Antarctic Peninsula & Circle - Whale Special

Your Antarctica and South Shetland Islands expedition will begin in Ushuaia, Argentina, where after having arrived independently you will embark your ship in the afternoon. As you settle in to your cabin, your ship will sail through the scenic waterway of the Beagle Channel. You may want to spend some time on deck capturing the sight of the city fading into distance behind you and looking out for the seabirds that follow the ship.

During these two days we will sail across the famous Drake Passage, encountering a variety of seabirds along the way. You may want to spend some time on deck in search of bird sightings including wandering, grey-headed, black-browed and the beautiful light-mantled sooty albatross, southern fulmars, Wilson's storm, blue, Cape and Antarctic petrels. There may also be whale sightings, and your programme of entertaining and informative lectures and presentations will begin, along with safety and bio-environmental briefings for your time in Antarctica. As we pass the Antarctic Convergence and sail close to the Shetland Islands we will spot the first of many icebergs.

Welcome to Antarctica, a land of superlatives! Enchanting scenery, unique wildlife encounters and thrilling adventures await as we spend our days exploring by Zodiac and on foot to get up close to the action. At this time of year you can expect numerous humpback whale sightings, as well as a hive of wildlife activity on the beaches with countless penguin chicks and leopard seals.

Your exact itinerary here will be determined by weather and ice conditions with your captain choosing each day which areas to visit for optimum experiences. We will sail directly to “High Antarctica”, passing the Melchior islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. During our days here, we will optimize the experience to get the best of everything.

Sites that may be visited include Cuverville Island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Rongé Island where we will go in search of the large colony of Gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of Brown skuas that are found here. In Neko Harbour, we may have the opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers calving at sea level. Zodiac cruising here offers a spectacular way to enjoy the landscape surrounded by ice encrusted alpine peaks.

In Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs, we may have another opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent. Again, there may be the opportunity for a zodiac cruise in the inner parts of this amazing waterway. In this area we have good chances to see Humpback whales and Minke whales before heading south though the spectacular Lemaire Channel.

On the morning of day 6 you will awake among the many islands south of the Lemaire Channel as we push towards the Antarctic Circle. Ice conditions dependent we will sail through the aptly named Gullet – a narrow but picturesque channel between Adelaide Island and the Antarctic Continent. As we venture southwards we will explore via ship or Zodiac to get as up close as possible to the polar terrain. We may circumnavigate around Pourquoi Pas Island, known for its tight fjords and lofty, glacier-crowded mountains, as well as Horseshoe Island, the location of the former British Base Y.

Following that we may explore Stonington Island, the southernmost landing site of the trip and home to the former US East Base and British Base E, before returning northwards to the scenic Hanusse Bay where we will have excellent chances of spotting more whales.

Crossing the Polar Circle is an amazing achievement and our success will be celebrated with delight as we fulfil the ultimate bucket-list experience.

Sailing back northwards we will near the Antarctic Circle again, cutting north through the countless ice floes of Crystal Sound. Here we are likely to encounter even more whales as well as Adélie penguins congregating among the bergs nearby. We will approach the Fish Islands for a Zodiac cruise and possibly a landing, with spectacular views that are simply beyond comparison. Our final venture Antarctic adventure will take us to the Petermann & Pléneau Islands where a thrilling Zodiac cruise among the icebergs should reward in abundant birdlife sightings including gentoo penguins. There will also be excellent marine mammal observation opportunities with minke and humpbacks often being found here alongside crabeater and leopard seals.

As our exhilarating time in Antarctica comes to end it’s time to head back north through the Drake Passage where again the ship will be followed by a vast array of seabirds. Enjoy the last presentations from your team of noted naturalists and take the time to dissolve all of the unforgettable memories you will have made on your once in a lifetime expediton.

As we sail back through the scenic Beagle Channel and arrive in Ushuaia in the early morning it’s sadly time to say goodbye to your crew and fellow shipmates. After breakfast you will disembark and a group transfer will be provided to the airport for onward or homeward journeys.