HIGHLIGHTS
- Sail the legendary Drake Passage that few are ever lucky enough to experience
- Walk in the footsteps of some of history’s greatest and bravest explorers as you explore famed, snow-covered landmasses like Elephant and Deception Island
- Come face-to-face with stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife that call this whitewash kingdom home
- Watch on, as colonies of Gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you
- Brush up on your photography skills in advance, to capture this unforgiving continent in all of its unrestrained glory
- Watch thousands of adorable Adelie penguin pairs thriving undisturbed in this peninsula’s unique setting
- Marvel at plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguins
- Sail into the core of Deception Island’s magnificent collapsed volcano caldera
- Hike the luna landscapes within, and even dip into the improbably warm, geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove
- Visit Elephant Island, the site where Ernest Shackleton and the stricken crew of the Endurance miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter, in 1916
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
| Dec 08, 2024 | Dec 18, 2024 | 13,700 |
14,264 |
| Jan 05, 2025 | Jan 15, 2025 | 14,500 |
15,097 |
| Jan 15, 2025 | Jan 25, 2025 | 14,500 |
15,097 |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Feb 22, 2025 | 13,900 |
14,473 |
Rates are listed per person
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
| Dec 08, 2024 | Dec 18, 2024 | 13,700 |
14,264 |
| Jan 05, 2025 | Jan 15, 2025 | 14,500 |
15,097 |
| Jan 15, 2025 | Jan 25, 2025 | 14,500 |
15,097 |
| Feb 12, 2025 | Feb 22, 2025 | 13,900 |
14,473 |
ITINERARY
Day
01: Puerto Williams, Chile
Puerto
Williams is a Chilean city located on Navarino Island on the southern
shores of the Beagle Channel. It claims to be the
“southernmost city in the world”, however owing to
its small size – 2500 residents approximately – the
much larger Argentinean city of Ushuaia, which sits on the northern
side of the same channel, also claims that title. The surrounding
scenery is magnificent. The wild windswept mountains rise above the
tree line and are regularly dusted with snow. The city itself has the
dramatic backdrop called “Dientes de Navarino”
(literally “teeth of Navarino”), which rival the
famous Torres del Paine further to the north. The area was originally
used by the Yaghan people, hunter-gatherers who despite enduring the
harsh regional climate, could not weather the arrival of Europeans. The
current city was established as a naval base in 1953 and honours the
British-Chilean naval commander John Williams Wilson of the 16th
century. Initially it served to protect territorial possessions and
fishing rights of the area, as well as offering logistical support to
Antarctic bases. More recently it has become a departure point for
scientific and tourism trips to the Antarctic region. In contrast to
the bustle and traffic of a very commercial Ushuaia, Puerto Williams
offers a quieter, more relaxed experience. It charms the visitor with a
small village feel, complete with rustic buildings and the homely smell
of drifting wood smoke. A haven of peace at the end of the world.
Days
02-03: Drake Passage
Sailing
the legendary Drake Passage is an experience that few are ever lucky
enough to experience. The southern tip of the Americas already feels
like a wild enough environment – but the sensation of
watching the distant cliffs of the peninsular known as the
‘End of the World’ fade into the horizon, is one
that’s equal parts epic, eerie and magical. Set sail, to
slowly drop off the bottom of the map from Cape Horn, and voyage on an
expedition down into the icy underworld of Antarctica. Drake Passage is
an extraordinary voyage of romantic ocean faring legend, as you aim for
Antarctica’s icy realm. On arrival, skyscraper sized icebergs
salute you, as you traverse the waters of this continent where snow and
ice dwelling creatures like penguins and whales roam undisturbed. Your
first sight of this most-unexplored place will most likely be the South
Shetland Islands. Walk in the footsteps of some of history’s
greatest and bravest explorers as you explore famed, snow-covered
landmasses like Elephant and Deception Island. If the journey across
Drake Passage sounds daunting, don’t worry – even
in rough seas you’re never alone, and will often be
accompanied on this spine-tingling adventure by soaring albatrosses and
maybe even a protective pod of humpbacks and hourglass dolphins or two.
Converging warm and cool ocean currents attract some spectacular animal
life to the passage. If this is your first visit to this magical
continent, you’ll also want to familiarise yourself with our
blog for first timers to Antarctica.
Day
04: Antarctic Sound, Antarctica
Few
voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to one of the
planet’s most remote, extreme and enchanting wilderness,
Antarctica. An adventure in its purest form, only a handful of people
will ever be lucky enough to experience the majestic beauty of these
monochrome landscapes first-hand. The Antarctic Sound will be one of
your first encounters of this whitewash kingdom, located at the
northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula - which sprawls up like a
tentacle towards Tierra del Fuego, South America’s most
southerly point, otherwise known as the ‘End of the
World’. Taking its name from the first ship to brave the
passageway between the peninsular and the Joinville Island groups back
in 1902, the Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs,
broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Come face-to-face
with stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife
that call this whitewash kingdom home. Watch on, as colonies of Gentoo
penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the
continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you. If
you’re planning your first venture into Antarctica,
you’ll want to brush up on your photography skills in
advance, to capture this unforgiving continent in all of its
unrestrained glory. Read our blog for tips on how to ensure that your
photos do justice to the adventure of a lifetime.
