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Trip Details

Antarctica Cruise - The Peninsula (Adventure Options) - South Shetlands, Antarctic Peninsula, Penguin Rookeries, Lemaire Channel, Spectacular Glaciers, optional kayaking, and camping
12 Days | Departures 11/22/08, 12/20/08, 12/30/08, 2/6/09, 2/16/09, 2/26/09  |  From $4 800

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

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Trip Highlights: This voyage feels more like a private expedition than a cruise. Very casual and active. Sea kayaking and camping options on select dates.

Rates: $4,800 - $10,600
Triple from: $4,800, Twin from: $5,700

Single Rate: 1.7 times double occupancy rate (standard twin cabins)
Sea-Kayaking: $695 per person dry suit included

Ship: Shokalskiy - Research Vessel
Passengers: 48

Introduction

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, a small city surrounded by rugged peaks and glaciers, and transfer independently to your conveniently located hotel. Join your fellow travellers the next morning for a guided tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park, with its diverse mammals and birds, then lunch on local specialties at an Argentine asado barbecue. Later in the afternoon, the Expedition Team gets you settled aboard your ice-strengthened ship as you sail into the Beagle Channel to start your Antarctic expedition.

Days 3-5: Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
Your journey across the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake, is an experience in itself. Your ship is accompanied most of the way by albatrosses - including the magnificent Wandering Albatross - along with an impressive variety of other seabirds. You have a good chance of spotting whales and dolphins and many different species have been encountered in these rich waters over the years. You also cross the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar waters sink beneath the warmer waters of the more temperate zones.

When land is sighted for the first time in two days (usually late afternoon on Day 4) you know you have reached the South Shetland Islands. This impressive group of islands, lying to the north and roughly parallel to the Antarctic Peninsula, is a haven for wildlife. You visit vast penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and observe wallowing southern elephant seals. You also hope to visit one of the many research bases in the archipelago and look for Antarctica's only two flowering plants which thrive here during the short southern summer. A highlight of our visit to the South Shetlands will be sailing through a narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island.

Days 6-9: Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the most easily accessible part of the ‘White Continent,’ but it also has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery and a rich variety of wildlife. This voyage offers ample time to experience the special magic of this wilderness region. Among the places you may visit are aptly named Paradise Harbor, where glaciers fill the calm waters with a vista of icebergs sculpted by wind and weather. Here, you may set foot on the ‘White Continent’ itself. At Port Lockroy, you will find thriving colonies of penguins and shags and a former British scientific station that has recently been renovated and serves as a fascinating museum. Cuverville Island and Rongé Island, with their dramatic location, are home to a large colony of nearly 5,000 pairs of gentoo penguins. Many visitors find the Antarctic scenery as rewarding as the wildlife, and you will be enchanted by such beautiful waterways as the Neumayer and Lemaire channels. Located south of the spectacular Lemaire Channel and separated from the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula by Penola Strait is Petermann Island, on which we plan to land. 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. Now is the chance to relax and review the adventures of the past week as well as enjoy some final lectures from the expedition staff as you return to Ushuaia.

Day 12: Ushuaia
After breakfast, you disembark and transfer by complimentary bus to the exit of the port, which is centrally located in town. Continue independently to the airport for your flight* home. *Airfare is not included in the program. Please note: Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition.


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; Expedition parka to keep; 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).