Antarctica & Polar Circle - 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, the indescribable wonderland at the bottom of the world! As with all Antarctica expeditions, the weather and ice conditions may dictate which areas we visit during our time here, with your captain choosing each day the best course to take for optimal experiences. There are several fantastic localities which offer great opportunities for adventures, photographs and wildlife encounters, and this particular voyage will pay special attention to the areas most commonly frequented by whales including Minkes and Humpbacks.

Our first taste of Antarctica is likely to be Livingston Island in the South Shetland’s group where we hope to make land at Hannah Point for our first introduction to Antarctica’s bustling penguin population. We are likely to see gentoos and chinstraps here along with southern giant petrels in the skies above and huge elephant seals hauled out on the beach. Staying in the South Shetlands area we then plan to sail through the spectacular Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera of Deception Island where we will make land again. There is a lovely variety of flora here with mosses, lichens and flowering grasses creating an impressive contrast to the ice-filled waterways, and there are great possibilities for hikes across this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape. Birding opportunities are fantastic here with a birding list boasting Wilson’s storm petrels, black-bellied storm petrels, brown and south polar skuas, Antarctic terns, kelp gulls and cape petrels amongst many others. We will also hope to be able to visit the ruins of an old abandoned whaling station while we are here.

Moving towards the Peninsula itself our next stop is likely to be Cuverville Island which is nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Rongé Island and is home to a large colony of Gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of Brown skuas. We may also visit Paradise Bay to take a Zodiac cruise through the icy waters in search of 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.

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. Further south we hope to enter the ice-packed Crystal Sound to attempt a memorable crossing of the Antarctic Circle. 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. We may also make a landing at an abandoned British research station on Detaille Island before turning back northwards into the area around the Lemaire Channel.

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 well as the frozen landscape of the Melchior Islands where we will also search for even more whales, leopard seals, and Crabeater seals among the beautiful iceberg-filled waters.

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.