List of Antarctic expeditions

Updated on Nov 12, 2023

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This list of Antarctic expeditions is a chronological list of expeditions involving Antarctica. Although the existence of a southern continent had been hypothesized as early as the writings of Ptolemy in the 1st century AD, the South Pole was not reached until 1911.

Pre-exploration theories

600 BC – 300 BC Greek Philosophers theorize Spherical Earth with North and South Polar regions.

150 AD Ptolemy published Geographia, which notes Terra Australis Incognita

Pre-19th century

7th century — Ui-te-Rangiora claimed to have sighted southern ice fields.

13th century — Polynesians settle Auckland Islands (50° S)

1501–1502 — Gonçalo Coelho and Amerigo Vespucci potentially sail to (52° S)

1522 — Ferdinand Magellan – first circumnavigation discovers Strait of Magellan (54° S)

1578 — Francis Drake discovers Drake Passage

1599 — Dirk Gerritsz – potentially sails to (64° S)

1603 — Gabriel de Castilla – potentially sails to (64° S)

1615 — Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten first to sail around Cape Horn cross (56° S)

1619 — Garcia de Nodal expedition – circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego and discover Diego Ramirez Islands (56°30′S 68°43′W)

1675 — Anthony de la Roché discovers South Georgia (54°15′00″S 36°45′00″W), the first ever land discovered south of the Antarctic Convergence

1698–1699 — Edmond Halley sails to (52° S)

1720 — Captain George Shelvocke – sails to (61° 30′ S)

1739 — Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier – discovers Bouvet Island (54°26′S 3°24′E)

1771 — James Cook – HM Bark Endeavour expedition

1771–1772 — First French Antarctic Expedition – led by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec discovers Kerguelen Islands (49°15′S 69°35′E)

1772–1775 — James Cook – sails HMS Resolution crossing Antarctic Circle in January 1773 and December 1773. On 30 January 1774 he reaches 71° 10′ S, his Farthest South, coming within about 75 miles of the Antarctic mainland without seeing it.

19th century

1780s to 1839 — American and British whalers and sealers make incidental discoveries

1819 — William Smith discovers South Shetland Islands (62°00′S 058°00′W), the first land discovered south of 60° south latitude.

1819 — San Telmo wrecks in the Drake Passage off Livingston Island

1819–1821 — Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen – on 27 January 1820, discovers an ice shelf at Princess Martha Coast that later became known as the Fimbul Ice Shelf (69°21′28″S 2°14′50″W).

1820 — Edward Bransfield with William Smith as his pilot – on 30 January 1820, sight Trinity Peninsula (63°37′S 058°20′W).

1820 — Nathaniel Palmer sights Antarctica on 17 November 1820

1821 — George Powell, a British sealer, and Nathaniel B. Palmer, an American sealer, discover the South Orkney Islands. Powell annexes them for the British.

1821 — John Davis – on 7 February 1821 disputed claim of setting foot on Antarctica at Hughes Bay (64°13′S 61°20′W)

1823–1824 — James Weddell discovers the Weddell Sea; – on 20 February 1823 his ship Jane (160 tons) reached a new Farthest South of 74° 15′ S (74°15′S 30°12′W)

1830–1833 — Southern Ocean Expedition led by John Biscoe, an English sealer; circumnavigates the continent, sets foot on Anvers Island, names and annexes Graham Land, discovers Biscoe Islands, Queen Adelaide Island (67.25°S 68.5°W / -67.25; -68.5) and sights Enderby Land (67°30′S 53°0′E)

1837–1840 — Second French Antarctic Expedition – led by Jules Dumont d'Urville; discovers Adelie Land and sets foot on an islet of Geologie Archipelago (66°36′19″S 140°4′0″E) 4 km from the mainland to take mineral and animal samples (66° S)

1838–1839 — John Balleny discovers Balleny Islands (66°55′S 163°45′E)

1838–1842 — United States Exploring Expedition – led by Charles Wilkes to Antarctic Peninsula (69°30′S 065°00′W) and eastern Antarctica; discovers "Termination Barrier" ("Shackleton Ice Shelf")

1839–1843 — James Clark Ross's expedition of 1839 to 1843 discovered the Ross Ice Shelf, Ross Sea, Mount Erebus, Mount Terror and Victoria Land; extended his Farthest South to 78° 10′ S on 23 January 1842

1851–1853 — Mercator Cooper landed on what is now known as Oates Coast in what is probably the first adequately-documented landing on the mainland of Antarctica.

