Antarctica Cruises & Tours

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Ship: Marina Svetaeva

Itinerary: Historic Huts & Antarctic Heroes - Ross Sea Exploration

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 cabins & deck plans  |  additional itineraries  |  cancellation policy

Due South of Australia and New Zealand, Antarctica's Ross Sea coast draws us with spectacular scenery, prolific wildlife and an introduction to the Golden Age of Exploration. Massive icebergs break away from the Ross Ice Shelf, while active Mt Erebus and the Transantarctic Mountains provide a glorious backdrop to the expedition huts of Scott and Shackleton.

Day 1 : Depart Bluff

Expedition members gather in Invercargill prior to boarding late morning in Bluff. After a warm welcome on board Marina Svetaeva, we depart Bluff Harbour and travel through Foveaux Strait past Stewart Island.

Day 2 : Tasman Sea

Our first day at sea is busy, with Zodiac and environmental briefings to prepare us for landings on New Zealand's subantarctic islands, and our shipboard lecture series commences. Soaring albatross, shearwaters and flighty petrels provide hours of relaxed viewing from the bridge and outer decks.

Day 3 : Auckland Islands

Home to an extraordinary array of wildlife - royal albatross, Hooker sea lions, yellow-eyed penguins and - in winter - a growing population of southern right whales, the Auckland Islands are incredibly rich in life for their tiny size. Landings depend on sea and weather conditions.

Day 4 : Campbell Island

A stepping stone to Antarctica since its 1810 discovery, the island's seabird and seal population has sustained many castaways, including a shipwrecked party that spent four years here in the 1830s. Today it's home to the largest population of royal albatross, five penguin species and an astounding diversity of other bird life.

Days 5-7 : Southern Ocean

Excitement rises as we follow the track of so many great Antarctic explorers. Our guest historian shares tales of heroism and tragedy, from Scott and Amundsen to Shackleton's "forgotten Argonauts". Our naturalists host entertaining talks on Antarctica's natural history. Below the Antarctic Convergence, we spot our first iceberg then celebrate our crossing of the Antarctic Circle.

Day 8 : Cape Adare

At the mouth of the Ross Sea is home to the world's largest Adélie penguin rookery - some 300,000 birds. If the weather is clear we can see inland to dramatic ridges on Mount Sabine and Mount Minto. We hope to visit the hut built in February 1899 to house Antarctica's first winter expedition, led by Norwegian-Australian, Carsten Borchgrevink.

Day 9 : Cape Hallett

The spectacular 3500-meter flank of the Admiralty Mountains forms the perfect backdrop to this small spit of land - home to about 250,000 Adélie penguins and an abandoned US/NZ scientific station.

Day 10 : Terra Nova Bay

Discovered by Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-04, Terra Nova Bay off Cape Washington is home to an Italian summer research station. Nearby is the dramatic Drygalski Ice Tongue.

Days 11-12 : McMurdo Sound

This often ice-choked waterway between Ross Island and the Transantarctic Mountains is an historian's dream. Conditions permitting, we attempt visits to Shackleton's hut on Cape Royds, Scott's Hut at Cape Evans and Discovery Hut at Hut Point. In the shadow of Mt Erebus, New Zealand's Scott Base and America's McMurdo Station buzz with activity.

Day 13 : Ross Ice Shelf

As with any true voyage of discovery, we allow time to make the most of the weather and ice conditions to determine our exploration schedule. Leaving Ross Island, we sail along "the Barrier" for some time, giving us a taste of its vastness before returning west, passing dramatic Franklin Island.

Days 14-16 : Ross Sea Coast

We'll attempt to park the ship in the fast ice of New Harbour and take our helicopters into the spectacular Royal Society Range. We hope to land in the Dry Valleys, and surreal landscape of hypersaline lakes, hanging glaciers and wind-sculpted granite boulders.

Day 17 : At sea

Sweeping north of the Pennell Coast to avoid dense pack ice, we relax for a day, enjoying the passing parade of animals that come to the ice edge for food and rest.

Day 18 : Balleny Islands

Heavily glaciated and often shrouded in cloud, this 190km chain of three main volcanic islands was named by sealer John Balleny in 1839. Dr. David Lewis made the first seaborne landing on Sturge Island in January 1978. If conditions permit, we may attempt a landing using Zodiacs or helicopters.

Days 19-21 : Southern Ocean

As we head north, we welcome our time at sea to process the rich experiences of the past few weeks. Our naturalists will begin preparing us for our final landings on Australia's remote sanctuary of Macquarie Island.

Days 22-23 : Macquarie Island

A jewel in the crown of the Southern Ocean, Macquarie Island is a World Heritage site. Scattered along the shore are reminders of the island's grim past. Rusting condensers where penguins were rendered for oil and weathered hulls of sealing boats are now commandeered by thousands of king penguins. We'll see vast colonies of the endemic Royal penguin, frisky fur seals and massive elephant seals.

Days 24-25 : Tasman Sea

Time to recap and share our feelings about what we've experienced during the past three weeks. Entertaining talks help consolidate what we've seen and felt as we tune into the rhythms of the Southern Ocean once again.

Day 26 : Hobart, Tasmania

In the early hours we make our way up the Derwent River and plan to dock in Hobart in the morning. After clearing Customs we bid farewell to Svetaeva and her crew.

Ship Description: Marina Svetaeva

Svetaeva was built in the famous Gdynia Poland ship yards in 1989 as an ice strengthened passenger vessel. Pronounced "Svetayva" and named after the famous Russian poet, contemporary of Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova, she was built to transport people across frozen oceans in the Arctic and northern Pacific Oceans. She now spends the northern summers around the coast of the beautiful island of Sakhalin north of Japan. She was refurbished in early 2005 to provide comfortable but not luxurious accommodations for 100 passengers and 41 Russian crew. A helideck was added so that 2 helicopters could provide the magical key to unlock the secrets of the heavily iced coastlines of Deep Antarctica.

A fleet of Zodiacs with outboard motors will add to our ability to come to grips with Antarctica.

The ship is characterized by spacious cabins and large public spaces, including the bridge and outer decks, library, lecture room and bar.

Quad share Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.	Triple Share Two lower berths and one upper, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.
Twin Share Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.	Twin Private Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin.
Mini Suite Lounge with desk and settee. A separate bedroom has two single beds. Private bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-basin. Ample storage. TV monitor, video player, fridge, tea and coffee making.	Suite Large lounge with desk and settee. A separate bedroom has a double and a single bed. Private bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-basin. Ample storage. TV monitor, video player, fridge, tea and coffee making.