Antarctica: Sylvia Earle or Greg Mortimer

Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be met and transferred with your fellow expeditioners to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, we ask you to make your way to your hotel. Check-in is from 3:00 pm. The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense. Overnight at Las Hayas Ushuaia Resort or Los Acebos Ushuaia Hotel.

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Once you have checked out of your hotel, you have free time before meeting back in the hotel lobby at 1:30 pm to begin a short sightseeing tour of Ushuaia. The capital of Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia is located at the shores of the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Martial Mountains, giving you a unique landscape in Argentina, a combination of mountains, sea, glaciers, and forests. On this brief introductory tour, you will visit “La Mision” neighborhood, the old Government House, and the upper area of the city, which offers beautiful panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. During the excursion you will see the antique houses that belonged to the first families settled in Ushuaia. The excursion ends with a visit to the Old Prison Museum before transferring to the pier for embarkation at approximately 4.00 pm. 

Alternatively, enjoy time at leisure and make your own way to the Prison Museum carpark by 3:45 pm to re-join the group to be transferred to the pier for embarkation. After embarkation, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before an important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, gather on the deck to commence the adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.

As you begin the Drake Passage crossing, make the most of your time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. The expedition team prepares you for your first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start the lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife, and environment. Your wildlife experiences begin as you enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following the vessel. On sea days, you may enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, wellness center, or relaxing in one of the observation lounges.

Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on Day 4, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks, watching for the first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once you are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. Weather permitting, the first landing in Antarctica may be attempted by late afternoon.

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever. Upon arrival, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are yours to explore, and there are a host of choices available to you. Because you are so far south, you will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions, and wildlife opportunities.

Landings or Zodiac excursions are generally made twice a day. You’ll want to dress warmly before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals, and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to shore, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts, and explore some favorite spots along the peninsula. While ashore you'll stretch your legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you’ll have the option to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters, conditions permitting! In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales traveling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendor. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from summit to sea, and take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before re-entering the Drake Passage for the return journey to South America. With lectures and film presentations to complete your Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what you have seen and experienced, and the impact this voyage has had on your attitude to life. As the ship approaches the tip of South America, the Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.

During the early morning, cruise up the Beagle Channel before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where you will be free to disembark around 8:00 am. Bid farewell to your expedition team and fellow passengers as everyone continues on onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. On disembarkation, passengers on flights departing prior to 2:00 pm will be transferred directly to Ushuaia Airport, while those fortunate enough to be continuing their travels in this spectacular region of the world will be transferred to their post-voyage Ushuaia accommodation. Passengers flying after 2:00 pm will have time to explore Ushuaia prior to an afternoon airport transfer, the details of which will be provided onboard prior to disembarkation. Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, please do not book flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12:00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.