HIGHLIGHTS
- Explore
the spectacular Antarctic wilderness—including the Weddell
Sea—in a casual atmosphere of like-minded travelers
- Experience
abundant wildlife including immense penguin colonies and other
seabirds, seals and even some of the great whales at close range
- Cruise
in comfort along towering icebergs, serrated maritime mountains and
luminous glaciers
- Zodiac
landing craft allow visitation on remote shorelines and otherwise
inaccessible areas
- Ship
allows an "open bridge policy" to observe its sophisticated navigation
equipment and provides an excellent location to view wildlife the
landscape (subject to weather and critical navigation maneuvers)
- Expert
naturalist guides
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
Start Date | End Date | Standard Plus Triple | Standard Twin | Standard Plus Twin | Premier Twin | Premier Single | Superior Twin | Suite Twin |
Rates are listed per person in USD
|
Start Date | End Date | (Starting from) Standard Plus Triple | (Mid-range) Premier Twin | (High-end) Suite Twin |
ITINERARY
Day
1: Depart from Ushuaia
Embark
the USHUAIA in the afternoon and meet your expedition and lecture
staff. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous
Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.
Day
2 and 3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Named
after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters
in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a
biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer
northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which
sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks
the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds.
As
we sail across the passage, Antarpply Expeditions' lecturers will be
out with you on deck to help with the identification of an amazing
variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our
wake. The USHUAIA´s open bridge policy allows you to join our
officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales,
and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures will be offered as well.
The
first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we
have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and
islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the
brig Williams. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage our
lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore as you experience
your first encounter with the penguins and seals on Day 3.
Days
4 to 6: Exploring the Weddell Sea
This
is where huge tabular icebergs roam. In some years, the Erebus
& Terror Gulf and Weddell Sea are chock-a-block full with ice,
making for exciting ice navigation. Get up early and go out on deck. It
may be 3:30h in the morning, but the sunrises will be unlike anything
you´ve ever seen. Huge tabular bergs break from the Larsen,
Ronne, and Filchner ice shelves and combine with one-year-old and
multi-year sea ice to produce a floating, undulating panorama of rugged
ice scenery. All-white Snow Petrels are likely to be coursing over the
floes, often joined by Pintado Petrels.
The
usual passage to the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula traverses the
Antarctic Sound, which is 30 miles (48 km) long and 7-12 miles (11-19
km) wide and runs northwest-to-southeast. Hope Bay and the Argentine
Station Esperanza, are located on the western side of the Sound. Brown
Bluff, a promontory on the Tabarin Peninsula, is located south of Hope
Bay. Both of them might be possible landing sites. The Weddell Sea
represents the center of the Peninsula´s Adélie
Penguin population. Devil Island, Paulet Island and the already
mentioned sites, might give us ample proof of this. The numbers of
penguins are breathtaking. Sometimes juvenile Emperor Penguins have
been sighted, riding ice floes but are by no means regular in the area.
This
region also teems with vibrant exploration history. The most bizarre of
these tales involves the Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-03 under
the command of geologist Otto Nordenskjöld. Four visitor sites
have links to this expedition: Hope Bay, Paulet Island, Snow Hill
Island, and Cape Well-Met on Vega Island. Our expedition staff will be
pleased to share their exciting story with you.
Nordenskjöld´s expedition was the first to
overwinter in the Peninsula. His ship the Antarctic, under the command
of the famous Norwegian whaling captain Carl Anton Larsen, was trapped
in the ice and sank, but the men survived on different locations and
even managed to carry out significant scientific research in the area.
Days
7 to 9: Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
The
Antarctic Peninsula´s remarkable history will also provide
you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early
explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery,
a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways and a wide
variety of wildlife. Apart from Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins and other
seabirds you are likely to encounter Weddell, crabeater and leopard
seals as well as Minke whales and orcas at close range.
We
hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways: the Gerlache
Strait, Errera Channel and Neumayer Channel. Possible landing sites may
include: Paradise Bay, which is perhaps the most aptly named place in
the world with its impressive glacial fronts and mountains, Cuverville
Island, home of the biggest Gentoo Penguin colony in the Peninsula
surrounded by glaciers and castellated icebergs, and the British Museum
and Post office at Port Lockroy.
Further
exploration will lead us to the South Shetland Islands. The volcanic
island group is a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries and seals
hauling out on the shorelines make every day spent here unforgettable.
Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of
Deception Island is truly amazing, so is visiting the crescent shaped
island Half Moon, home to Chinstrap Penguins in breathtaking
surroundings.
There
might also be a chance to visit the enigmatic Elephant Island. Sir
Ernest Shackleton fans will need no introduction to this historic
windswept island. In 1916 Shackleton was forced to leave 22 of his men
stranded on these shores, while he and five others embarked on an
unbelievable last-ditch rescue attempt. What followed is one of the
greatest rescue stories of all time. Every passenger will return with a
greater knowledge of this gripping tale of adventure in a truly
remarkable part of the world.
Days
10 & 11: At Sea. Crossing the Drake Passage, northbound
We
leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our
lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales
and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on
the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day
12: Arrival in Ushuaia
We
arrive at the port of Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the
USHUAIA after breakfast.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
aboard the Ushuaia as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage aboard theUshuaia
- All
shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by zodiac
- Program
of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced
expedition staff
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
- Comprehensive
pre-departure material
- Detailed
post-expedition log