The Ross Ice Shelf is a truly incredible body of ice, stretching down from the coast of Antarctica into the Ross Sea. The ice shelf itself is nearly 750 metres thick in places and covers some 188,000 sq miles, which is roughly the size of France. The Ross Ice Shelf has been used as a way for Antarctic explorers to get to the South Pole and was studied in detail by Robert Falcon Scott who used Ross Island as a base to study its surroundings.

Few Antarctic cruises journey this far south, but those that do usually visit these pristine waters en route to New Zealand via Macquarie Island, where it's possible to see huge colonies of King, Royal and Gentoo penguins.

Find out more about visiting Antarctica on our page about Antarctic cruises