3
Included Shore Excursions
Zodiac
Cruise with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Moderate
Hiking
with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Extensive
Kayaking
with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Extensive
Days
05-07: Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
The
Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards towards South America, reaching
out a beckoning finger to the adventurous, who dare to explore this
untamed realm. Stretching up from the heart of the world’s
southernmost continent, the Antarctic Peninsula lies a mere 620 mile
from Tierra del Fuego and, for many, offers a spectacular first taste
of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which
make up Earth’s least-explored continent. Unseen by humans
until 1820 - a blink of an eye ago in relative terms - this is an
adventure sure to make your hairs stand on end, as you experience the
thrill of the truly unknown and extraordinary. The vast peninsula is
sprinkled with research bases, which are at the frontline of human
scientific endeavour, pushing to study and understand this unique
landscape, its exceptional wildlife, and the impact that humans are
having on this pristine continent. Witness cathedral-sized icebergs up
close, and blue-hued glaciers, slowly slipping from imposing locations
like Hope Bay. Blanched mountain peaks cover the peninsula, and
you’ll find thousands of adorable Adelie penguin pairs
thriving undisturbed in this peninsula’s unique setting.
3
Included Shore Excursions
Zodiac
Cruise with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Moderate
Hiking
with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Extensive
Kayaking
with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Extensive
Day
08: South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
The
ice-coated Antarctic Peninsula forms perhaps the most accessible region
of mainland Antarctica, lying a mere 480-miles away from South America,
across the fabled waters of Drakes Passage. Lying close to the
northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the
Bransfield Strait, the South Shetland Islands fall under the
jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their
sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with
plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie
Penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little
crowded at times. King George Island is the largest and most hospitable
island, hosting the majority of the research stations - some of which
are populated all-year-round by tiny, hardy crews. Don’t be
fooled though, these islands offer extraordinary adventure in one of
the most remote locations on earth. The triple peaks of Mount Foster
tower above the archipelago, and you’ll feel your heart
pumping a little quicker, as you sail into the core of Deception
Island’s magnificent collapsed volcano caldera. Hike the luna
landscapes within, and even dip into the improbably warm,
geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove. Elephant Island,
meanwhile, is written deep into the annals of Antarctic expedition
legend, as the site where Ernest Shackleton and the stricken crew of
the Endurance miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter, in 1916.
Discover even more reasons to visit this incredible icy kingdom and
find out why many consider the South Shetland Islands to be the jewel
in Antarctica’s Crown, by reading our blog.
1
Included Shore Excursion
Zodiac
Cruise with Silversea Expedition team
Activity
Level: Moderate
Day
09: Drake Passage
Day
10: Cruising Cape Horn, Chile
In
the past, no two words conjured up more fear to sailors than Cape Horn.
With its reputation of ferocious storms and mountainous seas it was a
place where a seafarer garnered respect for bravery against the odds.
That is, if he lived to tell the tale (he also got to wear a gold hoop
ear-ring and dine with one foot up on the table).
The
Cape itself is the rugged insular tip of South America that projects
into the storm-swept Drake Passage. The Dutch sailor Willem Schouten
and merchant Jacob Le Maire, both from the town of Hoorn (hence Cape
Horn), put it on the map in 1616 when attempting to circumvent the
trade monopoly exercised by the Dutch East India Company over the
Straits of Magellan.
Once
an unavoidable physical gateway to adventure and commerce in the
Pacific Ocean, Cape Horn nowadays has more of a spiritual attraction,
drawing intrepid travellers to pay homage to the brave sailors who, by
necessity, attempted to pass this wild and inhospitable headland.
During
clear weather, when the island is free from the frequent icy squalls
that batter its shores, a 7-metre (23 feet) high steel monument can be
seen standing about 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) away from the true cape,
near the Chilean navy station. It depicts the silhouette of an
albatross, a bird that is said to carry the souls of those sailors who
perished “rounding the Horn”. With that in mind,
consider yourself lucky to confront the Horn on a luxury Expedition
cruise ship rather than from the wave-washed and perilous deck of a
windjammer.
Day
11: Puerto Williams, Chile
Silver Wind (Luxury Expedition, 298-guests)
Break new waters with Silver Wind. Still timelessly elegant, still luxuriously relaxed, her improved cruising versatility means she is able to whizz from the Polar Regions at the ends of the earth to the iconic ports of the Mediterranean with fluid ease.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Butler
service in every suite
- Unlimited
Free Wifi
- Personalised
service – nearly one crew member for every guest
- Choice
of restaurants, diverse cuisine, open-seating dining
- Beverages
in-suite and throughout the ship, including champagne, select wines and
spirits
- In-suite
dining and room service
- Onboard
entertainment
- Onboard
gratuities
ADVENTURE OPTIONS - Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition team: Free
- Hiking with Silversea Expedition team: Free
- Kayaking with Silversea Expedition team: Free
