Classic Antarctica aboard the Ushuaia 10nights 11days

Expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands

Day 1: Depart from Ushuaia
Embark the USHUAIA in the afternoon and meet your expedition and lecture staff. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.

Day 2 & 3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds. As we sail across the passage, our lecturers will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake. The USHUAIA’s open bridge policy allows you to join our officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales, and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures will be offered as well.

The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the brig Williams. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage our lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore as you experience your first encounter with the penguins and seals on Day 3.

Day 4 to 8: Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is truly amazing. King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island.
The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range.
We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. We plan to make at least two landings per day. Possible landing sites may include: Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins.
Further exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island  and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.

Day 9 & 10: At Sea crossing the Drake Passage, northbound
We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia. 

Day 11: Arrival at Ushuaia
We arrive at Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the USHUAIA after breakfast.

Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands  Port of embarkation and disembarkation: Ushuaia, Argentina
Voyage Code	Duration	Embarkation	Disembarkation
A291011	9 nights/10 days	October 29, 2011	November 07, 2011
A011211	9 nights/10 days	December 01, 2011	December 10, 2011
A101211	10 nights/11 days	December 10, 2011	December 20, 2011
A201211	10 nights/11 days	December 20, 2011	December 30, 2011
A301211	10 nights/11 days	December 30, 2011	January 09, 2012
A090112	10 nights/11 days	January 09, 2012	January 19, 2012
A190112	9 nights/10 days	January 19, 2012	January 28, 2012
A280112	10 nights/11 days	January 28, 2012	February 07, 2012
A070212	9 nights/10 days	February 07, 2012	February 16, 2012
A160212	10 nights/11 days	February 16, 2012	February 26, 2012
A260212	9 nights/10 days	February 26, 2012	March 06, 2012
A060312	10 nights/11 days	March 06, 2012	March 16, 2012
A160312	9 nights/10 days	March 16, 2012	March 25, 2012
A250312	9 nights/10 days	March 25, 2012	April 03, 2012

 

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