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Dates & Prices | Special Offers | Contact Us
info@ice-tracks.com

Antarctic Explorer Express

0
13 Days / 12 Nights
Availability : Dec-Mar
Punta Arenas
Ushuaia
OverviewItineraryDates & PricesPhotosReviewsContact Us
Overview

Early Antarctic explorers returned from their voyages to the deep south with tales of a magnificent, ice-covered land teeming with life. Immerse yourself in the unimaginable beauty of the Antarctic Peninsula, where vast glaciers tumble into the sea, penguins are dwarfed by soaring peaks and humpback and minke whales feast on abundant krill. On this voyage, the splendid scenery extends through the Chilean Fjords, with channels flanked by majestic mountains. 

Highlights

• Witness extraordinary wildlife including fledging penguin chicks.  

• Zodiac cruise in secluded bays and quiet coves filled with brash ice and photograph enormous glaciers and spectacularly shaped icebergs in various shades of blue.  

• Keep a close watch for the tail fluke of whales as they take a deep dive, see porpoising penguins ice seals such as Weddell and crabeater seals hauled out on ice floes.  

• Observe skuas patrolling penguin colonies preying on vulnerable juveniles.

Map
Itinerary

Day 1Punta Arenas

Arrive in Punta Arenas, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred to our hotel. We ask that you arrive no later than 4.00 pm so that you may attend our important briefing this evening.  

Please visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the lobby between 10.00 am – 6.00 pm to collect your luggage cabin tags. Our team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information about where to dine or purchase last minute items.  

Overlooking the Straits of Magellan, the city sits astride one of the world’s most historic trade routes. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great blend of cultural backgrounds, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors. It remains an utterly fascinating testament to Chile’s rich history. Modern day Punta Arenas is home to many popular restaurants, and bars, offering a mix of local and international fare (meals at your own expense today). 

At 7.00 pm this evening, meet your fellow expeditioners at a voyage briefing where we will reconfirm your transfer times for tomorrow, explain the procedures for your flight to King George Island and outline important IAATO regulations for visitors to Antarctica. 

Accommodation: Hotel Cabo de Hornos (or similar) 

Day 2Fly Punta Arenas to King George Island 6 Embarkation

Part of the greater Antarctica region, the South Shetland Islands contain plenty of wildlife, scenic landscapes, hiking opportunities and magnificent viewpoints that inspire a sense of discovering another world. A possible landing on Elephant Island, named for the shape of its cliffside and the elephant seals that call it home, puts you on the same path as the famous Shackleton Expedition. Deception Island, another possible landing and named for its very nature, is in fact a volcanic caldera where you can find heated springs amid the striking black sands. Other stops could include Half Moon Island, Yankee Harbor, Point Wild and Barrientos Island, where you can find plenty of Gentoo penguin rookeries.
CAPTAIN’S CHOICE – Captain’s Choice ports of call add to the sense of adventure and an element of surprise. Your ship’s captain will sail around changing weather conditions as needed and take you to the best areas for wildlife viewing.

Days 3-10Antarctic Peninsula

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.  

Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.  

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities. 

We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.  

While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you will have the option to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting! 

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from summit to sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent. 

Day 11-12Drake Passage Crossing

Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before we re-enter the Drake Passage for our return journey to South America. 

With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. We hope you become ambassadors for Antarctica telling your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.  

As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting. 

Day 13Disembark in Ushuaia

During the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where we will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as we all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.   

On disembarkation, passengers on flights departing prior to 2.00 pm will be transferred directly to Ushuaia Airport, while those fortunate enough to be continuing their travels in this spectacular region of the world, will be transferred to their post-voyage Ushuaia accommodation. Passengers flying after 2.00 pm will have time to explore Ushuaia, prior to an afternoon airport transfer, the details of which will be provided onboard prior to disembarkation.  

 

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays. 

