Antarctica: Glaciers and Penguins

Day 1 - Welcome to Buenos Aires
Check in to the luxury, city-center Sofitel Hotel. Your afternoon tour includes the impressive Plaza de Mayo and colorful La Boca, where the tango was born

Day 2 - Buenos Aires... as you please
Step out from your hotel and create your own magic in the capital. Meals B

Day 3 - To the end of the Continent!
Fly to Ushuaia where you’ll be escorted to the deluxe Los Cauquenes Hotel, set on the Beagle Channel, with fine views of the mountains and sea. Meals B

Day 4 - Into Tierra del Fuego and on to your ship
Explore magnificent Tierra del Fuego National Park on a guided tour before boarding the MV Ushuaia and meet your expedition and naturalist staff. Settle in to your cabin and get acquainted with this intimate Polar vessel as you set sail along the Beagle Channel. Meals B,L,D

[Note: 9 Day Cruise packages include one day less at sea]

Day 5 - Crossing the Drake Passage
Named after the renowned explorer Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold Polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients that sustains the biodiversity of this region. As you sail across this open passage over the next two days, our naturalists are on deck to help you identify the amazing variety of seabirds – including the albatross – that follow in our wake. Meals B, L, D

Day 6 - Continue through the Drake Passage
Your exploration across the Drake Passage continues for a second day. The MV Ushuaia’s open bridge policy allows you to join the officers to learn about navigation and watch for Minke, orca and humpback whales at close range. Sightings of icebergs and snow-capped peaks indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands. A full program of informative and entertaining lectures will be offered during your time at sea. With good sea and weather conditions, you’ll go ashore today for your first landing! Meals B, L, D

Day 7 - Explore the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Important Notes:

1. The daily program outlined here for Days 7 through 11 is a sample itinerary only - to give you a general sense of the highlights that will unfold on this cruise. The exact course of your sea voyage will be determined by the ship’s Captain and Expedition Leader on a day-by-day basis based upon local conditions. Likewise, the waters you explore and the islands you will actually visit depend upon these same weather and sea conditions. Although we can assure you of a once-in-a-lifetime voyage filled with unforgettable sightings, experiences and encounters, your safety is the paramount concern of the captain and the entire ship’s staff.

2. Our 13-day Small Group Journey features the same 3-night land program in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia and an all-inclusive 9-night cruise through the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The sea voyage is similar to the itinerary outlined below but includes one day less in the waters of the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.

The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Over the next five days, as you explore the islands along the Antarctic Peninsula you’ll encounter vast penguin rookeries, numerous seabirds and pristine beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals.

Depending upon sea and ice conditions, we navigate some of the most beautiful waterways of the Southern Hemisphere: the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel and the Lemaire Channel – a narrow passage between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. With good conditions, you’ll make at least two landings per day – one on Paradise Bay and a landing on the Continent proper – with our experienced naturalist staff. Meals B, L, D

Day 8 - Onward through the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Your voyage through these pristine southern waters continues. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is truly amazing. On King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, you’ll be greeted by Adélie and Chinstrap penguins, kelp gulls, blue-eyed cormorants, Antarctic terns and southern giant petrels. Here you’ll also see the scientific bases of many different countries. As we near the Antarctic Peninsula, you will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery – a pristine mountain wilderness of snow, ice and water that is home to an incredible variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are also likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals. Meals B, L, D

[As noted above in Day 7, sea and weather conditions will determine the Ushuaia’s actual course and which islands might be visited today.]

Day 9 - Deep into the Antarctic
After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we visit Paulet Island, home to a bustling Adélie penguin colony of 100,000 pairs. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins. Further exploration will take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour and Pléneau Island. If ice conditions permit, we’ll even go to Petermann Island for a visit to the southern-most colony of Gentoo penguins. Meals B, L, D

[As noted above in Day 7, sea and weather conditions will determine the Ushuaia’s actual course and which islands might be visited today.]

Day 10 - Further explorations in the Antarctic
Your exploration continues with informative briefings from your naturalist guides, visits to the Bridge and shore landings as conditions permit. Meals B, L, D

Day 11 - More discoveries in the Antarctic
Briefings, lectures and shore excursions (as conditions permit) continue as your polar vessel continues to navigate through these vast southern seas. Meals B, L, D

[On our 9-night cruise, the MV Ushuaia leaves Antarctic waters today and heads north through the Drake Passage.]

Day 12 - Cruising northward across the Drake Passage
The MV Ushuaia leaves Antarctica and heads north across the Drake Passage. Over the next two days, you can join our naturalists on deck or head up to the bridge with the officers; either way, be sure to keep your senses tuned for seabirds and whales. You can also enjoy our final lectures, a wonderful summary and recap of all that you’ve encountered and learned on this once-in-lifetime voyage. Meals B,L,D

Day 13 - Cruising toward the Continent
Lectures, briefings and visits to the bridge continue on this second day navigating northward through the Drake Passage. Meals B,L,D

Day 14 - Explore Ushuaia and fly to Buenos Aires
Disembark in Ushuaia for a city tour before your included flight to Buenos Aires, where our program ends at the airport. Meals B

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
11/8/2012 - 11/22/2012	$6,999
11/8/2012 - 11/22/2012	$8,299
11/8/2012 - 11/22/2012	$9,799
11/8/2012 - 11/22/2012	$9,299
11/8/2012 - 11/22/2012	$10,199
12/17/2012 - 12/31/2012	$8,599
12/17/2012 - 12/31/2012	$11,299
12/17/2012 - 12/31/2012	$12,399
12/17/2012 - 12/31/2012	$9,999
12/17/2012 - 12/31/2012	$11,799
12/27/2012 - 1/10/2013	$8,599
12/27/2012 - 1/10/2013	$9,999
12/27/2012 - 1/10/2013	$12,399
12/27/2012 - 1/10/2013	$11,299
12/27/2012 - 1/10/2013	$11,799
1/6/2013 - 1/20/2013	$8,099
1/6/2013 - 1/20/2013	$9,299
1/6/2013 - 1/20/2013	$10,999
1/6/2013 - 1/20/2013	$10,399
1/6/2013 - 1/20/2013	$11,499
1/15/2013 - 1/29/2013	$8,599
1/15/2013 - 1/29/2013	$11,299
1/15/2013 - 1/29/2013	$12,399
1/15/2013 - 1/29/2013	$9,999
1/15/2013 - 1/29/2013	$11,799
3/3/2013 - 3/17/2013	$8,899
3/3/2013 - 3/17/2013	$10,499
3/3/2013 - 3/17/2013	$7,499
3/3/2013 - 3/17/2013	$9,999
3/3/2013 - 3/17/2013	$10,899
3/13/2013 - 3/27/2013	$6,999
3/13/2013 - 3/27/2013	$9,299
3/13/2013 - 3/27/2013	$10,199
3/13/2013 - 3/27/2013	$8,299
3/13/2013 - 3/27/2013	$9,799
3/22/2013 - 4/5/2013	$8,299
3/22/2013 - 4/5/2013	$9,799
3/22/2013 - 4/5/2013	$6,999
3/22/2013 - 4/5/2013	$9,299
3/22/2013 - 4/5/2013	$10,199
Note: Departures appearing above in green are guaranteed to operate by the tour operator.
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

Ratings & Reviews:

This tour has no reviews yet. Have you experienced this tour? Write a review.

Related Travel Articles

• Travel Improves Your Health
• Zodiac Landings and Wildlife in Antarctica
• Places to Visit in Chile
• Extreme Travel Destinations