1872–1876 — HMS Challenger under Capt. George S. Nares, becomes the first steamship to cross the Antarctic Circle; reopens the study of oceanography in the region after a 30-year gap.

1892–1893 — Carl Anton Larsen led the first Norwegian expedition to Antarctica aboard the ship Jason. Larsen became the first person to ski in Antarctica where the Larsen Ice Shelf was named after him.

1892–1893 — Dundee Whaling Expedition discover Dundee Island (63°30′S 055°55′W)

1893–1894 — Carl Anton Larsen led the second Norwegian expedition to Antarctica

1893–1895 — Henryk Bull, Carstens Borchgrevink and Alexander von Tunzelmann – set foot on Antarctica at Cape Adare

1897–1899 — Belgian Antarctic Expedition – led by Adrien de Gerlache; first to winter in Antarctica

1898–1900 — Southern Cross Expedition, Carsten Borchgrevink – sails to Cape Adare, winters on Antarctica and takes Farthest South on 16 February 1900 at 78° 50′ S

20th century

1901–1904 — Discovery Expedition – led by Robert Falcon Scott, on 30 December 1903, reached (82° 17′S)

1901–1903 — Gauss expedition (or First German Antarctic Expedition) – led by Erich von Drygalski

1901–1903 — Swedish Antarctic Expedition – led by Otto Nordenskjöld with captain Carl Anton Larsen

1902–1904 — Scottish National Antarctic Expedition – led by William Speirs Bruce

1903–1905 — Third French Antarctic Expedition – led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot

1907–1909 — Nimrod Expedition – On 9 January 1909, Ernest Shackleton reached 88° 23 ′S (Farthest South), and on 16 January 1909, Professor Edgeworth David reached the South Magnetic Pole at (72°25′S 155°16′E) (mean position)

1908–1910 — Fourth French Antarctic Expedition – led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot

1910–1912 — Japanese Antarctic Expedition – led by Nobu Shirase

1910–1912 — Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition – On 14 December 1911, reached the South Pole (90° S)

1910–1913 — Terra Nova Expedition – On 17 January 1912, Robert Falcon Scott, reached the South Pole (90° S)

1911–1913 — Second German Antarctic Expedition – led by Wilhelm Filchner

1911–1914 — Australasian Antarctic Expedition – led by Douglas Mawson

1914–1916 — Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition – led by Ernest Shackleton

1914–1917 — Ross Sea Party – led by Aeneas Mackintosh

1920–1922 — British Graham Land Expedition - a British expedition to Graham Land led by John Lachlan Cope

1921–1922 — Shackleton-Rowett Expedition – led by Ernest Shackleton – the last expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration

1929–1931 — British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) – led by Douglas Mawson

1928–1930 — Richard Evelyn Byrd – First expedition

1931 — H. Halvorsen – discovered Princess Astrid Coast

1931 — Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen – flew over Antarctica, discovered Kronprins Olav Kyst

1933–1935 — Richard Evelyn Byrd – Second expedition

1933–1939 — Lincoln Ellsworth – Aircraft expedition

1934–1937 — British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) – led by John Riddoch Rymill

1936 — Lars Christensen – dropped Norwegian flag over Prince Harald Coast

1938 — Third German Antarctic Expedition (New Swabia, or Neuschwabenland, claimed for Nazi Germany) – led by Capt. Alfred Ritscher

1939–1941 — United States Antarctic Service Expedition – led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's third expedition)

