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Master Expedition Route · 26 days 1 upcoming departure

Ross Sea Odyssey

Aurora Expeditions · 26 days · Hobart → Dunedin

Ross Sea Odyssey — Key Facts At a Glance
Operator Aurora Expeditions
Available departures 1
Typical duration 26 days · Hobart → Dunedin
Price range (per person, USD) $30,171 – $99,442
ships Greg Mortimer
Prices last verified 48-hour verification methodology

Upcoming departures — Ross Sea Odyssey

Departure Ship Duration Availability From Action
Dec 14, 2026 – Jan 8, 2027 Best price Greg Mortimer · 130 guests 26 days Available
$30,171

Day by day

Route 10 waypoints

Itinerary and landing sites are indicative and subject to change based on weather, sea ice, and wildlife conditions.

Daily schedule
DAY 1 Arrive Hobart

Arrive in Hobart, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred with your fellow expeditioners to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Hobart, we ask you to make your way to your hotel. This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the lobby to collect your luggage tags. Please clearly label the tags with your name and ship cabin number. Our team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minute items.Enjoy your evening in Australia’s southernmost capital city. You may like to indulge in a sumptuous meal at one of Hobart’s celebrated restaurants, or perhaps enjoy a leisurely stroll along the historic waterfront. Assigned accommodation: To be advised

DAY 2 Embarkation

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. By 11.00 am, take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or at check-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.Your morning is at leisure to explore Hobart. Settle into your beautifully appointed cabin and discover the many public spaces designed with your comfort in mind. This luxurious vessel is yours to explore! As we throw the lines and set sail down the Derwent River, join your expedition team on deck to enjoy panoramic views of the Hobart foreshore, and the dramatic fluted columns of the Tasman Peninsula. From Storm Bay we set a southerly course, following in the wake of the vessel Aurora, which carried Sir Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) 100 years ago.

DAY 25 At Sea

As your journey draws to a close, take some time to reflect on the experiences of the past few weeks. Perhaps take some time to organise your photos, jot some more notes in your journal or simply relax and soak up the ambiance on board as you farewell your travel mates . . . until next time!   We hope you become ambassadors for the great Southern Ocean, advocating for its conservation and preservation, and share your experiences with your loved ones, so they might visit and become ambassadors themselves. 

DAY 26 Disembark Dunedin

After breakfast, farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as we all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.

Ships operating this itinerary

Greg Mortimer

Greg Mortimer

130 guests 2-group rotation Ice class: 1A / PC6 Dual-rated: Finnish-Swedish 1A/1A+ and Polar Class 6 for navigating medium first-year polar ice. Built 2019
Vessel profile →

Activities

1

1 optional add-on

Polar adventure guide
Optional add-on from $1,330

Kayaking & paddling

Paddle in near-silence through mirror-calm glacial bays, drifting alongside iridescent ice sculptures and listening to the deep exhales of surfacing humpback whales.

Water & Ice

Visited Regions

5
Polar destination guide
Australia · Active Adventure

Aurora Expeditions

Aurora Expeditions operates dedicated polar expedition voyages to Antarctica with experienced expedition teams.

IAATO Member 3 ships 24 itineraries
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Wildlife on this route

Whales & Dolphins

Orca

Black and white apex predator instantly recognizable by its pale eye patches, the orca is the largest of the dolphins and one of the ocean's most capable hunters. Sightings often involve a tight-knit family pod working the ice edge together.

Penguins

King Penguin

The king penguin is the second-largest penguin species, closely resembling but smaller than the emperor penguin. Look for its dense, noisy colonies on South Georgia's beaches, one of the more reliable large penguins to watch up close on these voyages.

Penguins

Adélie Penguin

One of the most widespread penguins in Antarctica, the Adélie is often the first tuxedoed local guests meet ashore. Its stark white eye-ring and brisk, purposeful waddle make it easy to pick out along the ice edge.

Seals & Sea Lions

Southern Elephant Seal

The southern elephant seal is the largest of all pinnipeds, with bulls roughly twice the bulk of a walrus. Watching a beachful of them roar and shove over territory is one of the most physical wildlife spectacles the Southern Ocean offers.