No machine-readable author provided. B.navez assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0French Southern and Antarctic Lands
“Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam — a UNESCO wilderness with no tourists and a supply ship four times a year.”
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands are the Crozet and Kerguelen archipelagos, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam islands, the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, and the Adélie Land claim in Antarctica. There is no permanent population — around 150 to 300 scientists and support staff rotate through the sub-Antarctic bases — and in 2019 the sub-Antarctic islands and their surrounding waters were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as the largest such protected area in the world.
Kerguelen is called the Desolation Islands for good reason: 7,200 square kilometres of glaciers, fjords and peat, with wind that rarely stops and one of the largest king penguin populations anywhere. The only way to visit is aboard the Marion Dufresne, the supply vessel that leaves Réunion roughly four times a year on a 28-day rotation and carries a handful of paying passengers, booked a year or more ahead. That is not tourism in any normal sense — it is a working voyage you are permitted to join.
Highlights
Kerguelen
The Desolation Islands — glaciers, fjords, the Cook ice cap and Port-aux-Français base, with king penguins, elephant seals and the endemic Kerguelen cabbage that saved sailors from scurvy.
Crozet
Île de la Possession and the Baie du Marin colony — several hundred thousand king penguins, one of the largest concentrations on earth, backed by volcanic cliffs and constant wind.
Amsterdam and Saint-Paul
Two volcanic islands far to the north, warmer than the rest, with the only breeding colony of the Amsterdam albatross — a species down to a few dozen pairs and slowly recovering.
The Marion Dufresne voyage
A 28-day rotation from Réunion resupplying every base, with helicopter and barge operations, scientists aboard and a handful of passengers. The voyage is the experience; landings are brief and weather-dependent.
Entry requirements for French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Checking your passport…
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Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- A doctor sails with the ship and each base has a medical officer. Evacuation is measured in days and sometimes weeks. Passengers must pass a medical assessment as a condition of the voyage.
- Money
- Euro. There is essentially nothing to buy — a small shop at Port-aux-Français and the philatelic office, which issues the territory's own stamps. Everything else is arranged through the voyage.
When to go
BestNov–Feb. AvoidApr–Sep.
Austral summer; longest light and the mildest weather of the year.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $432
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
There are four rotations a year and berths are allocated by application more than a year ahead. There is no seasonal pricing because there is no market.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — TAAF administration published passage information (2025–2026) · confidence low
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Kerguelen
The Desolation Islands — Port-aux-Français, the Cook ice cap, fjords, king penguins and endless wind.
Crozet
Île de la Possession, the Alfred Faure base and the vast king penguin colony at Baie du Marin.
Amsterdam and Saint-Paul
Volcanic islands far to the north — Martin-de-Viviès base, fur seals and the Amsterdam albatross.
The Scattered Islands
Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, Bassas da India and Tromelin in the Mozambique Channel and Indian Ocean — military-access only, and claimed by Madagascar, Comoros and Mauritius.
Adélie Land
The Antarctic claim with the Dumont d'Urville station, supplied from Hobart and closed to tourism.
Practical guide
Getting there
The Marion Dufresne from Le Port, Réunion, four times a year on a 28-day rotation. That is the only route to the sub-Antarctic districts. The Scattered Islands are reached only by French military transport, and Adélie Land from Hobart.
Getting around
Ship, barge and helicopter, all operated by the vessel and the bases. Passengers go ashore only under supervision and only where operations permit.
Money & costs
Euro. There is essentially nothing to buy — a small shop at Port-aux-Français and the philatelic office, which issues the territory's own stamps. Everything else is arranged through the voyage.
Safety
Managed entirely by the ship and the bases. The Southern Ocean crossing is severe, landings are made by barge in swell, and the nearest hospital is Réunion, days away. Medical clearance is required before boarding.
Health
A doctor sails with the ship and each base has a medical officer. Evacuation is measured in days and sometimes weeks. Passengers must pass a medical assessment as a condition of the voyage.
SIM & internet
Limited satellite communication on the ship and at the bases, prioritised for operations. Assume you will be offline for most of the 28 days, which is part of what people go for.
Driving
There are no roads. A few base tracks at Port-aux-Français and Alfred Faure are operated by the scientific programmes. All visitor movement is on foot under supervision.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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French Southern and Antarctic LandsFrequently asked questions
Can I actually book a passage?
Yes, but barely. The Marion Dufresne carries a small number of paying passengers on each 28-day rotation, four times a year, and berths are allocated by application well over a year ahead. The territorial administration in Saint-Pierre, Réunion, handles it. Prices run several thousand euros for the voyage.
What do you actually see?
The voyage is a working resupply, not a cruise. Passengers get brief supervised landings at the bases and some sites when weather and operations allow, and days at sea in the Southern Ocean between them. Landings are cancelled routinely and there is no itinerary guarantee. If you need certainty, this is not the trip.
What about Adélie Land?
The Antarctic sector with the Dumont d'Urville station is supplied from Hobart by the Astrolabe, not from Réunion, and does not take tourists. Some expedition ships pass the coast on Ross Sea voyages, but landings at the station are not part of any commercial itinerary.