1943–1945 — Operation Tabarin – led by Lieutenant James Marr

1946–1946 — Operation Highjump – led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's fourth expedition)

1947–First Chilean Antarctic Expedition

1947–1948 — Operation Windmill – led by Commander Gerald Ketchum

1947–1946 — Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition – led by Finn Ronne

1949–1950 — Adelie-Land, Ship Commandant Charcot – led by Michel Barre

1949–1952 — Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition – led by John Giaever

1954 — Mawson Station established

1955–1956 — Operation Deep Freeze – led by Richard Evelyn Byrd (Byrd's fifth expedition)

1955-1957 — Falkland Island Dependency Aerial Survey led by P G Mott

1955–1957 — 1st Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Mikhail Somov

1956 Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station established

1956–1958 — Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition – led by Vivian Fuchs

1956–1958 — 2nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Aleksei Treshnikov

1957–1958 — International Geophysical Year

1957–1958 — New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition

1957 — Scott Base established

1957–1958 — Luncke Expedition

1957–1959 — 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Yevgeny Tolstikov

1958–1959 — New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition

1958–1960 — 4th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Aleksandr Dralkin

1959–1961 — 5th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Yevgeny Korotkevich

1960 — South African National Antarctic Expedition

1960–1962 — 6th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.Driatsky

1961–1963 — 7th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Aleksandr Dralkin

1962–1962 — Vostok traverse – led by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE)

1962–1964 — 8th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Mikhail Somov

1963–1965 — 9th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Mikhail Somov

1964-1965 — South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse I

1964–1966 — 10th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by M.Ostrekin, I.Petrov

1965-1966 — South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse II

1965–1967 — 11th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by D.Maksutov, Leonid Dubrovin

1965–1965 — Operación 90 - Terrestrial Argentine Expedition to the South Pole Led by Coronel D. Jorge Leal.

1966–1968 — 12th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Pavel Senko and Vladislav Gerbovich

1966–1967 — New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme Mariner Glacier Northern Party Expedition — led by John E S Lawrence

1967-1968 — South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse III

1967–1969 — 13th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Aleksei Treshnikov

1968–1970 — 14th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by D.Maksutov, Ernst Krenkel

1969–1970 — New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition

1969–1971 — 15th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Pavel Senko and Vladislav Gerbovich

1970–1972 — 16th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by I.Petrov and Yury Tarbeyev

1971–1973 — 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Yevgeny Korotkevich, V. Averyanov

1972–1974 — 18th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Pavel Senko

1973–1975 — 19th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by D.Maksutov, V. Ignatov

1974–1976 — 20th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.Serdyukov, N. Kornilov

1975–1977 — 21st Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by O.Sedov, G. Bardin

1976–1978 — 22nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by N.Tyabin, Leonid Dubrovin

1977–1979 — 23rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.Serdyukov, O. Sedov

1978–1980 — 24th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by A.Artemyev, O. Sedov

1979 — Air New Zealand Flight 901 – airplane crash

1979–1980 — 25th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by N.Kornilov, N. Tyabin

1980–1981 — Transglobe Expedition – led by Ranulph Fiennes

1980–1982 — 26th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.Serdyukov, V. Shamontyev

1981–1983 — 27th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by D.Maksutov, R. Galkin

1981-1982 — First Indian Expedition to Antarctica - led by Dr. Sayed Zahoor Qasim

1982 — Falkland Islands War

1982-1983 — First Brazilian Expedition to Antarctica -

1982-1983 — Second Indian Expedition to Antarctica - led by V. K. Raina

1982–1984 — 28th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by N.Kornilov, A. Artemyev

1983–1985 — 29th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by N.Tyabin, L. Bulatov

1983–1985 — Third Indian Expedition to Antarctica

1984–1987 — In the Footsteps of Scott – led by Robert Swan

1984–1985 — 1st Uruguayan Antarctic Expedition - Antarkos I Led by Lt. Col. Omar Porciúncula

1984–1986 — 30th Soviet Antarctic Expedition – led by D.Maksutov, R. Galkin

1985–1987 — 31st Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by N. Tyabin, V. Dubovtsev

1986–1988 — 32nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.Klokov, V.Vovk

1987 — Iceberg B-9 calves and carries away Little Americas I – III

1987–1989 — 33rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by N.A.Kornilov, Yu.A.Khabarov

1987–1988 — First Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition — St. Kliment Ohridski Base established

1988–1990 — 34th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by S.M.Pryamikov, L.V.Bulatov

1989–1990 — Antarctic crossing on foot by Reinhold Messner and Arved Fuchs.

