Antarctica

from US$8,050
CRAFT INFORMATION

Itinerary details

Voyage:
Antarctica
Duration:
10 nights / 11 days
Start:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Finish:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Vessel:
M/V Ortelius

Season 2021/2022


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperior
OTL25-22Jan 3, 2022
Feb 15, 2022
US$8,050SOLD OUTUS$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900


Antarctica

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
DivingUS$550 p/p
CRAFT INFORMATION

Itinerary details

Voyage:
Antarctica
Duration:
10 nights / 11 days
Start:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Finish:
Ushuaia, Argentina
Vessel:
M/V Ortelius

Season 2021/2022


CodeDateQuadruple PortholeTriple PortholeTwin PortholeTwin WindowTwin DeluxeSuperior
OTL25-22Jan 3, 2022
Feb 15, 2022
US$8,050SOLD OUTUS$9,950US$10,400US$11,000US$11,900


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).
  • During voyages OTL23-18, OTL22-19, OTL27-20 and OTL28-20: ship-to-shore helicopter transfers (with no specific amount of helicopter time guaranteed).
  • 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 traveller

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

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).

“Basecamp”

During our “Basecamp” departures all offered activities (including camping, kayaking, snowshoe/hiking, mountaineering, photo workshops as well as our standard included shore excursions and zodiac cruises) are free of charge. Please review our separate “Basecamp” brochure for further details.

Helicopters

Helicopters will be on board during voyages OTL23-18, OTL22-19, OTL27-20 and OTL28-20. Providing the conditions, such as but not limited to ice and weather conditions, are suitable, the captain of the vessel will position the vessel at a safe and (for the helicopters and helicopter pilots) feasible distance from the intended landing site. Ship-to-shore helicopter transfers will enable us to offer the scheduled shore excursions, but every passenger who participates in those mentioned voyages, understands and accepts that no guarantees can be given, including a specific amount of helicopter time. For further information please consult our Helicopter Manual.