Classic Antarctic Peninsula - Whale Watching

Your 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 on this brand new polar vessel, 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 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! As we arrive in the pristine wilderness of the “White Continent” we will sail directly to “High Antarctica”, passing the Melchior islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. As with all Antarctica expeditions the weather and ice conditions may dictate which areas we visit, with your captain choosing each day the best course to take, and there are several fantastic localities which offer great opportunities for adventures, photographs and wildlife encounters.

One of the many areas we may visit is the picturesque Danco Island, where we will hope for excellent sightings of Gentoo penguins as well as the Crabeater and Weddell seals that are often found here. If the ice conditions allow, we may then sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to the Pléneau and Petermann Islands where we are likely to find Adélie penguins and Blue-eyed shags. Humpback and minke whales are also frequently found here along with leopard seals.

We may also visit Paradise Bay to take a Zodiac cruise through the icy waters in search of more humpback and minke whales. Along with Paradise Bay, one of the best places for whale watching is likely to be Wilhelmina Bay which is often referred to as whale-helmina bay thanks to its whale watching delights. Here we may also enjoy a Zodiac cruise to the ghostly wreck of the Guvernøren, a whaling vessel that caught fire here in 1915, before making our way to the frozen landscape of the Melchior Islands to search for even more whales, leopard seals, and Crabeater seals among the iceberg-filled waters.

There will be ample time for photographic opportunities as we sail to and Zodiac cruise around some of the Peninsula’s most scenic areas. It is likely that we will also visit Neko Harbour, an epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow that offers up some of the Peninsula’s most impressive scenery.

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 homewards journeys.