This is a 12-day expedition to Antarctica, where you will experience stunning scenery and wildlife, including penguins, seals, and whales. You will visit a variety of locations, including Livingston Island, Deception Island, Cuverville Island, Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, the Lemaire Channel, Detaille Island, the Fish Islands, and the Melchior Islands. Highlights include taking Zodiac cruises, visiting an abandoned British research station, and crossing the Polar Circle. This is an incredible journey that will create memories that will last a lifetime.
11 Day Antarctica Itinerary
Day 1: Ushuaia & Beagle Channel
Where the world ends, your journey begins. Ushuaia in Argentina is reputedly the end of the world. The city of Adelaide, Australia is the most southernmost point on Earth. South America. You depart from the small resort in the late afternoon. Visit Tierra del Fuego (the "End of the World") and take a boat tour. The rest of the night, you can enjoy the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel.
Day 2 & 3: Drake Passage & Antarctic Convergence
Enjoy some of these same experiences over the next two days as you cruise the Drake Passage. The great polar explorations that first charted the arctic regions were a series of experiences. Regions: rolling waves, cool breezes of salt, and maybe a fin-whale spouting. sea spray. The Antarctic Convergence is the natural convergence of Antarctica. You are now in the circumAntarctic Upwelling Zone, which is formed by cold north-flowing waters colliding with subAntarctic warmer seas. It is not only that The marine and avian worlds change together. Albatrosses that wander. Grey-headed albatrosses are also known as black-browed Albatrosses and light-mantled Sooty albatrosses. You might also see albatrosses. Cape pigeons. Southern fulmars. Wilson's Storm Petrels. Blue petrels. Antarctic petrels.
Day 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9: Antarctica: Livingston Island, Deception Island, Cuverville Island, Detaille Island, Fish Islands & Melchior Islands
Options for Antarctic Peninsula activities are many, and no less great during the late summer. Humpback whales are prolific in this region, gorging themselves on krill before their migration north. The penguin chicks are also fledging, stirring up activity on the beaches while sleek leopard seals lie in wait, poised to attack the less fortunate ones. Sites for your Antarctic adventures may include:
Livingston Island - Here you find a wide variety of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Hannah Point, as well as southern giant petrels and elephant seals hauling out onto the beach.
Deception Island - Actually a subducted crater, this island opens into the sea and creates a natural harbor for the ship. An abandoned whaling station, and multiple bird species - cape petrels, kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns - can be seen here. Wilson's storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
Cuverville Island - A small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Ronge Island, Cuverville houses a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas.
Neko Harbour - An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. You might also be able to set foot on the continent here.
Paradise Bay - You could take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where you have a good chance of seeing humpback and minke whales.
Pleneau & Petermann Islands - If the ice allows it, you may sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There's also a good chance you'll encounter humpback and minke whales as well as leopard seals.
Crystal Sound - Your journey takes you south along the Argentine Islands to this ice-packed body of water, and from here across the Polar Circle in the morning.
Detaille Island - You may make a landing at an abandoned British research station here, taking in the island's lofty mountains and imposing glaciers.
Fish Islands - Further north you encounter one of the southernmost Adelie penguin and blue-eyed shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Livingston Island - Here you find a wide variety of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Hannah Point, as well as southern giant petrels and elephant seals hauling out onto the beach.
Deception Island - Actually a subducted crater, this island opens into the sea and creates a natural harbor for the ship. An abandoned whaling station, and multiple bird species - cape petrels, kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns - can be seen here. Wilson's storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
Cuverville Island - A small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Ronge Island, Cuverville houses a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas.
Neko Harbour - An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. You might also be able to set foot on the continent here.
Paradise Bay - You could take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where you have a good chance of seeing humpback and minke whales.
Pleneau & Petermann Islands - If the ice allows it, you may sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There's also a good chance you'll encounter humpback and minke whales as well as leopard seals.
Crystal Sound - Your journey takes you south along the Argentine Islands to this ice-packed body of water, and from here across the Polar Circle in the morning.
Detaille Island - You may make a landing at an abandoned British research station here, taking in the island's lofty mountains and imposing glaciers.
Fish Islands - Further north you encounter one of the southernmost Adelie penguin and blue-eyed shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Melchior Islands - These islands offer a beautiful landscape rich with icebergs. Leopard seals, crabeater seals, and whales are found here, and there are excellent opportunities for kayaking and diving.
Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Day 10 & 11: Familiar seas, familiar friends
You're not alone on your return journey. You'll see the same seabirds you saw on the way south as you cross the Drake. They are still there You and they seem to be a bit more familiar now.
Day 12: There and back again
No matter how great the adventure may be, it must end. Now it's time to leave Ushuaia but you will carry with you the memories. Wherever your next adventure takes you.
Itinerary Map
11 Day Antarctica Itinerary Includes
- Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
- AECO fees and governmental taxes.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
11 Day Antarctica Itinerary Does not Include
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post- land arrangements.
- ​Transfers to the vessel in Ushuaia and Ascension and from the vessel in Ascension and Praia; passport and visa expenses.
- Government arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).
- Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
11 Day Antarctica Itinerary Highlights
- Crossing the Polar Circle.
- Taking a Zodiac cruise in Neko Harbour to see mammoth glaciers and alpine peaks.
- Landing at an abandoned British research station on Detaille Island.
Meals Included
- Breakfast Served Daily
- 10 Dinners
- 11 Lunches
11 Day Antarctica cruise activities
Under full instruction from your sea kayaking guide, experience true tranquillity as you paddle through clinking ice floes and realise the enormity of the surrounding scenery. Look out for breaching whales, lounging seals and penguins zipping alongside your kayak. Some experience is required.
Camp out on the ice and experience the silence which blankets the continent by night. This is your chance to completely connect with this ethereal ice world – wrap up warm and embrace the Antarctic elements.
Get a spring in your step when you slip on a pair of snowshoes in Antarctica. Enabling you to easily scale gentle slopes, this unique activity allows you to access hard to reach places and seek out the most impressive views.
Learn to capture wildlife and landscape shots in a small group photography program, including critiquing sessions and editing classes. Plus, Explorer Boat excursions with a dedicated photography expert on landings.
Achieve the best views and photographs from a forward facing Explorer Boats. They allow you to sit comfortably and securely while crackling through the ice-strewn waters. Look out for wildlife such as penguins, seals and whales as you cruise.
It doesn’t get more serene than complimentary yoga classes to the tune of glacial scenery. Join the most unique exercise setting in the world after a day of exploration. Classes are regular but are dependent on weather conditions and swell.
Antarctica - Polar Circle
11 Days
From
$8,650.00
per person
Tags
Whale Watching 
