Antarctica Cruise : Antarctic Explorer, 11 days / 10 nights
The Peregrine Mariner is renowned as being among the best expedition-style ships for exploring the polar regions. The ship has comfortable and well appointed expedition-style cabins, and all have an outside view with a window or porthole. You will enjoy a pristine wilderness that has been explored by so few!
Main Deck Triple
Bunk beds and a sofa bed. Facilities are shared and there is a washbasin in the cabin. Writing desk. Portholes .
This journey takes us to one of the world’s most awe inspiring destinations. With visits along the way through the South Shetland Islands we arrive on the mainland, on the Antarctic Peninsula and are dazzled by perhaps the most dramatic scenery to be found anywhere on earth. These areas boast an extraordinary abundance of wildlife, including five seal species and massive penguin rookeries of gentoo, Adelies and chinstraps as well as a profusion of seabirds from albatross to skuas.
Day 1 : Ushuaia
We board our expedition vessel in Ushuaia, on Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America. In the early evening, we set sail charting a course through the Beagle Channel.
Days 2 - 3 : Drake Passage
As we cross the Drake Passage, our team of experts will be out on deck to help us spot whales and identify seabirds. We’ll also have the chance to take part in the onboard presentation series preparing us for our adventures on the “White Continent”. Talks on wildlife, ice and polar history will create enormous anticipation that continues to build as we cross the Antarctic Convergence. Here the cold waters of the Antarctic Ocean meet the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. We’ll notice a sharp drop in temperature at this point. Huge icebergs loom up against the horizon and seabirds, such as the wandering albatross and petrels, are regularly in view.
Days 4 - 8 : South Shetland Islands and Antarctica
We cruise among the volcanic South Shetland Islands and the waterways of the Antarctic Peninsula, travelling ashore as frequently as possible in inflatable zodiac boats. We’ll hope to make shore excursions to Livingston, Half Moon and King George Islands beginning on day 3 or day 4. Admiralty Bay, on King George Island, is a favored feeding ground for humpback whales and, with luck, we may see them dining on krill. At crescent-shaped Half Moon Island, we’ll observe a breeding colony of chinstrap penguins that share their territory with fur seals and blue-eyed shags while at Livingston Island, we’ll discover more flourishing wildlife. Here there are Weddell and elephant seals, skuas, giant petrels, Antarctic terns and rookeries of chinstrap, gentoo and macaroni penguins. Weather permitting; we’ll also hope to enter the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island, a recently active volcano and one of the most perfect crater islands in the world. Steam rises in places along its shores where the cold Antarctic waters mix with the thermal waters of the bay. Here, the very adventuresome may choose to take a dip, if conditions are suitable. Our journey continues onto Paradise Harbour or Hope Bay, both situated on the mainland. Here we’ll see some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. We’ll observe an impressive array of icebergs in many different shapes and sizes, including those that have eroded into natural ice sculptures. If the weather is temperate, we’ll have the chance to set foot on the Antarctic continent, and even to spend a night camping out on shore if you wish. The lights of the southern sky bath the landscape in an eerie luminescence, making this camping experience truly remarkable.
Days 9 - 10 : Drake Passage
We leave the Antarctic Peninsula, heading back across the Antarctic Convergence and the Drake Passage. The crossing is completed with the rounding of Cape Horn. We celebrate the conclusion of our adventure and last evening together on board, at the Captain’s Dinner as we make our way down the Beagle Channel.
Day 11 : Ushuaia
In the early morning, we’ll arrive back in Ushuaia where our cruise ends. You’ll be transferred to your hotel, or to the airport for your onward flight.
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