White Desert Is Branching to South America

When polar explorer Patrick Woodhead traversed Antarctica in the early 2000s, he became obsessed with the continent’s interior. The untouched inner landscape, far from the tour-boat laden Antarctic Peninsula, is a place very few people get to experience. Woodhead wanted to change that, establishing White Desert, a company that takes clients into the rarely visited depths of Antarctica.

Now, 20 years later, White Desert is expanding its reach by venturing out of the ice-covered landmass and into South America. Its new operation, dubbed the Dr. Jones Collection, will still focus on taking people to untouched and hard-to-access places—only now, the landscape includes South American cloud forests, salt flats, dunes, and mountain peaks.

The first expeditions take place in September 2025, leading guests from Peru to Patagonia along a route most adventure travelers could only dream of.

“Just as we have done in Antarctica, I wanted to create a journey that was as adventurous as it was luxurious—and in Dr. Jones, we have found the perfect balance,” Woodhead said in a press release shared with Travel + Leisure. “Even on the reconnaissance for the journey, we visited landscapes that I never knew existed. They were just so surreal!”

When you’re traveling to remote locales, access is key, and Dr. Jones’ secret is a Dakota DC3 aircraft from the 1940s, a plane known for its ability to land on short, rugged airstrips. The plane has undergone a $10 million conversion to transform it into a modern marvel, while still retaining that retro feel and look. The glamorous 1940s aircraft seamlessly links one remote, hard-to-reach destination to the next, avoiding crowded airports and big cities. 

The Dr. Jones Collection’s Peru-to-Patagonia excursion takes place over 12 days and is just available to 12 guests. These lucky few will be led into some of the most untouched destinations in the world, including Peru’s towering Gocta Waterfall, an Amazonian cloud forest with ancient mummies, the salt flats of the Atacama Desert, and the glacier-studded Torres del Paine region.

Along the way, travelers stay in luxurious accommodations set in rugged landscapes, like the collection’s new Dune Camp, which is set at the foot of the sand dunes near Peru’s Paracas National Reserve, a rugged and beautiful coastal park. 

Starting September 2025, there are three Dr. Jones adventures being offered, each for just 12 people. Rates for the 12 day excursion start at $49,950 per person. Inquiries can be made at white-desert.com/dr-jones.