Deep South & Ross Sea · 54°37′S · 158°51′E
Royal Penguin Haven • UNESCO Subantarctic Reserve
6 upcoming Antarctic expeditions with Macquarie Island on the route, from $15,850.
Macquarie Island, halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the royal penguin — found nowhere else on Earth. Some four million penguins breed here every summer.
Ross Sea itineraries call here for beaches wall-to-wall with king and royal penguins and lolling elephant seals.
| Available departures | 6 |
|---|---|
| Price range (per person, USD) | $15,850 – $41,306 |
| Typical duration | 15–34 days |
| Active fleet coverage | 2 operators · 2 ships |
| Geographic sector | Deep South & Ross Sea |
| Coordinates | 54°37′S · 158°51′E |
| Prices last verified | 48-hour verification methodology |
Ross Ice Shelf
Dec 14, 2026 – Jan 8, 2027 · 26 days
Hobart
Macquarie Island
Dec 28, 2026 – Jan 11, 2027 · 15 days
Dunedin (New Zealand)
Ross Ice Shelf
Jan 7, 2027 – Feb 8, 2027 · 34 days
Dunedin
Macquarie Island
Jan 11, 2027 – Jan 25, 2027 · 15 days
Dunedin (New Zealand)
Macquarie Island
Dec 28, 2028 – Jan 11, 2029 · 15 days
Dunedin (New Zealand)
Macquarie Island
Jan 11, 2029 – Jan 25, 2029 · 15 days
Dunedin (New Zealand)
Penguins
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.
Seals & Sea Lions
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.
Albatrosses & Seabirds
A small, sooty-grey albatross of the genus Phoebetria, first described from a specimen collected south of the Cape of Good Hope in 1785. Watch for its slow, buoyant glide along cliff faces and in the wake of ships crossing the Southern Ocean.
Seals & Sea Lions
Known as kekeno in Māori, the New Zealand fur seal was hunted to near-extinction after European arrival, making today's colonies a hard-won sight. Expect to find them hauled out on rocky shorelines across the subantarctic islands.
Albatrosses & Seabirds
One of the two largest albatrosses alive, with a wingspan topping three metres. Watch for it gliding low over the swell around New Zealand's subantarctic islands.
