Weddell and Ross Seas holidays
Weddell and Ross Seas holidays at a glance
These are two great ice-choked seas on opposite flanks of Antarctica, sharing a character all their own: vast tabular icebergs, emperor penguins on the sea ice, and the huts and stories of the heroic age. Both lie beyond an ordinary Peninsula cruise, and only a few specialist ships reach either each season.
Reached by threading the iceberg-strewn Antarctic Sound off the Peninsula’s eastern shore, the Weddell Sea is a graveyard of early expedition ships and a world of drifting floes and towering tabular bergs. Leopard seals bask on the ice and Adélie penguins throng Paulet Island in their thousands. On Snow Hill Island stands the wooden hut where Otto Nordenskjöld’s Swedish party overwintered for 22 months, now the oldest building on the Antarctic Peninsula. The emperor colony nearby is reached only by specialist icebreaker, so we’ll be honest about what each voyage can offer.
Antarctica at its most remote, on the Pacific flank far across the continent. At its heart is Ross Island, guarded by Mount Erebus, at 3,794m the southernmost active volcano on Earth. South stretches the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest mass of floating ice on the planet, its front calving vast bergs. These waters launched the race to the South Pole, and the huts of Scott and Shackleton still stand near McMurdo Sound, preserved as they were left. At Cape Adare is Borchgrevink’s hut, the first building ever raised on the continent.
Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday to Weddell and Ross Seas
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
These voyages only run once or twice a year and they sell out a long way ahead, so plan early.
When to visit Weddell and Ross Seas
Both seas are only reachable in the southern summer, and the window is dictated by the sea ice, which has to break up enough to let ships through. Weddell Sea voyages run within the wider Antarctic season, while Ross Sea sailings are squeezed into a short window from around December to February, with limited dates.
Brings the longest days of all, with near 24-hour daylight around the solstice and the emperor penguins at their most visible on the sea ice.
Usually offers the best access, as the pack ice loosens and ships can push furthest south towards the ice shelf and the historic huts.
Sees more open water and active wildlife, and towards the end of the season coloured algae can bloom across the snowfields. This is also a strong time for whales.
Top Things to do in Weddell and Ross Seas
A Ross Sea expedition combines shore landings and Zodiac cruises with the wildlife and history of the far south. What you do on any given day depends on the ice, the weather and the wildlife, which is part of the thrill. Here’s what we recommend.
Set sail from the tip of Patagonia to an awe-inspiring natural realm of ice, water and rock.
Visit the vestiges of Antarctica’s discovery and human exploitation: the explores’ huts, whaling and sealing stations, administrative outposts; all testament to the region’s stormy history.
See a great variety of whales breaching beside icebergs in spectacular Antarctic surroundings.
See entertaining crowds of penguins, harems of elephant seals and huge colonies of sea birds surviving in the planet’s most extreme habitat.
FAQs about visiting Weddell and Ross Seas
Weddell and Ross Seas is one of the most popular destinations, and there’s plenty to think about before you go. Here, our specialists share their best advice.
- What is the difference between the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea?
They sit on opposite flanks of the continent. The Weddell Sea opens off the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula and is reached through the Antarctic Sound, so some Peninsula voyages can venture in. The Ross Sea is far across the continent on the Pacific side, reached only on long, dedicated expeditions. Both share tabular icebergs, emperor penguins and heroic-age history, but the Ross Sea is the more remote and demanding to reach.
- How do I get there?
By expedition ship. Weddell Sea voyages sail from Ushuaia in Argentina. Ross Sea voyages usually sail from Ushuaia and disembark at Bluff, the port for Invercargill in New Zealand, crossing some of the most remote ocean on Earth. There’s no fly-in option, which is part of what keeps these waters so little visited. We arrange the voyage and all the flights and stays either side.
- How long does a voyage take?
A Weddell Sea voyage fits within a wider Antarctic itinerary of two weeks or more. A Ross Sea expedition is longer, typically four weeks at sea given the distances involved, so with flights and city stays either end you should allow the best part of a month for the whole trip.
- What wildlife will I see?
Through the short summer these waters teem with life. The great draw is the emperor penguin, the largest of all, gathering on the sea ice, while both seas hold some of the world’s most southerly Adélie colonies, thousands strong among the black volcanic rock. Weddell seals haul out on the floes, leopard seals patrol the ice edges, and minke and orca move through the open leads. Late in the season you may spot algae blooming in green and red streaks across the snowfields.
- What are the historic huts?
They’re the wooden bases built by explorers during the heroic age of Antarctic exploration in the early 1900s. In the Ross Sea, the huts of Scott and Shackleton stand preserved near McMurdo Sound with tins, bunks and gear still in place, and Borchgrevink’s hut at Cape Adare was the first building ever put up on the continent. In the Weddell Sea, Nordenskjöld’s hut on Snow Hill Island is the oldest structure on the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Is one of these expeditions right for me?
They suit travellers who want the most remote and historic corners of Antarctica and don’t mind time at sea to reach them. They’re less about creature comforts than about wilderness, history and wildlife on an epic scale. If you’d prefer an easier, shorter trip, the Antarctic Peninsula is far more accessible, and we can advise on the best fit.
Ready to start planning?
Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll take it from there. No obligation, no sales pitch – just a conversation with someone who knows the region inside out.