Where Are the Kerguelen Islands?
Location, country, distances and why the archipelago feels like it belongs to no continent at all.
Coming soon ✶Wrong turn #05AI travel story · real destination
Kerguelen Islands:
An Expedition to the Desolation Islands
The Kerguelen Islands are a French subantarctic archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean — no airport, no tourism, no permanent residents. Just a rotating crew of about 45 scientists, four ship visits a year and a nickname Captain Cook gave them in 1776: the Desolation Islands.
Quick facts
Kerguelen at a glance
Where they are, who owns them, can you visit — the fast version.
DestinationKerguelen Islands / Îles Kerguelen
TerritoryFrance (TAAF)
TypeSubantarctic volcanic archipelago
Known forIsolation, "Desolation Islands", Marion Dufresne, king penguins
Population~45–110 seasonal scientists, no permanent residents
Can you visit?Practically no — only 4 ship visits per year from Réunion
Wrong Turn rating10 / 10
The real place
Facts before fiction
Everything below is real geography. Vera and Mila are not.
Where are the Kerguelen Islands?
The Kerguelen Islands (Îles Kerguelen) are a remote French subantarctic archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, roughly 3,300 km south-east of Réunion and about 2,000 km north of Antarctica. They are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF).
Why are they called the Desolation Islands?
Captain James Cook gave them the nickname "Desolation Islands" in 1776 — treeless, wind-battered and surrounded by ocean in every direction. The name stuck in English, even though the French preferred to keep the original Kerguelen, after the explorer who first sighted them in 1772.
Does anyone live on the Kerguelen Islands?
There are no permanent residents. The only population is a rotating crew of roughly 45 to 110 French scientists, technicians and military personnel based at Port-aux-Français on Grande Terre — the main island.
Can tourists visit the Kerguelen Islands?
Effectively no. There are no flights, no commercial cruises and no tourist infrastructure. The only way in is a berth on the Marion Dufresne supply ship from Réunion — and those berths are reserved for TAAF personnel and researchers, with only a small "opv" passenger allowance.
How do you get to the Kerguelen Islands?
Via the Marion Dufresne II, the TAAF supply ship that sails from Le Port on Réunion roughly four times a year. The round trip takes about 28 days and stops at Crozet, Kerguelen and Saint-Paul/Amsterdam before returning. There is no airport.
What is Grande Terre?
Grande Terre is the main island of the Kerguelen archipelago — roughly 6,675 km², heavily glaciated and home to the Port-aux-Français base. The archipelago itself contains more than 300 smaller islands and islets around it.
Vera & Mila field notes
What they actually said
The fictional half. AI-generated voices, very much in character.
Vera
"You can't fly here. You can't cruise here. You wait for a boat that runs four times a year and pretend the schedule is a feature."
Mila
"Cook called them the Desolation Islands. He clearly never met the king penguins. Five stars, would judge silently again."
Distance chaos
Kerguelen Islands
- Réunion (nearest port)~3,300 km
- Antarctica~2,000 km
- Madagascar~3,600 km
- Nearest airportnot on this archipelago
- Next shipin about three months
Go deeper
Related stories
Long-reads connected to this destination. All in production.
Can You Visit the Kerguelen Islands?
No airport, no tourism, four ship visits a year — the practical reality of getting in.
Coming soon ✶Does Anyone Live on the Kerguelen Islands?
Port-aux-Français, the rotating science crew and the difference between "inhabited" and "staffed".
Coming soon ✶How to Get to the Kerguelen Islands
The Marion Dufresne supply ship, the 28-day round trip from Réunion and the berth lottery.
Coming soon ✶Kerguelen Islands Wildlife
King penguins, elephant seals, feral reindeer and the strange invasive ecology of a treeless archipelago.
Coming soon ✶The Desolation Islands: History & Discovery
From Cook's grim nickname to the rusting whaling station at Port Jeanne d'Arc.
Coming soon ✶The Castaways Kerguelen Kept for Three and a Half Years
John Nunn, the wreck of the Favourite and survival on the Island of Desolation.
Read story →How to get there
There is no airport on Kerguelen and no commercial cruise line. The only realistic way onto the archipelago is the Marion Dufresne II — the TAAF supply ship that leaves Le Port on Réunion roughly four times a year and runs a ~28-day round trip via Crozet, Kerguelen and Saint-Paul/Amsterdam.
Berths are prioritised for TAAF personnel, scientists and contractors. A small number of paying "opv" passenger slots exist, but they sell out far in advance and the schedule is set by science, not tourism. There is no walk-on access and no other way in.
In other words: Kerguelen isn't off the beaten track. There is no track.
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