Antarctica Peninsula & Whale Watching

The Trip

Day 1: Ushuaia – Set sail along the Beagle Channel
Day 2-3: At Sea – Cross the Drake Passage
Day 4-8: Antarctic – Whale watching in the Antarctic
Day 9: South Shetland
Day 10-11: At Sea – Cross the Drake Passage
Day 12: Ushuaia – Disembark

Day 1

Arrive in Ushuaia and board the boat. In the afternoon set sail along the scenic waterways of the Beagle Channel.

Day 2 – 3

The next couple of days will be spent crossing the Drake Passage. There will be a series of on board lectures and presentations by Antarctic experts to help you learn about the geology and wildlife of the white continent. Up on deck you will have the opportunity to see many sea birds that follow the wake of the boat.

Day 4-8

Arrive in the Antarctic with the main focus on searching for whale species. You will navigate directly into the ‘High Antarctic’, passing the Melchoir Islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. On Cuverville Island, nestled between the Antarctic Peninsula and Ronge Island you will find a large colony of Gentoo penguins and breeding brown skuas. Although an exact itinerary depends on weather conditions, you may attempt a landing at Orne Island where you will observe chinstraps, Weddell seals and crabeater seals.

In Neko harbour you will make your first landing on the Antarctic proper. Here you can observe spectacular landscapes of glaciers and take zodiac cruises between the icebergs and bays. You will have a great chance of spotting humpback whales and Minke whales breaching in this region.

As you sail through the stunning Lemaire Channel to Pleneau and Petermann Island you will find Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags. This is also an excellent area to encounter humpback, Minke and fine whales which can be seen from deck. Continue navigating through the Gerlache Strait to Wilhelmina Bay where, an area commonly visited by humpback whales to feed. If weather permits take a zodiac cruise to the Guvernoren, a wreck of a whaling vessel that burned here in the early 20^th century. Around Melchoir Islands more whales can be seen amongst the icebergs as well as leopard and crabeater seals.

Day 9

The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels). In Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.

As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure..

Day 10-11

Leave the Antarctic behind and cross back over the Drake Passage. Spend time with your fellow guests sharing stories of the things you’ve seen. Go back on deck to watch for wildlife and attend lectures and presentations given by Polar experts.

Day 12

Disembark at Ushuaia.

Prices in Euros and are per person. Prices in other currencies on request.