Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ Antarctic Peninsula 2026
The expedition will be an unforgettable voyage of a lifetime. A select group of Inspiring Explorers™ will sail aboard Bark EUROPA, a three-masted Dutch tall ship built in 1911 and carefully restored for modern exploration.
Departing from Ushuaia, Argentina in January 2026, the team will cross the Drake Passage, one of the most storied and challenging stretches of ocean on Earth. Bark EUROPA operates as a sail training vessel, which means our Inspiring Explorers™ will be active participants in running the ship. You will take the helm, handle sails, stand watch, and experience the rhythm and routine of traditional seafaring.
Once in Antarctic waters, the voyage will take the team through a spectacular and ever-changing landscape of icebergs, glaciers, and snow-covered mountains. You will explore the Antarctic Peninsula, an area rich in wildlife including seals, whales, and large colonies of penguins. Landings and zodiac excursions will offer opportunities to experience the Ice up close, through hiking, wildlife encounters, and moments of reflection in this powerful environment.
While you won’t be visiting the huts cared for by the Trust on this expedition, as they are located in the Ross Sea region, weather permitting, you may still sail past other heritage sites along the way.
Throughout the expedition, the Inspiring Explorers™ will reflect on the legacy of the early explorers who travelled to Antarctica aboard tall ships. On your return, you will share stories from the Ice and help connect others to the importance of conserving Antarctica’s cultural heritage. This experience will also form the basis of a group outreach project designed to inspire and inform new audiences back home.
Your journey will begin with a team-building programme in Christchurch, where the team will come together to learn about the Trust’s mission to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration and prepare for the voyage. A post-expedition debrief will be held in early 2026 to reflect on the experience and explore how you can continue to share your insights and impact.
Because of changing sea ice, weather, and environmental conditions, the route and landings will be guided by the expertise of the Bark EUROPA crew. Flexibility will be essential, and every effort will be made to take advantage of the best opportunities the environment allows.
Sail with Lisa Blair
World-record-breaking solo sailor and environmental advocate Lisa Blair will join the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s next Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ as a mentor when the team sails to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2026 aboard the historic tall ship Bark EUROPA.
Scott and Shackleton’s ships played an integral part in the heroic era of Antarctic exploration. They supported important scientific work, and were central to some of the most extraordinary tales of survival. Lisa Blair brings her own story of endurance, survival and scientific discovery to the expedition.
The holder of eight world records, including being the fastest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around Antarctica, Lisa will share her powerful story of resilience, exploration, and science-at-sea with the next generation of explorers to challenge and motivate the team to step out of their comfort zone and begin to develop their own ‘Explorer Mindset’.
This expedition will inspire the next generation to continue the legacy of exploration and scientific discovery begun by the heroic era explorers and continued by Lisa. The team will take an active role learning to sail a historic tall ship, and take part in Bark EUROPA’s collaboration with the Polar Citizen Science Collective to collect data as they cross the Drake Passage.
Outreach
Outreach is a critical part of the Trust’s Inspiring Explorers™ programme. The Inspiring Explorers™ selected for this expedition will become ambassadors for the Trust by sharing their experience with their communities and the Trust’s global network when they return.
You will contribute to a group outreach project aimed at sharing your experience of life aboard a historic tall ship, and how Scott and Shackleton’s ships played an integral part in the heroic era of Antarctic exploration.
Tell us your ideas for sharing your story and this fascinating history – it could be through digital technology, art, music, writing, video, or many other mediums. Tap into your passions and skills – there are so many possibilities!
What is it like sailing to the Antarctic Peninsula?
What is it like crossing the Drake Passage?
Forging Connections
The Inspiring Explorers™ programme is more than a voyage — it is a journey of connection, learning, and transformation.
As an Inspiring Explorer™, you will sail in the spirit of legendary explorers like Scott and Shackleton, whose expeditions shaped the world’s understanding of Antarctica. Aboard the historic tall ship Bark EUROPA, you will cross remote southern oceans, experiencing some of the same landscapes that the early polar explorers saw.
The ship will become your classroom, your home, and your platform for growth. From the sails and rigging to the ice and wildlife, every part of the expedition invites you to deepen your connection with Antarctica’s incredible landscapes, as well as the Antarctic Peninsula’s cultural heritage.
You will be supported by the Antarctic Heritage Trust team, who care for the continent’s first expedition bases in the Ross Sea and share the remarkable stories connected to these historic sites. Before departure, you’ll connect with the Trust’s experts to gain insight into the conservation work they carry out at Ross Island and Cape Adare. Along the way, you’ll form strong bonds with your fellow explorers — a team of young New Zealanders united by shared values, curiosity, and a drive to step outside their comfort zones.
This expedition will challenge you, inspire you, and change the way you see yourself and the world. You’ll return not only with unforgettable memories, but with the confidence and purpose to share the legacy of exploration in your own way.
Develop an ‘Explorer Mindset’
Developing the explorer qualities of curiosity, resilience, leadership, innovation and teamwork, our expeditions encourage young people to engage with the spirit of exploration and have the confidence to head into the unknown – to grow an ‘Explorer Mindset’.
Inspired by the achievements of Antarctica’s early explorers to further science, test the limits of human endurance, and explore the unknown, the Trust uses the lessons of the past to help the next generation discover more about themselves, and ultimately, drive change and instigate new perspectives for tomorrow’s world. Our Inspiring Explorers™ are challenged to step out of their comfort zone and develop their ‘Explorer Mindset’ as they join an incredible team of people on this expedition.
Building a Leadership Legacy
The iconic Antarctic explorers Shackleton, Scott and Hillary embodied the qualities of truly exceptional leadership. Their remarkable stories of leadership in the face of adversity have resonated around the world for over 100 years.
The Inspiring Explorers Expeditions™ create opportunities for the young change-makers of tomorrow to connect with and be inspired by the qualities of those heroic Antarctic leaders.
The expeditions provide life-changing perspectives through challenge and exploration in the world’s most pristine and unforgiving environments.
The Trust creates pathways offering Inspiring Explorers™ opportunities that extend beyond the expedition, such as the opportunity to be mentors or leaders on other programmes or gain governance experience through our intern programme on our Board. All Inspiring Explorers can join our global alumni programme.
