January 28-February 9, 2025 (13 days) aboard the expedition ship L’Austral
The Trip
Experience the White Continent in its unspoiled state—fantastically shaped icebergs, turquoise glaciers, and towering mountains—during the lingering light of the austral summer. Enjoy superb observation and photographic opportunities of abundant seals and sea birds, breaching whales, and hillsides teeming with bustling penguin rookeries, while exploring one of the most exhilarating landscapes this planet has to offer.
During this extraordinary journey to the bottom of the world, retrace sea lanes navigated by storied explorers Amundsen, Scott, and Shackleton, not to mention former Carleton President and celebrated Antarctic explorer Laurence McKinley Gould, who was chief scientist and second-in-command on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928-30). Accompanied by the ship’s expert expedition team, you will board sturdy Zodiac landing craft for excursions ashore, for intimate contact with this incredible continent and observing the antics of Antarctica’s abundant wildlife—penguins and seals, especially, are unafraid of human visitors.
We hope you will join fellow alumni and friends on this once-in-a-lifetime travel adventure to the “Seventh Continent.” This program is co-sponsored by other organizations, and space aboard this ship in the Antarctic fills quickly, so we encourage you to contact the Alumni Adventures office now to reserve your preferred cabin type.
Faculty Leaders
Enjoy the affable company and fascinating insights of two Carleton faculty leaders: Associate Professor of Biology Rika Anderson ’06, and Lecturer in History Antony Adler ’06. Together with the onboard expedition team of naturalists, they will provide a series of enriching lectures and presentations on this untouched wilderness and the history of its exploration.
Rika Anderson ’06 is a professor in the Biology department at Carleton, where she teaches Genomics and Bioinformatics and conducts research that focuses on understanding how microbes evolve in the deep sea and in deep time. After graduating from Carleton in 2006, she obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Oceanography and Astrobiology, and then she was a postdoctoral fellow with the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Rika regularly takes students on oceanographic research cruises to sample microbes living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where they use human-occupied submersibles and remotely operated vehicles to collect microbes living in superheated water a mile below the ocean’s surface. She and her students also collaborate with geologists, astronomers, and climate scientists to understand how our planet has changed over the past four billion years, and how that might help us in the search for life on other planets. Rika is looking forward to exploring the surprising diversity and natural history of the seas around Antarctica with other Carleton alumni.
Antony Adler ’06 is a Lecturer in the History department at Carleton. He teaches courses on the history of exploration, maritime history, and the history of science. After graduating from Carleton in 2006, Antony obtained an M.A. in Museology and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington. Before returning to Carleton, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Program on Science, Technology & Society at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Antony’s research primarily focuses on the history of humanity’s relationship with the marine environment. This interest has led him to study such diverse topics as Voyages of Discovery in the South Pacific, the establishment of marine biological stations in France, the construction of underwater habitats during the Cold War and, most recently, the history of attempts to photograph and preserve specimens of giant squid. Antony is excited about the prospect of seeing Antarctica – an often-referenced location in histories of science and exploration that few have the opportunity to visit.
Program Rates (11 nights)
Cabins start at $12,280 per person, double occupancy. $16,110 single occupancy. Download the full brochure for all cabin details and pricing.
Explore with elegance aboard L’Austral, which has only 132 staterooms and suites. By design, the ship is energy efficient, environmentally protective of marine ecosystems, and has been awarded the prestigious Clean Ship Super certification, an extreme rarity among ocean-cruising vessels. The ship’s size and limited guest capacity; superb accommodations and public spaces, facilities, and services; advanced technical and mechanical systems; and complement of experienced officers and crew make L’Austral the ship of choice for exploring Antarctica in safety and comfort.
ITINERARY
Tuesday or Wednesday, January 28 or 29, 2025: Depart home
Wednesday, January 29: Arrive Buenos Aires, Argentina | PM at leisure | Welcome reception & dinner
Thursday, January 30: Fly to Ushuaia | Embarkation
Friday & Saturday, January 31 & February 1: Crossing the Drake Passage
Sunday through Thursday, February 2 through 6: Antarctic Peninsula
Friday & Saturday, February 7 & 8: Crossing the Drake Passage
Sunday, February 9: Ushuaia | Fly to Buenos Aires | Fly home
Download the brochure for the complete detailed itinerary.
Additional Information
For more information or to reserve your space, please call 800-811-7244 or email Carleton College Alumni Adventures. To make a reservation online click here.