DISCOVERING THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT 29JAN25

Depending on weather conditions, we will have two days – perhaps even less – to prep for the day when we will finally step onto the “great white continent”. During the first conferences and information meetings, our expedition team will further hone your explorer’s spirit. Our common desire for exploration goes hand in hand with our desire to preserve this environment.

As environmentally conscious sea travellers, we put into practice what we preach: for example, our equipment is cleaned so that no foreign elements can reach Antarctic lands.

As we edge closer towards the continent, beanies and gloves will be needed as we go out onto the deck to admire the waves and the birds’ synchronised movements. Cape petrels, southern giant petrels and albatrosses follow our ship as we head towards land.

During five whole days, Exploris One will sail from one natural wonder to the next. Our itinerary is dictated by sea and weather conditions: our expedition leader will decide which stops to make based on these factors. The itinerary laid out below is subject to change.

We might come across some interesting marine animals, for example. Indeed, we’re not the only ones who are aware that Brabant Island and Anvers Island form a shield against the tumult of the Antarctic Ocean. Both humpbacks and minke whales seek shelter in the tranquil waters of the Gerlache Strait. There, we will delight in the majestic sight of these mammals, as delicate as they are gigantic.

From the comfort and safety of your Zodiac, artfully dodging the early season’s brash ice and “bergy bits,” you begin to anticipate your first face-to-face encounter with Antarctica’s majesty.

Exploris One is setting sail once again across the Drake Passage. Crossing the Antarctic Convergence, the boundary beyond which water temperatures rise, we leave the Southern Ocean for the South Atlantic. We enter the realm of the Furious Fifties and Screaming Forties. Sometimes, all the “beasts” are tamed, and the crossing proves to be a gentle return to reality.

Final lectures delivered by our naturalists, final exchanges of photos, addresses, contacts… So that the end of the journey is not the end of the adventure.

Final lectures delivered by our naturalists, final exchanges of photos, addresses, contacts… So that the end of the journey is not the end of the adventure.

Disembarkation in the morning, after breakfast.