Classic Antarctica & South Shetland Islands

After having arrived independently to Ushuaia, the southernmost town in Argentina, you will embark your ship in the afternoon. Settle in to your cabin and meet your expedition team and lecture staff as we set sail through the scenic Beagle Channel on our way to Antarctica.

These 2 days will be filled with excitement as we make our way to Antarctica through the famous Drake Passage. As we sail we recommend spending some time on deck with your expedition leaders who will help you to identify the amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake, along with whales attracted to the nutrient rich seas below us. Your programme of informative and entertaining lectures and presentations will begin, covering everything from navigation and polar exploration to the wildlife and geology of the areas you are about to encounter.

As we cross the Antarctic Convergence we will near the South Shetland Islands and experience the first of many iceberg sightings. The snow-capped mountains of the South Shetlands will greet us as we attempt our first landing on the afternoon of day 3, where you can go ashore with your lectures and naturalists to experience your first encounters with the penguins and seals of the islands.

We are now in the heart of Antarctica, a land where words cannot do justice to its majestic scenery and awe-inspiring majesty. In true expedition style our route here will be flexible and dependent on weather and ice conditions. Your captain and crew will decide each day on the best course to take to gain the very best views and wildlife encounters. We will spend our days exploring by Zodiac and on foot along the Peninsula, the Sound and the South Shetland Islands, racking up unforgettable experiences and memories. The abundance of wildlife we expect to encounter includes various species of penguins, Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales.

Our first port of call will be the South Shetland Islands, a group of ice-tinged islands that are a haven for wildlife with vast penguin rookeries and beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant seals. A visit to King George Island, the largest of the islands, may reward in sightings of colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels, as well as visits to some of the scientific stations that are based here. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island, before navigating through some of the most beautiful waterways in the world as we sail along the remarkable Antarctic Peninsula.

We will have ample time to explore along the Peninsula to discover its pristine landscape of snow, ice and mountains and an enchanting array of wildlife. Sailing through the exceptionally scenic Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, and Lemaire Channel, we hope to make at least two continental landings each day, exploring areas such as the aptly named Paradise Bay, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and, if ice conditions permit, Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.

Other areas we may visit include the Melchior Island group, Cuverville Island, Portal Point and Livingston Island in the South Shetlands where Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals will await you. We also hope to sail through the breathtaking Neptune’s Bellow’s into the flooded caldera of Deception Island.

As we leave the wonders of Antarctica behind it’s time to make our return to Ushuaia as we sail back through the Drake Passage. Take the chance to reflect on the unforgettable experiences you will have had over the past days and join your lecturers and naturalists on deck for some final bird spotting and whale sightings.

Arrival back into the port of Ushuaia signals the end of our thrilling Antarctica cruise and after breakfast it will be time to disembark and bid a fond farewell to your crew and shipmates.