Antarctic cruises

Antarctic Explorer

Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands

11 & 12 day voyages

Ushuaia to Ushuaia

Aboard the Akademik Vavilov, Sea Spirit, Clipper Adventurer, or the Ocean Nova.

Antarctic Explorer offers you the perfect introduction to the White Continent, during which you will experience the wildlife and scenic highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands.

Each voyage incorporates as much wildlife viewing as possible, with visits to scientific bases and plenty of time to enjoy breathtaking waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains.

No two voyages are exactly alike, no matter which Antarctic Explorer voyage you choose. The Captain and Expedition Leader continually assess daily weather conditions and wildlife opportunities, taking advantage of the extended daylight to maximise time ashore. You will become one of the fortunate few to have set foot on the continent of Antarctica.

Itinerary

Day 1: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Arrive in the southernmost city in the world and transfer independently to the Hotel Los Nires or similar hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore this 'frontier town' at leisure.

Day 2: Ushuaia
Spend the morning with a local guide, on a group excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park, and then enjoy a traditional Argentine BBQ asado lunch. Embark in the afternoon, settle into your cabin, and meet your Expedition Team, before the ship sets sail along the scenic Beagle Channel.

Days 3-5: Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
Our journey across the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake, is an experience in itself. The ship is accompanied most of the way by albatrosses - including the magnificent Wandering Albatross - along with an impressive variety of other seabirds. We also cross the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar waters sink beneath the warmer waters of the more temperate zones.

Land is usually sighted for the first time late afternoon on Day 4 - the South Shetland Islands, which lie to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula. Visit vast penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and observe wallowing southern elephant seals. You may also visit one of the many research bases in the archipelago or look for Antarctica's only two flowering plants, which thrive here during the short southern summer. Often the ship sails through the narrow passage leading into the sunken caldera of Deception Island. Here, if the tide allows, you may dip your toes in the thermal waters of Pendulum Cove.

Days 6-9: Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula, the most readily accessible part of the White Continent, has some of the best wildlife and scenery. You have plenty of time to experience the special magic of this awe-inspiring wilderness of snow, ice, waterways, and mountains. Expect to see enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins. Blue-eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snowy Sheathbills and Antarctic Terns are also abundant. You may also encounter Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, as well as orcas, humpback, and Minke whales.

Our exploration of the Antarctic continent often begins with a visit to the aptly named Paradise Bay, or to nearby Neko Harbor. Glaciers fill the calm waters with an amazing vista of icebergs as you set foot on the Antarctic continent itself. When visiting Port Lockroy, you enjoy the thriving penguin colonies and visit a recently renovated former British scientific station, which serves as one of the most isolated and intriguing museums in the world. The station also acts as a post office from which you can send postcards home.

Subject to pack ice and iceberg conditions, we navigate some of the most beautiful waterways in the world. Two in particular, the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, are impressive narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. Some voyages sail south of the Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island, where Adélie and Gentoo Penguins, skuas and Blue-eyed Shags nest close to the landing site.

On our longer voyages, the expedition may also visit the northern tip of the Peninsula to navigate the Antarctic Sound, or 'iceberg alley', where huge tabular icebergs drift north from the Antarctic continent. If weather and ice conditions permit, we land on Paulet Island to see its vast Adélie Penguin rookery.

Days 10-11: Drake Passage
Today we leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. In between bird watching and whale watching, and enjoying some final lectures by our expedition staff, this is a chance to relax and review our adventures before returning to Ushuaia.

Day 12: Ushuaia
We disembark after breakfast and transfer by bus to the Antarctic Unit office located at the entrance of the pier. Passengers departing the same day on the morning flight will continue by bus to the airport.

* Airfare is not included in the program.

Please note: The itinerary presented here is for the 12 day voyage - the 11 day voyage has one less day along the Antarctic Peninsula. Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition. Visits to research stations depend on final permission.

Prices and departure dates

Code: ANTQUA003

Departures:
13 November 2011
19 November 2011
23 November 2011
29 November 2011
3 December 2011
9 December 2011
11 December 2011
31 December 2011
10 January 2012
20 January 2012
24 January 2012
31 January 2012
10 February 2012
19 February 2012
25 February 2012
26 February 2012
29 February 2012

Price: From £4,000 per person based on two sharing. For more information, or to make a reservation, please enquire.