Epic Antarctica: Semi-Circumnavigation (31 Days starting from $29,900)

Epic Antarctica: Semi-Circumnavigation

A 31-Day tour starting from $29,900

Length:	31 Days
Type:	Expedition
Category:	Antarctica
Operator:	Quark
Tour Code:	QA-EA01

Printer Friendly Version / Send this page to a friend

About This Tour

This 31-day adventure sails from the Antarctic Peninsula to Lyttelton, New Zealand via the Phantom Coast. Landings are planned in the Peninsula, Peter I Island, and Ross Island. The icebreaker will sail the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas. En route, we plan to visit Emperor Penguin and Adelie Penguin rookeries, as well as some of the historic huts of the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration. The Honourable Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of Sir Ernest Shackleton, will be the special guest aboard this expedition.

What's Included
Itinerary
Dates & Prices
Sightseeing
Details

Inclusions for departures between October 2009 and February 2010:

1 night accommodation with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. (The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel.)

Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your 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.

Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities.

Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled.

Photographic Album on DVD.

A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore landings

Hair dryer in every cabin.

A Quark Expeditions parka

Coffee, tea, cocoa and bottled water available around the clock.

Comprehensive pre-departure materials, including a map and an informative Antarctic Reader.

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.

Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all passengers to a maximum of $100,000 per person.

All helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing according to each day’s program.

Day 1: Santiago, Chile
During this 31-day voyage we plan to visit the Phantom Coast, the only passenger expedition to explore that seldom-visited Antarctic coastline in 2009-2010. For two centuries, the ice-locked coastline defied the efforts of explorers to chart it. Exploring the Phantom Coast is still a challege for all but the toughest vessels. Overnight in Santiago.

Day 2: Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
After a flight from Santiago, you will board the icebreaker.

Day 3-8 South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Seabirds accompany the ship across the Drake Passage to the first landfall in Antarctica. We plan to visit penguin rookeries and to cruise among ice floes where seals lounge in the Antarctic summer sun.
Pushing southward, we cross the Antarctic Circle, to enter a world of continuous daylight. We’ll explore bays ringed by glaciers, where penguins and seals co-exist in relative harmony. From Marguerite Bay, we’ll enter the Bellingshausen Sea.

Day 9-16 The Phantom Coast and Amundsen Sea
As we follow the Phantom Coast, we expect to visit Peter 1 Island. In 2006, the last time we landed successfully, our historian noted that only 800 people in all human history have been known to visit the island. Look forward to several adventurous days of breaking through the Amundsen Sea pack ice. We’ll deploy our helicopters so you can witness the power of the icebreaker from the air.

Day 17-24 The Ross Sea
Be on the alert for Emperor Penguins. The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of the largest species of penguins. Ross Island is home to the U.S. research base McMurdo Station and to Scott Base, New Zealand’s research station. Nearby is Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Hut (1901-04). Our planned visit is carefully controlled to ensure that the impact of our exploration is negligible.
At Cape Royd, we’ll visit other huts associated with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. You’ll tour the huts after an onboard presentation by our historian.

Day 25-30 Southern Ocean, Campbell and Enderby Islands
Heading north, we pause to visit Campbell Island, a nature preserve where Royal Albatross nest. You’ll follow boardwalks through lush greenery to observation points, from which you may photograph wildlife. Yellow-eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and New Zealand sea lions share Enderby Island with Red-crowned Parakeets.

Day 31 Lyttelton, New Zealand
Upon disembarking in Lyttelton, New Zealand, we will transfer the group by motor coach from the dock to Christchurch airport.

To speak to one of our live, experienced travel consultants, Call us now at 1-800-942-3301. 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

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
12/4/2009 - 1/3/2010	$29,900

