Antarctic Peninsula Marine Mammals

With a population of over 63,000 people, Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. The city has grown over the past few years, yet it has retained an easy going, accessible feel, with dramatic mountain surroundings it is a spectacular departure point for your Antarctic cruise. You can spend some time in the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, enjoy some Argentinean wines and barbeques in the city or visit the many boutique shops and cafes while preparing for your upcoming adventure. In the early evening, we set sail and begin our voyage leaving behind Ushuaia and charting a course through the Beagle Channel.

Crossing the Drake Passage,  we eagerly soak up the atmosphere onboard as our numerous Polar experts prepare us for our adventures with presentations on everything Antarctic, from wildlife to history. Eventually, we will cross the Antarctic Convergence where we will notice a distinct drop in temperature as we enter the waters of the Antarctic Ocean. Along the way, we will witness many spectacular sights from icebergs to an array of seabirds and even several whale species some of which are known on occasion to fully breach from the sea.

Now that we have arrived in Antarctica, we plan our route primarily based on typical marine mammal migrations and activity for this time of year. With our knowledge of marine mammal feeding grounds we can pick and choose the areas to explore. We will modify our itinerary based on sightings and encounters with the whales.We will hope to make as much time as possible to explore by inflatable Zodiac boats and marvel up close at nature's glory. Planned excursions might include Neko Harbour, Wilhelmina Bay and even the southerly Petermann Island, where we will observe Weddell, crabeater and elephant seals, skuas and other seabirds as well as an abundance of penguins including some very large colonies of the comical Adelie penguin. At Half Moon Island we will observe a breeding colony of chinstrap penguins that share their territory with fur seals and blue-eyed shags. We also hope to see the gentle humpback whale dining on krill in its feeding grounds and possibly have an opportunity to observe orcas and Minke whales as we go.

As we leave this magical place and make our way north, heading again across the Antarctic Convergence and the Drake Passage before rounding Cape Horn, we have no doubt that time will be spent sharing and reflecting on the wonderful experiences of the last few days. Sailing down the Beagle Channel, we celebrate the conclusion of our Polar expedition at a special dinner.

In the early morning, we will arrive back in Ushuaia.Guests will be transported to their hotels or to the airport for return flights home.