Antarctica – Discovery and learning voyage

from US$8,050
CRAFT INFORMATION

Itinerary details

Voyage:
Antarctica – Discovery and learning voyage
Duration:
10 nights / 11 days
Start:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Finish:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Vessel:
M/V Hondius

Season 2021/2022


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperiorJunior SuiteGrand Suite with
private balcony
HDS24-21Dec 24, 2021
Jan 03, 2022
US$8,050US$9,100US$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450
HDS26-22Jan 12, 2022
Jan 22, 2022
US$8,050US$9,100US$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450
HDS28-22Jan 31, 2022
Feb 10, 2022
US$8,050SOLD OUTUS$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450


Season 2022/2023


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperiorJunior SuiteGrand Suite with
private balcony
HDS24-22Dec 13, 2022
Dec 23, 2022
US$7,650US$8,700US$9,450US$9,850US$10,450US$11,300US$12,100US$13,500
HDS27-23Jan 22, 2023
Feb 01, 2023
US$8,400US$9,450US$10,350US$10,800US$11,450US$12,350US$13,100US$14,950


Antarctica – Discovery and learning voyage

This Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands cruise delivers you into a landscape of dark rugged rock, pure white snow, and a fantastic variety of wildlife. Come say hello to whales, seals, and thousands of penguins.

ITINERARY

Day 1: End of the world, start of a journey — Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Day 2 – 3: Path of the polar explorers — Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

Day 4 – 7: Enter the Antarctic — Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands.

Sites you may visit include:

Danco Island – Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.

Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.

Paradise Bay – You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.

Port Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags. There are great opportunities also for kayaking and camping here, and when conditions are right, you can even snowshoe around the shore.

Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland — The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels). In Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.

As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Day 9 – 10: Familiar seas, familiar friends — Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Day 11: There and back again — Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.

PLEASE NOTE: All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. The on-board expedition leader will determine the final itinerary. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.

 

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Please check availability with us, as spaces are limited

CampingUS$195 p/p
KayakingUS$450 p/p
CRAFT INFORMATION

Itinerary details

Voyage:
Antarctica – Discovery and learning voyage
Duration:
10 nights / 11 days
Start:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Finish:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Vessel:
M/V Hondius

Season 2021/2022


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperiorJunior SuiteGrand Suite with
private balcony
HDS24-21Dec 24, 2021
Jan 03, 2022
US$8,050US$9,100US$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450
HDS26-22Jan 12, 2022
Jan 22, 2022
US$8,050US$9,100US$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450
HDS28-22Jan 31, 2022
Feb 10, 2022
US$8,050SOLD OUTUS$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900US$12,600US$14,450


Season 2022/2023


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperiorJunior SuiteGrand Suite with
private balcony
HDS24-22Dec 13, 2022
Dec 23, 2022
US$7,650US$8,700US$9,450US$9,850US$10,450US$11,300US$12,100US$13,500
HDS27-23Jan 22, 2023
Feb 01, 2023
US$8,400US$9,450US$10,350US$10,800US$11,450US$12,350US$13,100US$14,950


FARES INCLUDE

  • Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.
  • All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
  • All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
  • Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
  • Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
  • Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
  • Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
  • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
  • AECO fees and governmental taxes.
  • Comprehensive pre-departure material.

NOT INCLUDED

  • Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights.
  • Pre- and post- land arrangements.
  • Passport and visa expenses.
  • Government arrival and departure taxes.
  • Meals ashore.
  • Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is mandatory).
  • Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
  • The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).

All rates are quoted per person, based on twin occupancy. 5% discount will be granted for bookings for one or more consecutive voyages (except on legs within the Atlantic Odyssey).

SINGLE TRAVELLERS

Single travellers can choose between “single occupancy” at a supplement of 1,7 x the Twin or Superior cabin rate , or “sharing basis” in Twin, Triple or Quadruple category at no additional cost.

CHILDREN DISCOUNT

Upon request (some voyages may be excluded), children under 16 with parents may receive 40 % discount in Superior, Triple (sharing with 2 parents / adults) and Quadruple Cabins (sharing with 3 parents / adults).

INSURANCE

Passengers are required to be adequately covered by a travel insurance policy that covers aero-medical evacuation from Antarctica as a result of a medical emergency during the trips, including emergencies related to pre-existing health conditions.

RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT

A deposit of 20% of the cruise fare is required per person to confirm reservations with final payment due 60 days prior to departure.
Payments can be made by wire transfer or by PayPal. Payments by PayPal are subject to a 4,5% fee.