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Trip Details

Antarctica Cruise - The Peninsula
11 Days | Departures: 11/9/08, 11/19/08, 11/29/08, 2/10/09, 2/20/09, 3/2/09 | From $3 500

Locations:  Antarctic Peninsula | South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | South Shetland Islands | Falkland Islands

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Trip Highlights: A quality expedition cruise that is good value. Expect good guides, great food, and a simple "classic" expedition ship. All cabins have a private bathroom.

Rates: $3,500 - $9,200
Triple from: $3,360, Twin from: $5,100, Single from: $8,850

Ship Name:  Orlova - Expedition ship
Passengers: 110

Summary

This well-established expedition cruise offers you the ideal introduction to Antarctica. Departing and finishing in the port of Ushuaia in Argentina, the itinerary visits prime sites along the Antarctic Peninsula and the neighbouring South Shetland Islands. This program will emphasize wildlife viewing, possible visits to scientific bases, and the breathtaking scenery with narrow waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains.

Itinerary:

Days 1-2: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Arrive in Ushuaia and transfer independently to your conveniently located hotel; explore at your leisure in this frontier port overlooked by the rugged Martial Mounts. Next morning, enjoy a guided tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park, home to Caracaras, Black-faced Ibis, Magellanic Woodpeckers and the Fuegian red fox, among other species. Walk seaside paths through guindo forest and by mountain lakes on the Chilean frontier. Then learn more about local culture and history over a traditional Argentine asado barbecue. In late afternoon, your Expedition Team welcomes you aboard your ice-strengthened ship as you sail into the scenic Beagle Channel to begin your Antarctic adventure.

Days 3-5: Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
Wandering albatross, storm petrels and other seabirds accompany the ship as you sail south across this famous passage named after Sir Francis Drake, the 16th-century English navigator. A program of lectures by the shipboard team of experienced naturalists and Antarctica specialists will help prepare you for the many adventures that lie ahead. In 1819, the British explorer William Smith described the South Shetland Islands as “barren and covered with snow, with seals in abundance.” Yet, mosses and lichens thrive during the short summer on the low-lying peninsulas of these rugged maritime islands, which are located directly adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula. Places such as King George Island or Livingston Island support huge numbers of nesting penguins, while seabirds nest on the cliffs and elephant seals wallow along the shores. Deception Island is still considered to be an active volcano, and sailing through the narrow passage into its huge, flooded caldera is a thrilling experience. Depending on weather and ice conditions, we hope to be able to approach the South Shetland Islands during the afternoon of day four.

Days 6-9: Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the most readily accessible part of the White Continent and has some of the best wildlife and scenery. You have plenty of time to experience the special magic of this awe-inspiring wilderness of snow, ice, waterways and mountains and can expect to see a wide variety of Antarctic wildlife. Enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snowy Sheathbills and Antarctic Terns are just some of the many birds found here in abundance. We are also likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, while orcas, humpback whales and Minke whales are often encountered at close range.

The Peninsula also has a remarkable history and, during the voyage, you will learn about some of the most important and dramatic expeditions to this remote corner of the world. Keeping a lookout from the Bridge or the deck of the ship, as we thread our way along the continent, you will certainly feel the same sense of excitement as many of those early explorers.

Sailing around the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula we hope to navigate the Antarctic Sound, or 'iceberg alley' as it is often called, where huge tabular icebergs drift north from the Antarctic continent. If you are lucky, and weather and ice conditions permit, you will try to land on Paulet Island to see its vast Adélie Penguin rookery. It is also planned to visit aptly-named Paradise Harbour, or nearby Neko Harbour, where glaciers fill the calm waters with a mind-boggling vista of icebergs; this is where we hope to set foot on the Antarctic Continent itself.

At Port Lockroy, as well as enjoying the thriving penguin colonies, you will visit a former British scientific station that has recently been renovated to serve as one of the most isolated and intriguing museums in the world. The station also acts as a post office and you will have a unique opportunity to send postcards home.

During the voyage you hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways in the world (if they are not choked with pack ice and icebergs); two in particular, the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers that are so impressive they are a highlight of the trip for many people. On some voyages you get to sail south of the Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island where Adélie and Gentoo Penguins, skuas and Blue-eyed Shags nest close to the landing site.

Days 10-11: Drake Passage
Today we leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. In between bird watching and whale watching, and enjoying some final lectures by our expedition staff, this is a chance to relax and review our adventures before returning to Ushuaia.

Day 12: Ushuaia
You disembark after breakfast and transfer by bus to the Antarctic Unit office located at the entrance of the pier. Passengers departing the same day on the morning flight will continue by bus to the airport.


Notes:

Read this itinerary as a guide only; the exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife you encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition.

Mandatory Travel Insurance: Passengers travelling on this expedition are required to be covered by a travel insurance policy that includes emergency evacuation coverage. As this voyage travels to remote regions of the world, we recommend that the policy’s emergency evacuation benefit be higher than minimum.

Included:
One pre-cruise night hotel night with breakfast (The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travellers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel.); Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping; All meals on board throughout voyage (Please inform us of any dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. Unfortunately, the ships’ galleys cannot prepare kosher meals.); All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program; Formal and informal presentations by Expedition Team and guest speakers; Photographic Journal on DVD; A pair of rubber expedition boots on loan for shore landings. (So you don’t have to pack any.); Hair dryer in every cabin; 24-hour coffee, tea, cocoa, and bottled water; Comprehensive pre-departure materials; Group transfers from the hotel to the ship at the embarkation port, and from the ship to the local airport on disembarkation - plus all baggage handling aboard ship; All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.

Not Included:
All airfare; Passport and visa expenses; Government arrival and departure taxes; Any meals ashore with the exception of breakfast at the host hotel before embarkation; Baggage, cancellation and travel insurance (please note that emergency medical insurance is mandatory); Excess baggage charges; laundry, bar, beverage and other personal charges; Telecommunications charges; Customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for stewards and other service personnel (guidelines will be provided).