Oceanwide Expeditions is offering a new 24-night expedition aboard the Ortelius in January 2027 that ventures deep into one of the most remote and seldom-visited stretches of the Southern Ocean, the Bellingshausen Sea.

It will also attempt to land on Peter I Island, a place so isolated and exposed that most passenger vessels almost never get there.

The itinerary, running Jan. 14 to Feb. 7, 2027, departs and returns to Ushuaia, Argentina.

It follows in the wake of two landmark expeditions in polar history.

Fabian von Bellingshausen’s 1821 voyage, during which he first sighted Peter I Island and named it after Peter the Great of Russia, and Adrien de Gerlache’s Belgica Expedition of 1897-1899, also tracing the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The voyage heads south through the Drake Passage before reaching the Antarctic Peninsula, with possible landings at Cuverville Island, home to a large gentoo penguin colony, Danco Island, Horseshoe Island ( which features an abandoned research base) and Stonington Island, a site of significant American and British research activity from the 1930s through the 1970s.

Detaille Island, a listed historic monument and former research station that remains exactly as it was left, is also a potential stop for the adventure.

From there, the voyage pushes farther south through Marguerite Bay, crossing into the Bellingshausen Sea via the Ronne Entrance, an area first recorded during the aerial flights of Lincoln Ellsworth and later charted by the British Graham Land Expedition.

Along the coast of Ellsworth Land, Zodiac and helicopter landings will be attempted depending on ice and weather conditions.

The attempt on Peter I Island comes on days 19 and 20.

Known as Peter I Øy in Norwegian and claimed by Norway as its own territory, the uninhabited volcanic island is rarely visited precisely because of its exposed and remote position.

If conditions allow, guests may land via helicopter on the glaciated northern part of the island.

The Ortelius carries 108 passengers and is equipped with two onboard helicopters, also allowing access to sites that are simply unreachable by Zodiac.

Wildlife throughout the voyage may include gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie penguins, Weddell, leopard and crabeater seals, wandering albatrosses and various whale species including humpback and blue whales.

Shared berth pricing starts at $24,600 per person.