Ross sea highlights

49 highlights found

Highlights

Region

Destination

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Wildlife

These gallant-fighting, deep-diving namesakes of the French-claimed Antarctic Adélie Land are among the four penguin species on mainland Antarctica
Antarctic Petrel

Antarctic Petrel

Wildlife

These feathered fish-eaters are among the planet's most southerly nesting birds, the "petrel" of their name deriving from Saint Peter for their seeming ability to walk on water
Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Wildlife

Among the most nomadic birds on the planet, these sun-loving tourists summer twice a year during their ambitious routes
Beagle Channel

Beagle Channel

Experiences

Home to some of the world’s most southern settlements, Beagle Channel is the first place biologist Charles Darwin saw glaciers
Bird Watching

Bird Watching

Experiences

Enjoy birding together with fellow birders and visit remote places with rare bird-species.
Black-browed Albatross

Black-browed Albatross

Wildlife

So efficient in the air that their in-flight heart rate barely rises above resting, these sub-Antarctic birds pack a stomach full of oil they can spit at would-be attackers
Borchgrevink’s  Hut

Borchgrevink’s Hut

Experiences

Boasting the honor of being the first man-made structure built on Antarctica, Borchgrevink’s hut is a prized monument highly popular among our history-minded guests
Campbell Island

Campbell Island

Experiences

Of the five sub-Antarctic island groups that belong to New Zealand, the Campbell Island group is the most southerly
Cape Adare

Cape Adare

Experiences

An Antarctic peninsula as prized among penguins as history lovers
Cape Evans

Cape Evans

Experiences

The site of Robert Falcon Scott’s historic 1911 hut, Cape Evans is located on the west side of Ross Island
Cape Royds

Cape Royds

Experiences

A shoulder of coal-gray rock shoving into the sea, this westernmost promontory of Ross Island is the site of famed explorer Ernest Shackleton’s historic hut
Crabeater Seal

Crabeater Seal

Wildlife

They may be Earth's most abundant seal, but their teeth are far from typical and are perhaps the most precisely designed eating tool of any living carnivore
Drygalski Ice Tongue

Drygalski Ice Tongue

Experiences

The massive extension of a mammoth Antarctic glacier
Emperor Penguin

Emperor Penguin

Wildlife

The largest, deepest-diving, and least interested in nests of all the penguins, these aptly named Aptenodytes are among the most coveted wildlife attractions in the Antarctic
Fin Whale

Fin Whale

Wildlife

Akin to their blue whale relatives both in size and the low frequency of their song, these "razorbacks" have asymmetrically colored faces thought to help them while hunting
Gentoo Penguin

Gentoo Penguin

Wildlife

These hygienic divers are the only penguin species whose population is currently increasing along the Antarctic Peninsula
Helicopter Tours

Helicopter Tours

Outdoor activities

Take flight above the breathtaking Antarctic wilderness, visiting locations inaccessible by any other means
Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Wildlife

Also known as "great-winged newfoundlanders" for their wing-like flippers, these cetaceans earned their more contemporary name by the way they bow their backs before a dive
Icebergs

Icebergs

Experiences

Slabs of frozen fresh water, icebergs are the free-floating offspring of glaciers and ice shelves
Invercargill and Bluff

Invercargill and Bluff

Experiences

Invercargill, and more specifically the port of Bluff, is used an embarkation point for our Ross Sea expeditions
Killer Whale

Killer Whale

Wildlife

Technically a kind of dolphin, orcas were once thought to appear as whales in the summer and wolves in the winter
Leopard Seal

Leopard Seal

Wildlife

These "slender-clawed water workers" spend much of their lives submerged, though it's known they are the only member of their family to consume other seals
Light-mantled Albatross

Light-mantled Albatross

Wildlife

Though these black-billed birds are so efficient at flying that they spend more energy at nest than in the air, they're often less than masterful at landing
Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island

Experiences

Between New Zealand and Antarctica lies Macquarie Island, representing the only spot in the Pacific where mantle rocks can be seen at sea level
McMurdo Dry Valleys

McMurdo Dry Valleys

Experiences

The Dry Valleys of the Transantarctic Mountains are among the world’s most unique deserts, a stark and fascinating landscape comparable to Mars
McMurdo Sound

McMurdo Sound

Experiences

Connecting the Ross Sea to the McMurdo Ice Shelf, McMurdo Sound is Earth’s most southerly navigable body of water and home to Antarctica’s largest research station
McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station

Experiences

The largest research facility in Antarctica, McMurdo Station is an American scientific base located on Ross Island
Pancake Ice

Pancake Ice

Experiences

The lily pads of the polar regions, pancake ice consists of rounded sheets of newly frozen water
Peter I Island

Peter I Island

Experiences

Also known as Peter I Øy, Peter I Island is volcanic, uninhabited, and one of the most remote islands in the world
Pintado Petrel

Pintado Petrel

Wildlife

Decked out in their distinctive dappled coloring, these dapper "little devourers" have a pigeon-like habit of pecking at the water while feeding
Prion

Prion

Wildlife

Named after the Greek word for "saw" due to their serrated bills, these marine petrels like to flock over surfacing whales to grab the fish that rise with them
Ross Island

Ross Island

Experiences

Home to three historic expedition huts, Antarctica's largest research station, and Earth's southernmost active volcano, Ross Island is a longstanding favorite of our far-south expeditions
Ross Sea Helicopter Flights

Ross Sea Helicopter Flights

Experiences

Experience the ultimate freedom in Antarctica’s ultimate waterway
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