AE Expeditions (part of Aurora Expeditions), the Australian-owned adventure travel company known for immersive, respectful exploration, has today released itnew Antarctica 2025-26 season, which is set to be its most adventurous yet.
The season, which also features Australia and New Zealand, includes 32 voyages across three purpose-built small ships – the Greg Mortimer, Sylvia Earle and the brand-new Douglas Mawson. Along with AE Expeditions’ best-selling Antarctic Explorer and Spirit of Antarctica voyages to the Antarctic Peninsula, there are eight new itineraries visiting regions including East Antarctica, the Ross Sea and the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, as well as a circumnavigation of Tasmania.
Two new departure ports have also enhanced the travel options available to Antarctic adventurers, with four Antarctic voyages departing from Hobart, Australia or Dunedin, New Zealand.
The season is packed with a variety of ‘choose your own adventure’ options, including three Ultimate Adventures with land and sea combinations, eight voyages offering a ‘Fly the Drake’ option, and two new all-inclusive activity voyages for travellers who want to supercharge their trips with as much action as possible, including camping, snorkelling, snowshoeing, paddling and more.
There are also 36 single berths on offer across the season on the Douglas Mawson, a new feature of the company’s soon-to-come third vessel, catering to the growing solo traveller segment.
“We have so much to be excited about with our most comprehensive and adventurous season yet,” commented Hayley Peacock-Gower, CMO.
“Not only will we be introducing our third purpose-built vessel, the Douglas Mawson, but we will explore more of Antarctica’s regions than we have before in a single season, visiting the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica, the Ross Sea, Antarctic Circle, South Georgia, the Falklands and the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands.
“We’re particularly thrilled to be offering passengers the chance to travel to Antarctica from Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 13 years, reconnecting our company to its founding inspiration as well as opening up another lesser explored part of Antarctica to both local and international travellers. In these new regions passengers will have the chance to witness the Ross Ice Shelf – the world’s largest floating body of ice, some of the largest Adélie and emperor penguin colonies, follow in the footsteps of some of history’s greatest explorers, as well as witness the incredible biodiversity of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands. And we look forward to doing this the AE Expeditions way, with our small ships and focus on respectful travel, adventure, and enrichment.”
“There is something for first time Antarctic visitors to seasoned explorers alike across this season, while adventure and exploration remains the core theme,” commented Justin Ewin, the company’s Global Head of Product.
“We are offering a nine-day express itinerary, Antarctic expedition and Patagonia trek combinations, all the way up to an epic 34-day adventure departing Dunedin, sailing through the New Zealand subantarctic islands and the Ross Sea, travelling east to the Peninsula and ending with the Drake Passage to Ushuaia. Along with several new destinations and itinerary options, we are excited to be meeting our passengers’ frequent requests by offering two all-inclusive activity voyages to complement our existing individual activity programs, which are incredibly popular.”