Crossing the Antarctic Circle

Your adventure begins in Ushuaia, where after having arrived independently you can join a group transfer to a downtown hotel for your included overnight stay before enjoying some time to explore the southernmost city in the world. Thanks to its unique location at the bottom of the world, Ushuaia has enjoyed a tourism boost in recent years but has managed to retain the easy-going charm that it is famed for. Surrounded by the spectacular landscape of the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, Ushuaia is an enchanting place to explore and we recommend enjoying some of the area’s local wines, sampling some of the local restaurant’s famous barbeques or taking an excursion into the National Park.

Overnight hotel stay with breakfast included.

After a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast you will have time for some more exploration of Ushuaia in the morning before joining your group transfer to the port where your polar expedition ship awaits you. Embarkation will begin in the late afternoon and after meeting your expedition team and settling into your comfortable cabin, you can spend some time exploring your new surroundings and watching from deck as we sail through the scenic and historic Beagle Channel, leaving civilisation far behind as we start our journey to the Antarctic wilderness.

We will spend 2 days at sea sailing through the famously unpredictable Drake Passage. Over the course of these 2 days there may potentially be some rough waters, but your polar expedition ship has been designed to navigate these waters with ease. We hope for a smooth sailing that will allow us to spend some time on deck enjoying searching for the abundant seabirds that are likely to be following the ship. Your expedition team will begin their exciting programme of informative lectures and presentations covering everything from the wildlife and geology of Antarctica to historic polar exploration. There will also be safety and bio-environmental briefings to prepare you for your time in Antarctica.

After having traversed the Antarctic Convergence your adventure now begins in earnest as you reach the spectacle of the white continent and begin your exploration of Antarctica. After all of the anticipation during your Drake Passage crossing your first sight of land in Antarctica will not disappoint, and you will begin to appreciate exactly why these remarkable lands have long captivated the attentions of explorers and intrepid adventurers.

As with all Antarctica expeditions our exact itinerary over the course of the next few days will be flexible and dependent upon weather and ice conditions, with your captain and experienced crew deciding each day on the best course for unrivalled wildlife, scenery and adventure experiences. Each expedition to Antarctica is different and you can be guaranteed of multiple unique, once in a lifetime moments that you will live long in the memory.

Exploring each day by Zodiac boat you will explore multiple bays, channels and landing sites on a constant lookout for wildlife sightings including humpback and minke whales, various southern seal species and, of course, bustling penguin rookeries. One of our favourite places for spotting penguins includes Danco Island where we can enjoy a short hike to visit a large penguin colony which resides high up on a ridge that affords spectacular views of the surrounding pristine landscape.

There will ample opportunities for enjoyable hikes and walks throughout our time in Antarctica and the majesty of the Antarctic Peninsula’s mountains will enchant as you scramble up snowy pathways to vantage points offering you 360° views of your surroundings.

Throughout your time here you can enjoy walks along the beaches alongside the penguins, thrilling Zodiac cruises through the crackling sea ice, navigating through mazes of towering icebergs of all shapes and sizes, experience the awesome sights and sounds of calving glaciers including those in Neko Harbour, and fully immerse yourself in all that this wonderful continent has to offer. For the more adventurous we highly recommend a Polar Plunge in the frigid Antarctic waters and there are exciting camping on ice, kayaking and paddling options available too.

Having sailed southwards along the Peninsula we will venture even further south to attempt a crossing of the Antarctica Circle. Ice conditions will dictate our route, but we are very hopeful of completing this impressive achievement that very few people have been lucky enough to experience. As we cross over this famed line we will raise a glass of fizz in celebration of this unforgettable moment.

Exploring south of the Circle we will witness Antarctica in its rawest form, and we will spend some time here searching for Weddell seals and photographing the most magical and surprising ice formations on the continent. In the land of the Midnight Sun, we will have ample time here to soak up the area’s unique landscapes.

After our exciting time south of the Circle there is still time for even more adventures as we sail back northwards along the western side of the Peninsula to continue our exploration. Enjoying Zodiac excursions twice daily we will be on a constant lookout for even more penguin sightings as well as seals and whales.

After your thrilling Antarctic exploration it’s time to head back towards South America as we sail back across the Drake Passage. These 2 days offer us some further opportunities for attending the informative lectures and talks presented by your team of Antarctica experts and we recommend spending some time on deck looking for your final seabird and whale sightings. This is also a great chance to spend some time collating all of the many pictures you will have taken and sharing tales of your adventures with your fellow passengers.

After having sailed through the Beagle Channel overnight you will arrive back into the port of Ushuaia in the early morning, where you will bid a fond farewell to your expedition team and disembark to join your group transfer to the airport for your homeward flights, or to a downtown location should you wish to spend more time in this charming city at the bottom of the world.