Classic Antarctica

We board the ship at 14:00 (0200PM) and after meeting our expedition leader and the safety briefing and life on board, we depart from Ushuaia at 18:00 (06.00PM). We then sail along the Beagle Channel,
where the Andes plunge into the sea to reappear in the Antarctic Peninsula, and the scenic Mackinley Pass.

Days 2 and 3:      Crossing the Drake Passage

Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Frances 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, lecturers will be on deck to help in 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 Willams. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage our lecturers and naturalists will lead our first landings as we experience our first encounter with the penguins and seals on Day 3.

Days 4 to 8:      South Shetland Islands & the Antarctic Peninsula

The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island and the chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove is truly amazing. King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await us at Livingston Island. The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. We will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds we are very likely to see Weddell, crab eater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range. We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. We plan to make at least two landings per day. Possible landing sites may include: Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent itself. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1904. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins. Further exploration may take us to Melchior Island, CuvervilleIsland, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and -ice conditions permitting, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.

Days 9 & 10:      Crossing the Drake Passage - Northbound   

Day 11:      Ushuaia

We arrive at Ushuaia in the early morning and depart the ‘USHUAIA’ after breakfast.

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