Most people visiting Antarctica depart from South America, crossing the infamous Drake Passage into the Antarctic Peninsula. In 2024 and 2025, Scenic Eclipse II, our new Discovery Yacht, will take you to the less travelled route as you journey from New Zealand or Australia to reach the remote East Antarctica and Ross Sea region, home to impressive wildlife and remarkable landscapes.
Though it makes up two-thirds of Antarctica, this part of the continent remains largely unexplored due to its limited availability and wild nature. Featuring a Polar Class 6 rating, strengthened hull, customized stabilizers and an advanced propulsion system for unrestricted navigation, Scenic Eclipse II is one of just a few ships that can reach this area, taking only up to 200 guests to explore this remote corner of the world in unmatched comfort and ultra-luxury.
Pristine nature and unique wildlife
The spectacular landscapes of East Antarctica are on a scale that’s almost impossible to comprehend; dramatic glaciers stretching for kilometres, icebergs that dwarf the ship, and bright white sheets of ice and snow that roll to the horizon.
They are also home to abundant wildlife, nourished by the incredibly nutrient-rich waters that surround them. This includes the Ross Sea, considered one of the world’s most pristine ecosystems, which has been largely untouched by humans. Its incredible biodiversity includes large populations of orcas, minke whales, and Weddell and leopard seals, plus the world’s largest Adélie penguin colony.
RIGHT: Weddell Seal
Heroic history
Most early Antarctic exploration centred around this eastern side of the continent, with legendary adventurers like Mawson, Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott departing from Australia and New Zealand in their attempts to reach the South Pole.
On these new itineraries, you’ll follow in their footsteps, cruising through wild oceans and into the isolated coves where they first planted their flags. Visiting their wooden huts, that have stood on these icy plains for more than 200 years, is a poignant reminder of the hardships these explorers suffered and of the many who never returned home.
Unparalleled experiences
With two state-of-the-art on board helicopters^, Scenic Eclipse II guests can take their exploration even further to areas accessible only by air.
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are one of Antarctica’s most unusual environments, an arid desert that’s largely free of snow and ice. Get a breathtaking perspective while flying above or (conditions permitting) touch down on this otherworldly environment. Or step inside the Scenic Neptune submarine^ to go where few people have ever been, beneath the surface of the Ross Sea.
LEFT: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s hut; RIGHT; Ross Sea Ice Shelf
Scenic Eclipse II East Antarctica itineraries
Mawson’s Antarctica: Along the East Coast
25 days - Queenstown to Hobart December 15, 2024 departure
Follow the route of legendary Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, who led the first-ever Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911. Setting sail from New Zealand’s spectacular Milford Sound, it’s a four-day journey to the Balleny Islands where you can board a Zodiac for a front-row seat to one of the greatest convergences of wildlife in the world. Then it’s on to East Antarctica, where you’ll spend 10 days discovering the wonders of a land that has captivated adventurers for more than 100 years. Return to Australia via Macquarie Island, a place where the very ground seems to shake under the weight of millions of penguins.
RIGHT: Macquarie Island
Antarctica’s Ross Sea: Majestic Ice & Wildlife
24 days - Hobart to Dunedin or Dunedin to Dunedin January 08, 2025 and January 31, 2025 departures
Go deep into the world’s southernmost body of water, the pristine Ross Sea, where nature is writ large. Departing from Hobart or Dunedin, you’ll island hop south through Macquarie Island and the Balleny Islands, before reaching Cape Adare, the point where the first explorer ever set foot on the Antarctic continent in 1895. There are nine magnificent days to explore the Ross Sea, kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding beside icebergs, whale and penguin spotting from Zodiacs, or soaring above the ice in a helicopter^.
^Flights on board our two helicopters, helicopter experiences and submarine at additional cost, subject to regulatory approval, availability, weight restrictions, medical approval and weather and ice conditions.
RIGHT: Zodiac Excursion
