HIGHLIGHTS
- Explore
the spectacular Antarctic wilderness in a casual atmosphere of
like-minded travelers
- Experience
abundant wildlife including immense penguin colonies and other
seabirds, seals and even some of the great whales at close range
- Cruise
in comfort along towering icebergs, serrated maritime mountains and
luminous glaciers
- Zodiac
landing craft allow visitation on remote shorelines and otherwise
inaccessible areas
- Ship
allows an "open bridge policy" to observe its sophisticated navigation
equipment and provides an excellent location to view wildlife and the
landscape (subject to weather and critical navigation maneuvers)
- Expert
naturalist guides
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person
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| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
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Rates are listed per person
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
ITINERARY
Please Note: Some tours are 10 nights and 11
days and will spend one extra day in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Day
1: Depart from Ushuaia
Embark
the USHUAIA in the afternoon and meet your expedition and lecture
staff. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous
Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.
Day
2 and 3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Named
after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters
in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a
biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer
northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which
sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks
the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds.
As
we sail across the passage, Antarpply Expeditions' lecturers will be
out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing
variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our
wake. The USHUAIA's open bridge policy allows you to join our officers
on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales, and enjoy
the view. A full program of lectures will be offered as well.
The
first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we
have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and
islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the
brig Williams. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage our
lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore as you experience
your first encounter with the penguins and seals on Day 3.
Day
4 to 7: Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
The
South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin
rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant
seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable.
Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of
Deception Island is truly amazing.
King
George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features
colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp
Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels
and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Macaroni,
Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at
Livingston Island.
The
Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you
with a type of excitement often only associated with the early
explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery,
a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an
incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds
you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well
as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range.
We
hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the
ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the
Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock
faces and spectacular glaciers.
We
plan to make at least two landings per day and possible landing sites
may include:
Paradise
Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a
landing on the continent proper. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn
waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling
Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed
Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld
expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins
have been taken over by nesting penguins.
Further
exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal
Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and if ice conditions
permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of
Gentoo Penguins.
Day
8 and 9: At Sea crossing the Drake Passage, Northbound
We
leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our
lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales
and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on
the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day
10: Arrival in Ushuaia
We
arrive at the port of Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the
USHUAIA after breakfast.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage
- All
shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by zodiac
- Program
of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced
expedition staff
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
- Comprehensive
pre-departure material
- Detailed
post-expedition log
