Antarctic Express: Fly South, Sail North (PUQ-USH 26.27/27.28)

Enjoy an efficient 9-day air-cruise expedition to the White Continent. Bypass the initial Drake Passage crossing by flying directly from Punta Arenas to King George Island to embark immediately. Explore the icy channels of the Antarctic Peninsula by Zodiac and conclude your adventure sailing the Drake back to Ushuaia.


Fly and Cruise Antarctica
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Duration: 9 days / 8 nights
Starts: Punta Arenas, Chile
Ends: Ushuaia, Argentina
Language: English speaking voyage

The itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather and ice conditions. Your Captain and Expedition Leader will make the necessary adjustments to ensure the best possible experience.
Includes a pre-voyage hotel night in Punta Arenas with a welcome dinner and a mandatory pre-flight briefing.


Included
Optional


Participate in a cleverly designed Antarctic exploration program that combines the speed of aerial transit with traditional expedition cruising. The voyage begins in Punta Arenas, Chile, a vibrant port city on the Strait of Magellan, where you will enjoy a welcome dinner to meet your fellow travelers. The next day, you will bypass the initial two days of open-sea navigation by crossing the Drake Passage on a charter flight of less than four hours, providing an unparalleled aerial perspective before descending onto the South Shetland Islands. Upon landing on King George Island, Zodiacs will transfer you to the ship to begin exploring without delay.

For four full days, the Antarctic Peninsula will become your playground. You will navigate past mountains covered in permanent snow and massive active glaciers, taking Zodiac cruises in search of humpback whales, orcas, and various seal species. Guided shore landings will allow you to walk alongside thousands of gentoo penguins, photograph calving glaciers at Petermann Island, or hike up snowy hills for absolute panoramic views. The expedition concludes with a northbound maritime crossing of the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, a sea transit ideal for spotting majestic wandering albatrosses and attending marine biology and polar history lectures led by onboard scientists.

Highlights:
Aerial Drake Crossing: One-way private charter flight that cuts the initial transit over the Drake Passage to less than four hours.
Included hotel night and operational orientation dinner in Punta Arenas before flying to Antarctica.
Four intensive days of daily excursions and Zodiac cruising through icy channels and glaciated bays.
Close encounters with polar wildlife, including multiple penguin species, seals, and whales in their feeding grounds.
Educational return sailing across the Drake Passage supported by expert onboard scientists.
Integrated logistics starting in Chile (Punta Arenas) and concluding with final disembarkation in Argentina (Ushuaia).

Itinerary

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Day 1: Punta Arenas, Chile
Hotel night and briefing dinner included
Your journey begins in Punta Arenas. This port city is situated at the southern tip of Chile, on the north bank of the Strait of Magellan. Once a Chilean penal colony, Punta Arenas has transformed into a vibrant city offering you plenty of attractions including historic sites and museums. Explore the city by day, and then join us for an evening dinner to meet your fellow Antarctic adventurers.

Day 2: Embarkation Day
Drake Passage charter flight and embarkation
Today you board your chartered flight to Antarctica. The journey over the Drake Passage will take you less than four hours, whereas our ship-based travelers take two days to make the journey by sea. Your first glimpse of Antarctica comes into view shortly before the aircraft descends towards King George Island—hope for clear skies so you can appreciate the vastness of this great continent! You will have free time to photograph parts of the island and stretch your legs before joining the ship. Once aboard, you’ll enjoy your first trip in a Zodiac and begin your exploration of the Antarctic region.

Day 3-6: Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands
In-depth polar exploration
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snowcovered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days. Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island. Weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, but your Expedition Team will ensure that each day leaves a lasting impression.

Day 7-8: Crossing the Drake Passage to Ushuaia
Northbound return sailing and wildlife spotting
A rite of passage for any Antarctic adventurer, crossing the Drake signals the end of your journey. No matter the sea conditions, you will benefit from having developed your sea legs over the course of the previous four days. While the journey home has begun, your wildlife spotting continues. Your Expedition Team will be available on deck and on the ship’s bridge to help you spot the majestic wandering albatross and a number of whale species, such as minke and humpback. When you’re not looking at photos, the Expedition Team will conclude their series of engaging presentations on subjects such as marine biology, polar history and glaciology.

Day 9: Disembark and overnight in Ushuaia, Argentina
End of itinerary
You will arrive in Ushuaia in the morning, after which you can continue your onward journey, or catch your flights home.

Itinerary

Day 1: Punta Arenas, Chile
Hotel night and briefing dinner included
Your journey begins in Punta Arenas. This port city is situated at the southern tip of Chile, on the north bank of the Strait of Magellan. Once a Chilean penal colony, Punta Arenas has transformed into a vibrant city offering you plenty of attractions including historic sites and museums. Explore the city by day, and then join us for an evening dinner to meet your fellow Antarctic adventurers.