1989-1990 — 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition — led by American Will Steger and Frenchman Jean-Louis Étienne, first un-mechanized crossing

1989–1991 — 35th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by V.M.Piguzov

1990 — 1st North Korean Antarctic Expedition

1990–1991 — 2nd North Korean Antarctic Expedition

1991–1992 — 36th Soviet Antarctic Expedition — led by Lev Savatyugin

1992-1993 — British Polar Plod — led by Ranulph Fiennes with Mike Stroud (physician), first unassisted expedition crossing the continent by ski, (2,173 km in 95 days)

1992-1993 — Erling Kagge, first unassisted, and first solo expedition to the South Pole by ski, (1,310 km in 53 days)

1992–1993 — Antarctic Environmental Research Expedition — led by Kenji Yoshikawa

1994 — Liv Arnesen, first unassisted woman to the South Pole by ski, (1,200 km in 50 days)

1995 — “A Pole at the Poles” – Marek Kamiński solo expedition to the South Pole from Berkner Island (1,400 km in 53 days);

1995-1996 - Bernard Voyer and Thierry Pétry unassisted expedition to the South Pole by ski

1996 — Lake Vostok discovered

1996/97 — “Solo TransAntarctica” – Marek Kamiński attempted solo crossing of Antarctica (1,450 km);

21st century

2001/2 - First and longest sea kayak expedition by New Zealanders Graham Charles, Marcus Waters and Mark Jones paddle unsupported from Hope Bay to Adelaide Island in 35 days.

2004 — Scot100 First ever Scottish Expedition to South Pole began in October 2004 - a century after a historic expedition led by William Speirs Bruce, Edinburgh's "unknown" explorer, who Craig Mathieson views as "truly the greatest polar explorer of all time".

2004 — Together to the Pole - a Polish four-man expedition led by Marek Kamiński, with Jan Mela (a teenage double amputee, who in the same year reached also the North Pole)

2004–2005 — Chilean South Pole Expedition.

2004–2005 — Tangra 2004/05 created Camp Academia.

2005 — Ice Challenger Expedition travelled to the South Pole in a six-wheeled vehicle.

2005–2006 — Spanish Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Ramon Larramendi, reached the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility using kite-sleds.

2006 Hannah McKeand sets coast-to-pole solo/unsupported record of 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes

2006-2007 — Jenny and Ray Jardine 57-day ski trek to South Pole

2007- Pat Falvey leads an Irish team to reach the South Pole, skiing 1140 km only weeks after completing an unsupported Ski traverse of the Greenland Ice Cap in August 2007 in honour of Irish Polar Explorers such as Shakelton and Tom Crean. Clare O'Leary becomes the first Irish female to reach the South Pole.

2007–2008 — Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica.

2007–2008 — British Army Antarctic Expedition 2007–2008

2008 — Todd Carmichael sets coast-to-pole solo/unsupported record of 39 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes

2008 — First Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2008–2009 — Impossible 2 Possible (i2P) unsupported South Pole quest by Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber.

2009 — Azerbaijan Scientific Expedition

2009 — Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition, largest and most international group of women to ski to South Pole.

2009 — Second Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2009−2010 — Unsupported/Unassisted Antarctica Ski Traverse from Berkner Island to South Pole to Ross Sea by Cecilie Skog and Ryan Waters.

2010 — Moon Regan Transantarctic Crossing, first wheeled transantarctic crossing and first bio-fuelled vehicle to travel to the South Pole.

