HIGHLIGHTS
- Visit
three diverse and spectacular biomes including the temperate Falkland
Islands, sub-Antarctic South Georgia and the frozen Antarctic continent
- Encounter
hundreds of thousands of stately king penguins on the beaches of
incomparable South Georgia
- Experience
abundant wildlife including seabirds, seals and even some of the great
whales at close range
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | Quad Porthole | Triple Porthole | Twin Porthole Deck 3 | Twin Porthole Deck 4 | Twin Window | Twin Deluxe | Superior |
|---|
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Quad Porthole | (Mid-range)
Twin Porthole Deck 4 | (High-end)
Superior |
|---|
ITINERARY
The
itinerary below is for the 19-night cruises. For the 18-night cruises,
we spend one fewer day exploring the Antarctic Peninsula.
Day
1: Ushuaia
In
the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the
southernmost city in the world located in the shadow of the Andes and
right at the Beagle Channel shore. We'll sail through this scenic
waterway in the evening.
Day
2: At sea
At
sea, in the Westerlies the ship is followed by several species of
albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
Day
3: Falkland Islands
In
the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) we plan to spend the whole day on the
fascinating western side of the archipelago. A hike along the shore of
Carcass Island will give us views of Magellanic and Gentoo-Penguins, as
well as close encounters with water fowl and Night herons and
passerines. In addition, on Saunders, we will be able to observe four
species of breeding penguins (Gentoo, King, Magellanic and Rockhopper),
Black-browed Albatrosses and King Cormorants.
Day
4: Stanley, Falkland Islands
In
Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, we can experience Falkland
culture, which has some South American characteristics as well as
Victorian charm. In Stanley and the surrounding area, we can see quite
an important number of stranded clippers from a century ago. All
passengers are free to wander around on their own. We recommend a visit
to the local church and museum.
Days
5-6: At sea
At
sea, on our way to South Georgia, we will cross the Antarctic
Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop by as
much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the
Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship;
several species of Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels, Prions and Skuas.
Days
7-10: South Georgia
In
the afternoon of day 7 we arrive at our first landing site in South
Georgia. We might visit the bay of Elsehul, with its very active fur
seal breeding beach, and then set course to Right Whale Bay, Salisbury
Plain, Godthul, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour, Cooper Bay and Drygalski
Fjord to give you a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of
landscapes and wildlife, like the introduced Reindeer, Elephant seals,
Fur seals, King and Macaroni Penguins. One of the highlights might be
our visit to Prion Island, where we will witness the breeding efforts
of the huge Wandering Albatross and enjoy watching their displays. At
Fortuna Bay, we might try to follow in the footsteps of the great
British Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Stømness
Bay. There and at Grytviken we'll see an abandoned whaling village,
where King Penguins now walk in the streets and seals have taken over
the buildings. At Grytviken we'll also offer a visit to the Whaling
History Museum as well as to Shackleton´s grave nearby. We
will depart from South Georgia in the afternoon of day 10.
Day
11: At Sea
At
sea, where the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At
some point, we might encounter sea-ice, and it is at the ice-edge where
we might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the
McCormick Skua and Snow Petrel.
Day
12: South Orkney Islands
We
are planning on a visit to Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located
in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us
their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the
surrounding glaciers.
Day
13: At Sea
Days
14-17: Antarctic Peninsula
We
will sail into the Weddell Sea through the ice-clogged Antarctic Sound.
Huge tabular icebergs will announce our arrival to the eastern side of
the Antarctic Peninsula. We plan to visit Paulet Island with a million
pairs of Adelie Penguins and the remains of the Nordenskjöld
expedition. At Brown Bluff, we may set foot on the Continent.
We
may land at Half Moon Island at the South Shetland Islands, where we
can observe Elephant, Weddell and Fur Seals as well as Chinstrap
Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Snowy
Sheathbills, Antarctic Terns and Antarctic Brown Skuas.
At
Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of
ten thousand Chinstrap Penguins (please note this landing is not always
guaranteed and is only possible in good weather conditions). Good
walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into
Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through
the spectacular Neptune's Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.
Deception
itself is a sub-ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a
natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned
whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls,
Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson's Storm Petrels
and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling
station in Whalers Bay. On our way south, we sail to Cuverville Island
in the Errera Channel, a small precipitous island, nestled between the
mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula. It contains a large colony of
Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas.
We
also hope for a continental landing at Neko Harbour in Andvord Bay. We
are aiming to sail further South to Paradise Bay with its myriad
icebergs and deep cut fjords while having chances of seeing large
Whales. We will have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the
icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. We may land at the
Argentinian station Almirante Brown, which is most of the time not
manned. Sailing through the Neumayer Channel we aim for the historic
British station Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. We also hope for a
landing on the neighbouring island Jougla Point which is inhabited by
Gentoo Penguins and Imperial Shags. Sailing north again through
Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait, we arrive at the Melchior Islands
with a very beautiful landscape with icebergs, where we may encounter
Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales. We leave from here to the
open sea with direction to Ushuaia.
Days
18-19: At Sea
On
our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds
while crossing the Drake Passage.
Day
20: Ushuaia
We
arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee
and tea
- All
shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage
- Lectures
by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
- Comprehensive
pre-departure material