Day 2: Embarkation Day
Drake Passage charter flight and embarkation
Today you board your chartered flight to Antarctica. The journey over the Drake Passage will take you less than four hours, whereas our ship-based travelers take two days to make the journey by sea. Your first glimpse of Antarctica comes into view shortly before the aircraft descends towards King George Island—hope for clear skies so you can appreciate the vastness of this great continent! You will have free time to photograph parts of the island and stretch your legs before joining the ship. Once aboard, you’ll enjoy your first trip in a Zodiac and begin your exploration of the Antarctic region.

Day 3-6: Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands
In-depth polar exploration
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snowcovered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days. Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island. Weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, but your Expedition Team will ensure that each day leaves a lasting impression.

Day 7-8: Crossing the Drake Passage to Ushuaia
Northbound return sailing and wildlife spotting
A rite of passage for any Antarctic adventurer, crossing the Drake signals the end of your journey. No matter the sea conditions, you will benefit from having developed your sea legs over the course of the previous four days. While the journey home has begun, your wildlife spotting continues. Your Expedition Team will be available on deck and on the ship’s bridge to help you spot the majestic wandering albatross and a number of whale species, such as minke and humpback. When you’re not looking at photos, the Expedition Team will conclude their series of engaging presentations on subjects such as marine biology, polar history and glaciology.

Day 9: Disembark and overnight in Ushuaia, Argentina
End of itinerary
You will arrive in Ushuaia in the morning, after which you can continue your onward journey, or catch your flights home.


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INCLUSIONS

An official Quark Expeditions parka to keep
Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Team, including shore landings and other activities
All Zodiac transfers and cruising as per the daily program
All shore landings as per the daily program
Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping
All meals, snacks, soft drinks and juices on board throughout your voyage.
Complimentary select beer, wines and select cocktails during bar service hours and dinner
Complimentary coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock
Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled
A photographic journal documenting your expedition
A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for landings and Zodiac cruising excursions
Hair dryer and bathrobes in every cabin
All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
All luggage handling aboard the ship
Complimentary Wi-Fi service on one device permitting basic Internet browsing, email, posting on social media and voice applications. (Premium packages are available for more data-intensive applications.)
A group arrival transfer in Punta Arenas from airport to pre-expedition hotel on Day 1
One night’s pre-expedition hotel accommodation in Punta Arenas with breakfast. (Note: The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel. Triple rooms may not be available.)
A briefing dinner on Day 1 in Punta Arenas
A pre-expedition group transfer in Punta Arenas from the hotel to the airport
Flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island
Group Transfer from ship to hotel.

EXCLUSIONS

International airfare
Passport and applicable visa expenses
Government arrival and departure taxes not mentioned
Meals unless otherwise specified
Baggage, cancellation, interruption and medical travel insurance—strongly recommended
Excess-baggage fees on international and domestic flights
Mandatory waterproof pants for Zodiac landing and cruising excursions, or any other gear not mentioned
Laundry, spa services and other personal charges, unless specified
Phone charges may vary by location
Our basic complimentary Wi-Fi service does not include Premium packages which enable more data-intensive applications
Voluntary gratuity at the end of the voyage for expedition staff and shipboard crew
Additional overnight accommodation
Arrival and departure transfers, except where explicitly stated
Adventure Options not listed in Included Activities.


Dates & Rates


Ship: Ocean Explorer | Date: 03 Feb 2027 - 11 Feb 2027 (3920)
Triple Suite
$17,695
$15,926
Deluxe Veranda Forward
$19,795
$17,816
Veranda Stateroom
$20,795
$18,716
Veranda Suite
$22,095
$19,886
Studio Single
$28,595
$25,736
Penthouse Suite
$30,195
$27,176
Studio Veranda Single
$30,895
$27,806
Owners Suite
$32,295
$29,066
Ship: Ocean Explorer | Date: 14 Jan 2028 - 22 Jan 2028 (5422)
Triple Suite
$1,894,018,295
$15,551
Deluxe Veranda Forward
$20,395
$17,336
Veranda Stateroom
$21,495
$18,271
Veranda Suite
$22,795
$19,376
Studio Single
$29,495
$25,071
Penthouse Suite
$31,095
$26,431
Studio Veranda Single
$31,895
$27,111
Owners Suite
$33,295
$28,301
Ship: Ocean Explorer | Date: 07 Feb 2028 - 15 Feb 2028 (4730)
Triple Suite
$18,295
$15,551
Deluxe Veranda Forward
$20,395
$17,336
Veranda Stateroom
$21,495
$18,271
Veranda Suite
$22,795
$19,376
Studio Single
$29,495
$25,071
Penthouse Suite
$31,095
$26,431
Studio Veranda Single
$31,895
$27,111

* The prices are per person in US Dollars, unless expressly specified in a different currency. In that case, payment will be in US dollars at the exchange rate of the day.
** Rates are correct at the time of publication. All prices will be re-confirmed by email at the time of booking.
NOTE: Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy—and excitement—of expedition travel. When traveling in extremely remote regions, your expedition staff must allow the sea, the ice and the weather to guide route and itinerary details. This itinerary is a tentative outline of what you’ll experience on this voyage; please be aware that no specific itinerary can be guaranteed.

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