Dates & Prices
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Antarctic Explorer Express

Start : 19 Jan, 2025  End : 31 Jan, 2025
Departure : Punta Arenas   Arrival : Ushuaia
13 Days
Sylvia Earle
From $16,911
$14,374
Show Prices
Ask Us a Question
Aurora Stateroom Triple Share
$16,911 $14,374
Aurora Stateroom Superior
$18,441 $15,675
Balcony Stateroom Category C
$18,951 $16,108
Balcony Stateroom Category B
$19,971 $16,975
Balcony Stateroom Category A
$21,416 $18,204
Balcony Stateroom Superior
$23,371 $19,865
Junior Suite
$29,406 $24,995
Captain Suite
$34,846 $29,619

Antarctic Explorer Express

Start : 20 Feb, 2025  End : 3 Mar, 2025
Departure : Ushuaia   Arrival : Punta Arenas
12 Days
Sylvia Earle
From $13,756
$11,005
Show Prices
Ask Us a Question
Aurora Stateroom Triple Share
$13,756 $11,005
Aurora Stateroom Superior
$14,956 $11,965
Balcony Stateroom Category C
$15,356 $12,285
Balcony Stateroom Category B
$16,156 $12,925
Balcony Stateroom Category A
$17,356 $13,885
Balcony Stateroom Superior
$18,956 $15,165
Junior Suite
$23,836 $19,069
Captain Suite
$28,236 $22,589
Photos
  • gentoo penguins Antarctica
  • chinstrap penguins Antarctica
  • Cuverville Island Antarctica
Reviews
“

Wow, wow and wow! What an amazing experience we had with Ice Tracks. We have a smile on our faces from ear to ear.

Many thanks to the team! You informed us so completely, so honestly and shared your own experiences what made us feel assured. Your enthusiasm made us feel excited from the first moment we had contact, even till now when we share our voyage with friends and family. For us this trip was the closure of a backpacking voyage, which we started in Mexico. The vessel and expedition team made us feel like part of the family during 11 days. Our room was spacious and clean. Staff and food were great. The lectures during days at sea were nice. This once in a lifetime experience was mind blowing!

Monique and Steve from Belgium traveled with us to the Antarctic Peninsula

Steve & Monique
Sample Position
“

How do you describe it all to people that were not there? I’ve found it difficult, but very willing to try. Well, in retelling the (fairy) tale the last few days, the highlights are starting to cement in together with some new friendships!

· The hair-raising off-roading trip to the lake
· That amazing Argentinian braai in the woods & the beautiful snowy wonderland around us.
· To see how much Brian enjoys ships (although saying what a lovely cruise it was coming back, while some were dreadfully sick – he was perhaps living dangerously!)
· The first sighting of that whiter than white …
· The crystal, crystal clear waters
· My excitement at the first landing on the iced, uninhabited continent
· The colours & the moods & the vastness!
· Our South Africans taking the first dive in that colder than cold water!!!
· The amazing strength & stamina of those penguins. I do tell the tale of the solitary soul waiting to greet those mountaineers at the top of Spiget!
· The comraderie in our group
· Our “tea break” on the zodiac with irish coffee & green tea – where Caro asked Chicken to “duck”!
· The photo of the campers sitting around the “campfire” was an absolute winner …
· The soft snow on our last landing & trying to walk in that!

We reiterate our thanks to Mandy, Guts & Caro – you put a huge amount of work into making it a dream holiday for us – and it was, & we are truly grateful.

Denise and Brian Sutherland – Pretoria South Africa
Sample Position
“

We are now back indeed, and slowly coming to grips with the ‘real’ world. As you may imagine, there is little one can really say about Antarctica of which you are not fully aware. If it were in any way possible I for one would never go anywhere else on this planet. Ute had reservations about going South as she does not like the cold, but after our experience in Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina, she also wanted to be in the pure untainted and pristine world of Antarctica. Now Ute even says she could happily go back. Unfortunately, we can only be very thankful that we even once had the opportunity to make this dream come true. Thank you very much for your part in making that happen. We were cared for graciously by Ice Tracks and without their expert and very able assistance our trip might never have taken place. I warmly recommend Ice Tracks guidance to anyone wishing to go South. The whole experience we had was more akin to friendship than business, and we do hope that we may one day meet again on the high seas!

Raymond & Ute – South Africa
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