Early Bird Specials -
Day 1 Ushuaia
Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be met by a representative of 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. This afternoon, visit the hospitality desk in the hotel lobby, between 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm, to collect your luggage tags, and confirm if you wish to join our Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour tomorrow. Expeditioners arriving after 7.00 pm will find a welcome pack waiting for them at check-in. We ask you to visit our hospitality desk tomorrow between 8.00 am – 10.00 am.
Day 2 Embarkation
This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Those wishing to join our Lake Escondido tour today, please meet in the hotel lobby at 8.45 am. This tour offers us an unforgettable panoramic drive through big valleys of glacial origin, evergreen and deciduous forests, waterfalls and rivers, in the vastness of the Andes Mountain Range.
Alternatively, enjoy your day at leisure and meet at your hotel lobby or from the meeting point at the parking lot near the pier (details will be given by our ground staff at the hotel), to be transferred to the pier for embarkation.
Day 3-4 Drake Passage crossing
As we commence the Drake Passage crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start our lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment.
Days 5-8 Antarctic Peninsula
It is 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.
Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18 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.
We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up 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 land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.
While ashore we aim to stretch our 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 will have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place at any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life!
In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain’s discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent.
On board, you will find a range of areas to socialise or relax. We have a number of lounges, including our Glass Atrium Lounge and Observation Lounge. Our wellness centre houses our sauna (with a large window, so you can still enjoy the passing scenery) and offers treatments (book with reception). Across from our wellness centre you will find our gym with a range of equipment for your use. Perhaps you would like to take a dip in one of our jacuzzis on the back deck or enjoy a quiet moment in the library. As part of our deck theming, we hope to educate our expeditioners on the impressive and important conservation work these female scientists are doing across the globe, leading the way in global conservation initiatives. We honour these women who work tirelessly to make the world a better place through their innovation, education and activism. If you are interested in the women who have inspired us, the hallways of each deck will introduce you to:
Sylvia Earle – Renowned marine biologist, former Chief Scientist of NOAA, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and founder of Mission Blue, a global initiative creating protected marine “Hope Spots.” Named Time magazine’s first “Hero of the Planet.”
Carden Wallace – One of Australia’s foremost coral experts, former Director of the Museum of Tropical Queensland, and co-discoverer of mass coral spawning. Awarded the Order of Australia for her contributions to marine science.
Joanna Ruxton – Former BBC Natural History Unit producer and creator of the acclaimed documentary A Plastic Ocean. Her work has been instrumental in raising global awareness of plastic pollution.
Sharon Kwok – Founder of the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation and a board member of Mission Blue and WildAid, promoting marine education and biodiversity conservation.
Bernadette Demientieff – Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee and a leading voice for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Indigenous rights.
Asha de Vos – Founder of Oceanswell and a pioneer in blue whale research in the Indian Ocean. Her research and conservation efforts have gained international recognition and influenced marine policy.
Hanli Prinsloo – Champion freediver and founder of the I AM WATER Foundation, which connects underserved communities with the ocean and promotes marine conservation through education and experience.
Days 9-10 Drake Passage Crossing
Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before we re-enter the Drake Passage for our return journey to South America.
Day 11 Disembark in Ushuaia
During the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where we will be free to disembark around 8.00 am.
Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 14.30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 14.30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.
