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Itinerary

Antarctic Small-Ship Expedition II
12 days - Dec-Jan - From US $ 6,250

DISCLAIMER:  All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife.  Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.

Day 1: In the afternoon, you will board in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina--the picturesque southernmost city in the world, located at the Beagle Channel. The adventure will start with the ship sailing through the Beagle Channel.

Day 2-3: Today, the ship will sail across the Drake Passage and the Antarctic Convergence, arriving in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. In this area you may encounter wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels and Antarctic petrels. You might glimpse the first icebergs as the ship nears the South Shetland Islands.

Day 4-9: A typical itinerary in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula could be as follows. This is a sample only; the expedition leader on board will determine the final itinerary.

At Deception Island, the ship will try to land at Baily Head, an island with a colony of thousands of chinstrap penguins. Deception Island is a huge volcano, the crater part of which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbor for the ship. Here, you will find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of cape pigeons, many Dominican gulls, brown skuas, south polar skuas and Antarctic terns. Wilson’s storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.

Next, you may sail to Orne Islands, an area with large colonies of chinstrap penguins and a beautiful view across the Gerlache Strait. Later, the ship will continue on to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. The island contains a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas. From there, the ship will sail through Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deeply cut fjords, allowing you the chance to see large whales. There will be opportunities for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords.

As the ship sails through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island, you will see Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags. The ship will try to land at Pleneau Island, home to elephant seals. In this area there will be a good chance to see humpback whales, minke whales and fin whales.

The ship will sail north through Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait to Charlotte Bay, a place of beautiful landscapes. Again, there will be the possibility for a zodiac cruise among the icebergs where you will possibly see leopard seals, crabeater seals and minke whales.

Half Moon Island is a beautiful volcanic island with chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, blue-eyed shags, sheathbills and brown skuas, and maybe Weddell seals and elephant seals. The Captain may also choose to land at Hannah Point, which contains rich wildlife featuring elephant seals, cape pigeons, southern giant petrels, macaroni penguins and gentoo penguins.

Day 10-11: You will see many seabirds as the ship sails through the Drake Passage.

Day 12: In the morning, the ship will arrive at Ushuaia where you will disembark.