We start our expeditions to the White Continent at the very southern tip of South America, in Ushuaia, Argentina. All of the small, ice-strengthened ships are very comfortable; they have lounges with libraries and feature private facilities for most cabin types. Every ship has a physician and a clinic on board. The expedition team includes naturalists, historians and geologists who lecture and help identify the abundant wildlife and expound on the history of human exploration and exploitation of Antarctica.
Heading south toward Cape Horn into the notorious Drake Passage, we soon encounter pack ice and icebergs—a veritable floating sculpture garden. Various species of sea birds, whales and seals bring the skies and seas to life.
We will take advantage of the almost 24-hour daylight of the austral summer and will weave in and out of such famous and dramatic settings as Paradise Bay, Anvers Island, King George Island, Port Lockroy, the Le Maire Channel (one sailor reports being “up against the sea cliff and having 100 meters of water beneath our bow”), and Deception Island (described in Sailing Directions for Antarctica as “one of the most remarkable crater islands in the world,” complete with steaming fumaroles and sulfur springs). We’ll spend as much time as possible on the Peninsula and the spectacular South Shetlands, going ashore (by zodiac) to hike, study, and photograph.
The longer voyages also include visits to spectacular South Georgia Island, Elephant Island and the Falkland Islands. South Georgia Island is a breath-stopping, 9500-foot rock massif, populated by enormous congeries of penguins and seals. (Our Antarctic man, Urs Hofmann, says that “Standing in the midst of a vast king penguin colony composed of thousands of nesting pairs is a fantastic and very humbling experience.”) This comprehensive 20-day voyage, combining the wildlife and scenic extravaganzas of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia, is a polar fan’s ultimate plum.
For additional details on this Antarctic cruise, please call 1-800-777-8183.
An Explorer's Antarctica (2012/2013)
Trip Details
- Departures from November 2012 through March 2013
10, 11, 12, 15, and 20 daysActivity Type:
Expeditionary Voyaging,
Small Boat Cruising,
Exploratory
Trip Price:
From $4,295Book Early & Save! Save up to 25% on select voyages and cabin types when booked by January 31, 2012. Please call for details.
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