Prices are based on Main Standard Twin Accomodations Prices are per person, based on Double Occupancy, US Dollars. Other Cabin types are available For Triple Occupancy - in the lowest cabin - prices from $19,900 pp Suite Cabin from $34,500 pp double occ. Corner Suite from $36,900 pp Fuel surcharges in the amount of $22 per person per night aboard the ship will be added to the reservation. If I book this expedition, what additional major expenses will I incur? 1. All Quark Expeditions passengers are required to obtain and verify travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation. Please note that in many instances medical evacuation insurance can be obtained separately from trip cancellation coverage. 2. Transportation to and from the embarkation point is not included in the cost of the expedition. 3. Wearing the right clothes is essential. Mean coastal temperatures are seldom far below freezing. However sunny conditions can swiftly shift to storms with very cold winds and snow flurries. A parka, gloves, hat and scarf are essential. Once you have booked, we will provide you with a complete list of what to pack. What is the average age and nationalities of travelers on this expedition? Expedition Ship travelers range in age from 20 to 80 with the majority between 30 and 75. Our expedition members are independent-minded travelers from around the world with a strong interest in exploring remote regions. Must I understand English to participate? Our voyages appeal to an international audience. About 40% of the travelers who join our voyages come from countries where English is not the first language. English is the language used for all documents, communications, shipboard announcements and education program presentations. While most of our travelers have a working knowledge of English, their level of proficiency with the language varies greatly. If you have questions on how your knowledge of English may impact your experience, please contact our office and one of our Sales Representatives will be happy to discuss this with you. Do I have to be fit to join one of these expeditions? In general you do not, as this expedition is by ship with shore excursions that are not physically demanding. However travelers on Lyubov Orlova must be able to make their way down a steep, narrow gangway on the side of the ship to the Zodiac for shore excursions. Travelers on Ocean Nova, please note that although the gangway to the Zodiacs is less steep, you still must negotiate stairs throughout the ship. None of our ships is equipped with handicap facilities. May my children accompany me on the expedition? On this expedition we welcome children that are at least 12 years of age. All children must be accompanied by at least one adult willing to supervise them at all times. Note that the shipboard education programs are designed for adults.

Kapitan Khlebnikov
A polar-class icebreaker, combining power and technology with creature comforts. Originally designed for the rigors of northern Siberia, Kapitan Khlebnikov is one of a few vessels of its kind in the world.

Guest Lecturer
The Hon. Alexandra Shackleton is marking the centenary of her grandfather’s polar expeditions by participating in the Epic Antarctica: Semi-Circumnavigation as guest lecturer. She will be accompanied by a film team, filming My Grandfather’s Hut, a two-part television documentary that pays tribute to her grandfather’s heroic achievements. Alexandra is retracing his steps to where it all began 100 years ago…in a simple hut on Ross Island, in the Ross Sea Sector of Antarctica.

Alexandra never knew her grandfather, Sir Ernest Shackleton. But his spirit is all around her and lingers at the humble hut on Cape Royds, where he lived, plotted and triumphed.

Alexandra’s father was Ernest’s youngest child The Rt. Hon. Lord Shackleton. Alexandra grew up with the stories of her famous grandfather’s expeditions to Antarctica and famous photographs adorned the walls of her home in London, England. She is a history graduate, who has been invited to speak all over the world.

Alexandra is very familiar with the stories of her grandfather’s expeditions and can provide a unique view on one of the world’s greatest explorers and leader of men.

Prices are based on Main Standard Twin Accomodations
Prices are per person, based on Double Occupancy, US Dollars.

Other Cabin types are available
For Triple Occupancy - in the lowest cabin - prices from $19,900 pp
Suite Cabin from $34,500 pp double occ.
Corner Suite from $36,900 pp
Fuel surcharges in the amount of $22 per person per night aboard the ship will be added to the reservation.

If I book this expedition, what additional major expenses will I incur?
1. All Quark Expeditions passengers are required to obtain and verify travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation. Please note that in many instances medical evacuation insurance can be obtained separately from trip cancellation coverage.
2. Transportation to and from the embarkation point is not included in the cost of the expedition.
3. Wearing the right clothes is essential. Mean coastal temperatures are seldom far below freezing. However sunny conditions can swiftly shift to storms with very cold winds and snow flurries. A parka, gloves, hat and scarf are essential. Once you have booked, we will provide you with a complete list of what to pack.

What is the average age and nationalities of travelers on this expedition?
Expedition Ship travelers range in age from 20 to 80 with the majority between 30 and 75. Our expedition members are independent-minded travelers from around the world with a strong interest in exploring remote regions.

Must I understand English to participate? Our voyages appeal to an international audience. About 40% of the travelers who join our voyages come from countries where English is not the first language. English is the language used for all documents, communications, shipboard announcements and education program presentations. While most of our travelers have a working knowledge of English, their level of proficiency with the language varies greatly. If you have questions on how your knowledge of English may impact your experience, please contact our office and one of our Sales Representatives will be happy to discuss this with you.

Do I have to be fit to join one of these expeditions? In general you do not, as this expedition is by ship with shore excursions that are not physically demanding. However travelers on Lyubov Orlova must be able to make their way down a steep, narrow gangway on the side of the ship to the Zodiac for shore excursions. Travelers on Ocean Nova, please note that although the gangway to the Zodiacs is less steep, you still must negotiate stairs throughout the ship. None of our ships is equipped with handicap facilities.

May my children accompany me on the expedition? On this expedition we welcome children that are at least 12 years of age. All children must be accompanied by at least one adult willing to supervise them at all times. Note that the shipboard education programs are designed for adults.

Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing.