Discover the unique natural beauty and wildlife-rich shores of the White Continent.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Embark in Ushuaia
Embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the picturesque southernmost city in the world. Located at the Beagle Channel, we sail through this beautiful region.
Days 2-3: Drake Passage
Sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. During the crossing, we have a great chance to see a variety of seabirds, including Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, Southern Fulmars, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels. The first icebergs appear near the South Shetland Islands.
Days 4-8: South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula
This is a sample only, the final itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Leader on board. A typical itinerary in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula could be as follows.
At Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head with a colony of ten thousands of Chinstrap Penguins. Deception Island is a huge volcano of which the crater 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.
We will sail to Orne Islands with large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins and a beautiful view across the Gerlache Strait. Later we continue to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. It contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. From there we sail through 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 sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. We also try to land at Pleneau Island home to Elephant Seals. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales.
Arrive at Charlotte Bay after cruising through Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait. Enjoy a very beautiful landscape and again possibilities for zodiac cruising among the icebergs, where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and Minke Whales.
Half Moon Island is a beautiful volcanic island with Chinstrap Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, sheathbills and Brown Skuas. Weddell Seals and Elephant Seals may also be spotted. We may also choose to land at Hannah Point, which has a very rich wildlife featuring Elephant Seals, Cape Pigeons, Southern Giant Petrels, Macaroni Penguins and Gentoo Penguins.
Days 9-10: Drake Passage
In the Drake Passage we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds.
Day 11: Disembark in Ushuaia
Departure Dates: Nov 29, 2007; Dec 9, 2007; Dec 19, 2007 (Ship: Aleksey Maryshev)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.
- Twin non-private and private cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the share price for the 206-2007 season and 1.8 times the share price for the 2007-2008 season (2 times for Superior cabins).
-Solo Travelers: Request the Twin Share Program where you can be matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
-Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
Prices are based on a 3% cash discount.
Also see tour packages in:
Antarctica
Antarctica
Boating and Sailing
Glacier Tours
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