2010 — Third Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2011 — Fourth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2011−2012 — From Novolazarevskaya to Pole of Inaccessibility to South Pole to Hercules inlet by Sebastian Copeland and Eric McNair Landry by kites and skis.

2011−2012 — British Services Antarctic Expedition 2012

2012 — Felicity Aston becomes the first person to ski alone across Antarctica using only personal muscle power, as well as the first woman to cross Antarctica alone. Her journey began on 25 November 2011, at the Leverett Glacier, and continued for 59 days and a distance of 1,084 miles (1,744 kilometers).

2012 — Fifth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2012-2013 - Aaron Linsdau becomes the second only American to ski solo from the Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. His original plan was to make a round trip but through a series of problems, like all other expeditions this year, was unable to make the return journey.

2012 — Eric Larsen attempts a bicycle ride from coast to South Pole. Completes a quarter of the distance.

2012 — Grant Korgan becomes the first person with a spinal cord injury to literally "push" himself to the geographic South Pole!

2012−2013 — Shackleton's centenary re-enactment expedition of the journey of the James Caird aboard the replica Alexandra Shackleton. Six British and Australian Explorers completed the "double journey" on 10 February 2013 after the 800-mile journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia and the mountain crossing.

2013 — Sixth Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.

2013–2014 — Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere make the first ever completion of the Terra Nova Expedition first taken by Robert Falcon Scott in January 1912. Their 1,801-mile, 105-day return journey to the South Pole is the longest ever polar journey on foot.

2013 — Parker Liautaud and Douglas Stoup attempt in December 2013 the Willis Resilience Expedition to set a "coast to Pole" speed record by reaching the geographical South Pole on skis in the fastest miles per hour ever recorded from an interior of continent start while being followed by a support vehicle.

2013 — Antony Jinman will walk to the South Pole solo for the 2013 ETE Teachers South Pole Mission, during which he will be in daily contact with schoolchildren from across the United Kingdom and will make films using the world's first drone flights at the South Pole.

2013 — Maria Leijerstam completes the first tricycle ride from coast to South Pole.

2013-14 - Lewis Clarke (aged 16) guided by Carl Alvey (aged 30) became the youngest person to trek from the Antarctic coast at Hercules Inlet to the South Pole. His expedition was in support of the Prince's Trust and his achievement is recognised by Guinness World Records.

2013−14 — Daniel P. Burton completes the first bicycle ride from coast to the South Pole.

2013−14 — Chris Turney led an expedition, entitled "Spirit of Mawson", aimed at highlighting the decline in sea ice due to climate change. The expedition was abandoned when its Russian ship became stuck in unusually large amounts of sea ice.

2013 — In December 2013 the Expeditions 7 Team led by Scott Brady made a successful east-to-west crossing in four-wheel drive vehicles from Novolazarevskaya to the Ross Ice Shelf via the Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station. Expeditions 7’s logistic plan included providing assistance to the Walking With The Wounded expedition, which was required at latitude 88°S. From the Ross Ice Shelf the Expeditions 7 team returned to Novolazarevskaya via the same route.

2015-16 - Henry Worsley died while attempting to complete the first solo and unaided crossing of the Antarctic.

2016-17 - Spear17, a six man team from the British Army Reserves successfully completed a full traverse of Antarctica unsupported. They set off on 16 November from Hercules Inlet, arrived at the South Pole on Christmas Day, and completed a full traverse reaching Ross Ice Shelf on 20 January 2017. The aim of the expedition was to raise the profile of the army reservists, and to honour the memory of fellow explorer Henry Worsley. The team was led by Lou Rudd

2016-17 -February 7 Mike Horn completes first ever solo, unsupported north-to-south traverse of Antarctica from the Princess Astrid Coast (lat -70.1015 lon 9.8249) to the Dumont D'urville Station (lat -66.6833 lon 139.9167) via the South Pole. He arrived at the pole on February 7th, 2017. A total distance of 5100km was covered utilizing kites and skis in 57 days.