027/28 season, on the Douglas Mawson.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Feb 202811 days, Punta Arenas to UshuaiaSave up to 10% | Douglas Mawson | £13,371was £14,857Limited | £14,480was £16,089 | £21,340was £23,711 | £14,857Limited |
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. The fare includes the charter flight shown in the itinerary, but not your flights from the UK to South America. 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
On the 2028 departure you can book sea kayaking, paddling or snorkelling, while on the 2027 New Scientist edition snorkelling and paddling were offered and have already sold out. Activities are booked before you travel. Our activities guide explains each one.
Aurora’s extension tours include a two day Ushuaia City Stay, 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). Because the voyage starts in Chile and ends in Argentina, you can add a stay in either country. See our gateway cities guide.
| Add-on activity | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Paddling | £269 |
| Snorkelling | £520 |
| Sea kayaking | £1,039 |
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
You fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island on Day 2, a charter flight of about an hour and forty five minutes that is included in the fare, and join the ship by Zodiac. At the end you sail back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia. So you cross the Drake by sea only once, and you finish in Argentina, not Chile.
No. The Weddell Gyre pushes vast amounts of ice towards Antarctic Sound, and at times the entrance is blocked completely. Aurora say plainly that entry depends on favourable weather and ice. If the way is shut, the expedition team use the time elsewhere on the Peninsula, so you are never short of things to see.
It runs for 13 days instead of 11, with eight days in Antarctica rather than six, on the Sylvia Earle in March 2027. It adds New Scientist talks on how the ocean shapes life, the latest scientific thinking and a keynote called Charting the Cosmos, curated reading before you go, an onboard science fiction book club and a 12 month digital New Scientist subscription.
No. Under the Antarctic Treaty and IAATO guidelines, visitors must not remove anything from Antarctica, and that includes fossils, rocks, shells and feathers. You are welcome to look and photograph, and the onboard palaeontologist will tell you what you are looking at. The fossils stay where they are for the next visitors and for science.
Yes, your flights to Punta Arenas and home from Ushuaia are not included. You must reach Punta Arenas by 2pm on Day 1, and we would not book a flight out of Ushuaia before midday on the final day. As the trip is one way, open jaw tickets usually work best. We are happy to arrange them for you.
Premium spirits, cocktails, beer, wine and liqueurs are included throughout the voyage, as well as soft drinks, tea and coffee. A suggested gratuity of US$20 per person per day for the crew and expedition team is added to your onboard account, which you can change or remove. Suite guests have it included.
Yes. Aurora hold up to 10 dedicated solo cabins on every sailing with no single supplement, and the Douglas Mawson also has single staterooms. When the solo cabins have gone you can take another cabin on your own with a 50% supplement. Ask us early, as these are always the first to sell.
Other Voyages
To combine the Weddell Sea with a crossing of the Antarctic Circle, look at Southern Antarctic Realms. If Shackleton’s story is the draw, In Shackleton’s Footsteps follows him to South Georgia, and Across the Antarctic Circle: Fly the Drake uses the same flight south. Compare them all on our Antarctica cruises page.