This voyage starting in Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, takes you to the most scenically dramatic parts of Antarctica and across the southern Polar Circle. Like any of our voyages, you will be accompanied by guides who are experts in wildlife, polar history and geology. On this voyage you will also be joined by our marine scientist, Charlotte Caffrey, to bring to life all that you see on the surface of the ocean and what you can't see below it. To aid her, there will be a team of divers onboard who each day will bring to the surface photos and film of what lies beneath the sea surface and ice. Leading the team is likely to be our former scientific diving supervisor for the British Antarctic Survey.

Wildlife

The Antarctic Peninsula is the richest feeding ground for wildlife and marine life on the continent. We can expect to see large numbers of penguins which include colonies of adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins. Seals are also incredibly abundant and we can expect to see crab eaters, beautifully spotted Weddell seals and top Antarctic predator, the Leopard Seal. It is strange to observe a seal so large (they grow to more than 3 metres in length) and whose carnivorous intentions has turned to meat. On the one side they are capable of being very charming and playful as our divers may well experience. On the other side, we hope to be able to show you them stalking penguins, appearing from the surface life a rock, but erupting into action to catch a penguin as it enters the water.

Amongst a varied selection of evening lectures, Charlotte will be able to show footage of leopard seals capturing penguins and carefully skinning them before eating all but their feet.

Marine Life

Again, during evening lectures and in the field each day, Charlotte will be able to introduce the marine ecology of Antarctica. Photographs and film brought up by the dive team will help to describe the building blocks of life in Antarctica, including its krill and huge forests of kelp. She will also be able to introduce some of its strangest life forms, such as fish without haemoglobin, starfish with 34 legs, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare species of ray and more. At the surface, she will be on the lookout for orcas and whales.

Leica Akademie Photgraphy  Workshops  

Photographic workshops of the Leica Akademie will be offered onboard our Polar Circle Wildlife and Marine Life special Antarctic departure. This program brings together the most respected name in the World of photography with the most photogenic environment on the planet.  Using their own cameras, participants will learn more about subjects, exposures and photo composition. Wth the advice and assistance of Leica professionals, participants will be able to make the very best of their shots in this incredible landscape - as well as take away with them invalauable skills.  Both beginners and advanced photographers are invited to improve their camera techniques during the onboard workshops and whilst exploring the wildlife and landscapes of Antarctica during guided shore landings.  

Mountains & Icebergs

The Antarctic Peninsula itself is a mountainous extension of the South American Andes, rising in places to 3,000 metres above sea level. The coastline here is unique and stunning, and you will explore the coastline and myriad of offshore islands from the mother ship and by means if rigid inflatable boats, or zodiacs. Icebergs and floating ice are a constantly changing feature. Above the water they can vary between a mile wide floating ice island, to glassy shards or larger pieces which have been sculpted to impersonate animals. But approximately 7/8ths of an iceberg lies beneath the water, so the dive team will bring to the surface images of what it looks like underwater. Whilst wind, waves and the sun shape an iceberg above water, the escape of millennia old ice bubbles shape it under water

Camping  in Antarctica

For those keen to experience what it is like for polar explorers to camp in the Antarctic wilderness, the option does exist on this voyage for those who pre-book. We provide tents and sleeping bags and although you will have the full support of the mother ship not far away, you will still enjoy a unique experience, with an incredible sense of detached remoteness.

Polar Kayaking

For people with some previous kayaking experience, the opportunity also exists to pre-book one of the limited sea kayaking spots. There is no better means of exploring the rocky shores, scattered icebergs and glaciers of the polar wilderness, than by gently moving through the icy waters in a kayak. Such tranquil exploration, in tune with the surrounding nature invites a close approach to bird-laden headlands or a busy penguin colony. With only the noise of your own paddle lapping the water you can glide past sleeping seals on the ice flow and perhaps marvel at tail flukes on the horizon. These are some of the most extreme locations on the planet and kayaking in Antarctica or the Arctic offers a totally unique experience that doubtless is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most.

Kayaking in polar waters is not for novices, but nor do you need to be a professional. A good basic kayak experience is required and physical fitness is important. Basic skills should include normal handling of a kayak in moderate weather and sea conditions. Please click here for further details and if you have any questions at all about the required skills please contact us. 
 
Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Linda Ashmore, Keith Hiscock, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 Göran Ehlme, Franco Banfi and Paul Nicklen

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Dates & Prices 2012 and 2013

Cabin type (all cabins en suite)	Mar  9th- 20th               2012           (12 days)
Quad cabin	£4480 / €5190
Triple with port hole	£4890 / €5690
Twin with port hole	£5320 / €6190
Twin with window	£5590 / €6490
Twin deluxe	£5920 / €6890
Superior	£6570 / €7650
Diving supplement	£275 / €290
Kayaking	£225 / €240
Camping	£65 / €68
Leica Akademie Photography workshops	Free of charge
Vessel Details

Cabin Type (all cabins en suite)	Mar 09 - 20          2013      (12 Days)
Quad cabin	£4480 / €5190
Triple with port hole	£4890 / €5690
Twin with port hole	£5320 / €6190
Twin with window	£5590 / €6490
Twin Deluxe	£5890 / €6890
Superior	£6570 / €7650
Diving Supplement	£320
Kayaking	£245
Camping	£80
Leika Akademie Photogrpahy workshops	£270
Vessel details

A fuel surcharge of £16 / €18 per day will apply unless the price of Brent crude falls below US$80 90 days before the voyage.

Single supplement: Single occupancy price is 1.7 times the per person cabin price. There is no single supplement if you are prepared to share a cabin with another passenger of the same gender.

Included
Voyage as indicated in draft itinerary.
All meals, snacks, coffee and tea.
All shore excursions and zodiac activities.
Diving.
Dive master service.
Diving weights.
Free use of rubber boots.
Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
All miscellaneous services taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Carbon offset for your voyage and flights if booked through us.

Excluded
Airfares.
Pre and post land arrangements.
Transfers to and from the vessel.
Cancellation and personal insurance.
Passports and visas.
Arrival and departure tax.
Meals ashore.
Baggage.
Items of a personal nature (alcohol, laundry etc).
Tips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1 Ushuaia

In the afternoon we will embark in Ushuaia and set sail through the Beagle Channel in the evening.

Day 2

We sail across the Drake Passage. Once we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area we may meet 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.

Day 3

We see our first icebergs close to the South Shetland Islands.

Depending on weather conditions, the captain may decide to sail the narrow English Strait between Robert Island and Greenwich Island. By late evening on the third day, we will then be in sight of Aitcho Island, South of the Shetlands. If the conditions prevent us from maneuvering through the English Strait, we will instead continue sailing South of Livingston. These volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are very much vulnerable to the elements and often shrouded in mist and fog. However, these islands harbour a wonderful variety of flora, including mosses, lichens and flowering grasses. A diverse range of wildlife also inhabit these islands, such as Gentoo Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins and southern Giant Petrels.

Days 4 - 9 Antarctica

Our first day in Antarctica may include a landing at Hannah Point, where we will find a wide variety of wildlife, including Gentoo Penguins, Chinstraps and southern Giant Petrels, as well as Elephant Seals hauling out on the beach.

The next stage of our journey will take us to Deception island, an incredible location where we intend to land. Deception itself is a sub ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we will find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson's Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels can often be seen nesting in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. Keen walkers may wish to hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune's Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.

On our way further South we will sail to Orne Islands, home to large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins. Here we will be treated to beautiful views across the Gerlache Strait and Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island, home to a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. When sailing to Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we will have the opportunity for zodiac cruising and diving between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Leopard seals idly rest on the bergs in this area waiting for the chance to ambush a passing penguin. Here we will also hope have one of the most spectacular wall dives in the Antarctic. The wall drops down to 75m. Thanks to the nearby Shag colony, there is an abundance of marine life. We will have the unique opportunity to step out on to the Antarctic Continent.

We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. We also try to land at Pleneau Island home to Elephant Seals. In this area there are good chances for encounters with Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales.

We head south along the Argentine Islands to Crystal Sound, south of the Polar Circle. The landscape is very impressive with very high mountains and huge glaciers. At the Fish Islands we land at one of the southernmost Adelie Penguin and Blue-eyed Shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula. At Detaille Island, south of the Polar Circle, in Crystal Sound we reach probably our farthest south. Sailing north again through Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait, we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape with icebergs, where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales.

Day 10

Weather reports will guide our departure time from Antarctica.

Day 11

Sailing across the Drake Passage where we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds.

Day 12 Ushuaia

We arrive back into Ushauia in the morning and disembark.