Antarctic Adventure
Itinerary
Days 1-2
Tierra del Fuego, a fiery beginning
Spend the night in our comfortable host hotel in Ushuaia, “Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire”. On the second day, perhaps take part in an optional guided tour of the nearby National Park, ending with a traditional Argentine asado BBQ. Transfer to the ship and you'll be coasting down the Beagle Channel toward Antarctica by late afternoon.
Days 3-4
A passage to adventure
Anticipation mounts crossing the Drake Passage. Participate in briefings and presentations on the Antarctic ecosystem. Then watch for seabirds and marine mammals from the Bridge or the deck, surrounded by the majesty of the Southern Ocean. The first icebergs should appear on the horizon during Day 4.
Days 5-9
Everything for the ambitious adventurer
Many factors play a role in shaping the expedition's progress. Our goal is to give you the best possible active experience based on prevailing wind, weather, and ice conditions. We attempt as many as three landings a day. Perhaps, you'll feel salt spray on your face as the Zodiac weaves in and around grounded icebergs. You could scramble to the top of a craggy hill for an unforgettable view of an icy chasm. Strap on a harness for a polar plunge into frigid Antarctic waters.
Over the course of the austral spring and summer, the sun lingers longer and longer, melting snow and ice. Wildlife grows in abundance: chicks hatch and fledge, and pods of whales breach in a deep bay where a calving iceberg has churned up krill, the local delicacy. The natural cycle of life ensures that every expedition is different. And that every expedition is full of surprises!
In Antarctica, silence is so complete that interruptions become indelible memories: noisy penguins squabbling over prized pebbles, the boom and crack of a calving glacier in Neko Harbor or Paradise Bay. Then there is the sound of breathing as your arms pump and your legs power you up an incline on cross-country skis. As you sail from island to shore to bay during four days in the Peninsula, the Expedition Team provides opportunities to test your endurance and engage your curiosity.
The soaring peaks and stark rocks of Lemaire Channel are just the excuse you need to grab your camera gear for a shooting session from the deck, if the channel is free of ice. Afterward, you'll have an excuse to warm up below in the lounge with a member of the Expedition Team who will relate the storied history of the Peninsula.
Days 10-12
“One gets the fever and can't stop going” - Shackleton
You'll return via the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, having walked in the path of the great Antarctic adventurers. As Cook, Ross, Scott and Shackleton did, you've stared at the same skies and wondered at the same vast landscapes. And now, like them, you understand the enduring lure of Antarctica. Upon your arrival back at Ushuaia you are transferred to the airport for your outbound flight.
