Ultimate Antarctica Adventure from Ushuaia to Dunedin

At 55 degrees latitude south, Ushuaia (pronounced oo-swy-ah) is closer to the South Pole than to Argentina's northern border with Bolivia. It is the capital and tourism base for Tierra del Fuego, the island at the southernmost tip of Argentina.Although its stark physical beauty is striking, Tierra del Fuego's historical allure is based more on its mythical past than on rugged reality. The island was inhabited for 6,000 years by Yámana, Haush, Selk'nam, and Alakaluf Indians. But in 1902 Argentina, eager to populate Patagonia to bolster its territorial claims, moved to initiate an Ushuaian penal colony, establishing the permanent settlement of its most southern territories and, by implication, everything in between.When the prison closed in 1947, Ushuaia had a population of about 3,000, made up mainly of former inmates and prison staff. Today the Indians of Darwin's "missing link" theory are long gone—wiped out by diseases brought by settlers and by indifference to their plight—and the 60,000 residents of Ushuaia are hitching their star to tourism.The city rightly (if perhaps too loudly) promotes itself as the southernmost city in the world (Puerto Williams, a few miles south on the Chilean side of the Beagle Channel, is a small town). You can make your way to the tourism office to get your clichéd, but oh-so-necessary, "Southernmost City in the World" passport stamp. Ushuaia feels like a frontier boomtown, at heart still a rugged, weather-beaten fishing village, but exhibiting the frayed edges of a city that quadrupled in size in the '70s and '80s and just keeps growing. Unpaved portions of Ruta 3, the last stretch of the Pan-American Highway, which connects Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, are finally being paved. The summer months (December through March) draw more than 120,000 visitors, and dozens of cruise ships. The city is trying to extend those visits with events like March's Marathon at the End of the World and by increasing the gamut of winter activities buoyed by the excellent snow conditions.A terrific trail winds through the town up to the Martial Glacier, where a ski lift can help cut down a steep kilometer of your journey. The chaotic and contradictory urban landscape includes a handful of luxury hotels amid the concrete of public housing projects. Scores of "sled houses" (wooden shacks) sit precariously on upright piers, ready for speedy displacement to a different site. But there are also many small, picturesque homes with tiny, carefully tended gardens. Many of the newer homes are built in a Swiss-chalet style, reinforcing the idea that this is a town into which tourism has breathed new life. At the same time, the weather-worn pastel colors that dominate the town's landscape remind you that Ushuaia was once just a tiny fishing village, snuggled at the end of the Earth.As you stand on the banks of the Canal Beagle (Beagle Channel) near Ushuaia, the spirit of the farthest corner of the world takes hold. What stands out is the light: at sundown the landscape is cast in a subdued, sensual tone; everything feels closer, softer, and more human in dimension despite the vastness of the setting. The snowcapped mountains reflect the setting sun back onto a stream rolling into the channel, as nearby peaks echo their image—on a windless day—in the still waters.Above the city rise the last mountains of the Andean Cordillera, and just south and west of Ushuaia they finally vanish into the often-stormy sea. Snow whitens the peaks well into summer. Nature is the principal attraction here, with trekking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife spotting, and sailing among the most rewarding activities, especially in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego (Tierra del Fuego National Park).

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

Some 770 kilometers (478 miles) south of Cape Horn, the South Shetland Islands are usually the first land seen in Antarctica. Separated from the Antarctic Peninsula by the Bransfield Strait, nine major islands make up the group. The region was the first to be exploited by sealers in the early 19th century, and because of its proximity to South America, it still is the most visited by scientists and tourists. Chinstrap, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins all breed here. In addition, because it is the warmest part of the continent, large moss beds as well as orange, black, grey and green lichens grow –even hair grass and pearlwort manage to survive. Leopard seals, Weddell seals, crabeater seals, Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals can be seen in the water and on the beaches.

Remote and otherworldly, Antarctic is irresistible for its spectacular iceberg sculptures and calving glaciers, and for the possibility of up-close encounters with marine mammals and the iconic penguins. The Antarctic Peninsula – the main peninsula closest to South America – has a human history of almost 200 years, with explorers, sealers, whalers, and scientists who have come to work, and eventually intrepid visitors coming to enjoy this pristine and remote wilderness. It is a region of protected bays, unscaled snow-capped mountains, vast glaciers and a few places where whalers or scientists have worked. Just as irresistible are the many Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguin colonies, the seals basking on ice floes, the whales and orcas.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

The magnitude of translucent bergs silently floating on crystal-clear seas is often broken up by the tail of a fluking whale and leopard seals resting on an ice floe. Rarely visited by ships, the ice-covered volcanic Peter I island in Bellingshausen Sea is claimed by Norway and is home to elephant seals, cape pigeons and southern fulmars. Two of the largest islands in the Antarctic - Alexander and Thurston Islands - lie past Peter I Island

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

In one of the most remote areas of Antarctica, volcanic Shepard Island is an 11-mile stretch of wilderness near Grant Island off Marie Byrd Land’s unclaimed coast. It is ice-capped except along its northern, seaward side, where it is almost entirely embedded in the Getz Ice Shelf. The exposed northern shores provide sanctuary for chinstrap penguins and skuas in this remote polar refuge

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

The Bay of Whales was Antarctica’s key natural harbor, an ice-bound inlet by the Ross Ice Shelf near Roosevelt Island and Cape Colbeck. As the southernmost navigable waters, it was the closest ship approach to the South Pole. The original bay vanished in 1987 when iceberg B-9 calved, but new embayments may form. It supported whaling and was Amundsen’s base for his 1911 South Pole triumph, 60 miles ahead of Scott

Experience time travel first-hand as you cross the international date line. This imaginary line in the Pacific Ocean joins the South Pole to the North Pole and roughly follows 180 degrees longitude with a deviation east to the 150-degree meridian to include the Kiribati and Line Islands. Sailors celebrate the passing with the Ceremony of the Domain of the Golden Dragon. On our transpacific journey, you will lose a day as you cross the line

One of the last untouched salt-water wilderness regions, the Ross Sea region is home to an abundance of wildlife - southern right whales, orca, emperor penguins, parakeets and elephant seals, to name a few. Antarctica’s largest Adelie penguin colony is located on the shores of the Ross Sea. This faraway place also exudes polar history - many of the expedition huts of past explorers are still perfectly preserved

The Balleny Islands, 2,000 km south of New Zealand near Antarctica, remain mostly untouched since their discovery in 1839. The Ross Sea surrounding them is a biologically rich area in the Southern Ocean, still under research. These dramatic coastal landscapes are home to humpback, fin and minke whales, along with crabeater, Weddell, elephant and leopard seals. Some islands host significant Adélie and chinstrap penguin colonies

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of our knowledgeable experts

Over these days at sea, you cruise through one of the planet’s great wildlife sanctuaries: New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, protected for their exceptional ecosystems and breeding colonies. These remote islands are famed for their seabirds, including albatrosses and petrels, and for shorelines where you may spot sea lions and seals in wild, wind-sculpted settings that feel truly at the edge of the world.

Expect the rhythm of expedition cruising: long horizons from deck, fresh expert commentary as conditions shift, and the quiet excitement of scanning for life in the sky and on the water as you move between these far-southern outposts

Known as the Edinburgh of New Zealand, Dunedin, on the South Island, is set in a pretty bay that serves as a port. Surrounded by bush-covered hills, the town is one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s proud of its Celtic connections with New Zealand’s only castles. Elaborate civic buildings, funky alleyways filled with street art, and picturesque parks add to the appeal