Antarctica Adventure Cruise

Small Ship Cruise, Zodiac Excursions, Hiking and Wildlife Viewing Adventure to the Last Frontier

Experience the last utterly untamed place on earth as we cruise to the "White Continent". Explore giant penguin and seabird colonies, the greatest concentration of sea mammals in the world, and a vast, stark landscape of monstrous icebergs, snow covered mountains and endless glaciers.

The following describes the Antarctic Peninsula departures. Weddell Sea and Polar Circle itineraries vary slightly and are one day longer--see the detailed itineraries below.

Days 1-3 Tierra Del Fuego - Beagle Channel - Drake Passage. Embark from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, cruise through the Beagle Channel and then across the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctica Peninsula. During our journey we cross the Antarctic Convergence and start meeting the birds of the Antarctic--albatrosses, pigeons, fulmars and petrels--and encounter our first awesome icebergs.

Days 4-8 South Shetlands. We sail directly to "High Antarctica", passing the Melchior Islands and cruising through the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Islands. On rocky Cuverville Island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island, we visit a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas. On Danco Island we see chinstrap penguins and maybe Weddell and crabeater seals. In Neko Harbour we set foot on the Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of gigantic glaciers. In Paradise Bay with its magnificent icebergs and deep cut fjords, we cruise in our zodiacs in search of humpback and minke whales. After passing through Neumayer Channel, we visit the British research station and post office of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. We may also land at Jougla Point with its colonies of gentoo penguins and imperial shags. We then sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Pleneau and Petermann Islands where we often see adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags. This is also a prime spot for humpback, minke and finback whales. Sailing back north through Neumayer Channel we arrive again at the Melchior Islands and cruise in our zodiac among the icebergs on lookout for leopard seals, crabeater seals and whales.

Days 9-11 Drake Passage - Ushuaia. The final three days are spent re-crossing the Drake Passage for our return to Ushuaia on the final morning.