The Deep South

The Weddell Sea and the Peninsula in one extraordinary expedition.

Antarctica is the last true wilderness, a continent with no residents and no crowds, where a private expedition places the great white silence entirely at your own unhurried pace.

When to go

Travel November through March, when the Antarctic summer opens the ice and daylight barely fades; December and January bring peak wildlife, while November delivers pristine snow and March offers the finest whale watching. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

The experiences

A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:

• A push into the Weddell Sea among tabular bergs and searching for the emperors.
• A crossing back to the sheltered channels and glaciers of the Peninsula.
• A Zodiac cruise past both the pack ice of the far south and the classic ice of the coast.
• A quiet evening at anchor after a day that spanned two very different faces of the ice.

A sense of the rhythm

This expedition joins the wildest and the most beloved of the far south, pairing the Weddell's remote ice with the Peninsula's sheltered grandeur. Days swing between the committing pack of the deep south and the more forgiving channels to the west, so you see the full range the ice can offer. It is the deep south and the classic south read as one continuous story.

The Weddell alone, or paired with the Peninsula?

The Weddell alone is a single-minded pursuit of the far ice; pairing it with the Peninsula balances rarity with reliable beauty and abundant wildlife. If you want the deep south's ambition without giving up the Peninsula's certainties, this is the fuller journey.

How to do it well

The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:

• The combined route needs more days than either region alone; plan accordingly.
• Conditions in the Weddell can reshape the itinerary; hold the plan loosely.
• Pack for genuine cold; the deep-south legs are the coldest of the voyage.
• Ask your advisor about departures that reach deepest into the Weddell.

What only your advisor can open

The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.

Who it's for

Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.

Estimated investment

From US$26,000 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.

Designed entirely around you

Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.

Your Virtuoso privileges

As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.

Continue exploring The Weddell Sea & Emperors

Part of our The Weddell Sea & Emperors travel guide. Related private journeys:

• The Emperors
• Heli-Expedition
• The Photographer's Far Ice

Begin the conversation

Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design The Deep South around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →