Antarctic Peninsula Adventure

The Cruise Beginning and ending in Ushuaia, Argentina, your cruise to Antarctica will experience the wildlife and scenic highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. The Captain and Expedition Leader continually assess daily weather conditions and wildlife opportunities, taking advantage of the extended daylight to maximize time ashore. You will become one of the fortunate few to have set foot on the continent of Antarctica.

Day 1 – Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway of the Beagle Channel for the rest of the evening.

Days 2-3 Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands

Your cruise to Antarctica must cross the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake. The ship is accompanied much of the way by albatrosses – including the magnificent wandering albatross – along with an impressive variety of other seabirds. During the sea-days the experienced naturalist and lecture staff will educate us in topics such as geology, marine biology, ecology, orthnitology and history of the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean.
Land is usually sighted for the first time late afternoon on Day 3 at the South Shetland Islands, which lie to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Days 4-8 South Shetland Islands & Antarctic Peninsula

While sailing across the South Shetlands we may visit vast penguin rookeries, 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 plant, which thrive here during the short southern summer. 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 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.
Depending on a flexible and opportunistic schedule, regularly updated by the Expedition Leader and the Captain, our exploration of the Antarctic continent often may take us 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. If pack ice and icebergs allow, you navigate some of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

Days 9-10 Drake Passage

You bid farewell to Antarctica as you sail north across the Drake Passage. The adventure is far from over yet, as there are more opportunities to watch birds and whales cavorting in the open ocean. Final presentations by our expedition staff enhance the voyage en route to Ushuaia.

Day 11 Ushuaia

Disembark after breakfast and transfer by bus to the Antarctic Unit office located at the entrance to the pier.