Embark on an expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands. Discover a dramatic landscape surrounded by glaciers and icebergs, with the chance to see penguins, seals and whales at close range.
Duration: 11 days / 10 nights Starts: Ushuaia, Argentina 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.
The ultimate icy challenge! The Polar Plunge is a classic rite of passage for every explorer, it is a heart-pumping experience that earns you a badge of courage and unforgettable memories.
Not only we travel from one point to another and find our shelter on board the ship we chose. We also enjoy from incredible scenery, landscapes and interactions that only our noble vessel can provide.
Everyday the Bridge Team navigates the ship to position ourselves on the best posible spots, looking for unique opportunities.
Many times, this includes sainig through narrow passages, on the vicinity of glaciers or entering bays and fjords only approachable from the ship.
Enjoy this incredible places from the comfort of the common areas on board, open decks or your own private balcony!
Shore excursions are the backbone of almost all itineraries, with most ships making landfall at least once every day once they reach their destination. The weather plays a huge role in your daily itinerary, although given the sheer array of fantastic landing sites all over there are plenty of options your Captain and Expedition Leader can choose from. On-shore excursions allow you to visit scientific research stations, communities, prominent wildlife colonies and take hikes to elevated viewing points for fantastic photography.
On board the Zodiac you will discover a world of possibilities; accessing the most exclusive landing sites, cruising the coast in search of wildlife or simply enjoying a tour in the calm of the polar regions in search of marine wildlife or bird colonies.
The blue ice an its intimate presence is experienced at its best on zodiac tours.
It is not uncommon to meet curious seals, or humpback whales feeding.
Expedition cruising must be one of the most incredible ways of travelling. Not only for the amazing places you visit and the unforgetable wildlife but for the wildlife, the sensory overload and the unimaginable memories.
But all of this needs a context in order to understand where you are and what you are experiencing.
On board your expedition vessell you will find a group of experts, naturalists, zodiac drivers and guides that that will translate the language of nature for you, telling you the stories of the places you are visiting, reviewing the historical, biological, ecological and geological aspects of your trips.
You will experience first hand what surrounds you and arrive back home wiser and loaded with new knowledge.
Hiking options include very easy beach hikes (good for photographers who need time for photography), easier short hikes, medium-difficulty extended hikes, and more challenging long hikes.
This popular alpine activity is easy to learn. No experience is necessary – all you need is a willingness to try. All training is provided and our team of guides will have you trained and ready to go in no more than half an hour.
Participants should be confident in their footing and have an average level of fitness – outings may be up to three hours in duration. Those who enjoy hiking trails or taking long walks at home will possess enough fitness to enjoy this activity. As with any other activity, you will get more enjoyment out of it with some preparation in advance, such as long walks with uphill sections or bike riding.
In Antarctica, the longest hike can be 2-3 hours long, while in the Arctic it can be a full day tour.
Camp ashore in Antarctica!
After dinner, you’ll leave your cruise ship and zip ashore via a Zodiac. An experienced guide will choose the campsite spot and instruct everybody in how to set up their tents and sleeping bags. The next morning everybody will help to break down the camp, making sure that no gear or garbage gets left behind, and clean the camping gear. The location for camps and the number of camp nights offered depends on the operator, weather and location of the ship.
The experience of sea kayaking in the humbling wilderness of Antarctica or the Arctic is guaranteed to stir your soul.
Sea kayaking is one of the highlights for any Polar Traveller, providing ice and weather conditions are assessed as safe by your Expedition Team.
This activity requires previous kayaking experience.
Embark on an expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands, featuring one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. Arriving in Ushuaia, a picturesque community nestled at the foot of the Andes, you can stroll along its charming main street or harbor before boarding. The journey begins along the Beagle Channel toward the famous Drake Passage, where you will cross the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath warmer waters, creating a great upwelling of nutrients that sustains amazing seabirds like albatrosses.
Upon reaching Antarctica, explore a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, and waterways, navigating beautiful passages such as the Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, and Lemaire Channel between towering rocks and spectacular glaciers. Planning at least two landings per day via zodiac, you will visit vast penguin rookeries of Adélies, Chinstraps, and Gentoos, alongside Weddell, crabeater, leopard, and elephant seals, as well as Minke and humpback whales. Landing sites include the flooded caldera of Deception Island, King George and Livingston islands, Paradise Bay, and the historic 1903 Nordenskjöld expedition stone ruins on Paulet Island before heading northbound back to Ushuaia.
Highlights:
Crossing the famous Drake Passage while identifying an amazing variety of albatrosses and seabirds.
Navigating the spectacular pristine wilderness and narrow glacier-filled channels of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Making at least two daily shoreside landings and zodiac excursions to view thriving wildlife up close.
Sailing through the narrow passage into the astounding flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island.
Viewing the historic stone survival hut ruins built by the Nordenskjöld expedition in 1903 on Paulet Island.
Day 1: Depart from Ushuaia
Subtítulo
The embarkation is in the afternoon. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the Beagle Channel towards the Atlantic Ocean and the famous Drake Passage.
Days 2 - 3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Subtítulo
Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage is one of the roughest seas in the world. At some point between the first night and the second day, we will cross the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds. As we sail across the passage, the expedition staff will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake. A full program of lectures will be offered as well. The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the brig Williams.
Days 4 to 9: Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
Subtítulo
The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is truly amazing. King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island. The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, humpback whales at close range, and even maybe orcas. We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. We plan to make at least two landings per day and possible landing sites may include: Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper. If ice conditions allows, after negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins. Further exploration may take you to the Melchior Island group, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.
Days 9 - 10: At Sea crossing the Drake Passage, northbound
Subtítulo
We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day 11: Arrival in Ushuaia
Subtítulo
We arrive at the port of Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark after breakfast.
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart from Ushuaia
Subtítulo
The embarkation is in the afternoon. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the Beagle Channel towards the Atlantic Ocean and the famous Drake Passage.
Days 2 - 3: Crossing the Drake Passage
Subtítulo
Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage is one of the roughest seas in the world. At some point between the first night and the second day, we will cross the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds. As we sail across the passage, the expedition staff will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake. A full program of lectures will be offered as well. The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the brig Williams.
Days 4 to 9: Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
Subtítulo
The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is truly amazing. King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island. The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, humpback whales at close range, and even maybe orcas. We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. We plan to make at least two landings per day and possible landing sites may include: Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper. If ice conditions allows, after negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins. Further exploration may take you to the Melchior Island group, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.
Days 9 - 10: At Sea crossing the Drake Passage, northbound
Subtítulo
We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day 11: Arrival in Ushuaia
Subtítulo
We arrive at the port of Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark after breakfast.
Cruise and accommodation on board according to the itinerary.
All meals during the voyage.
All zodiac and shore excursions, as well as activities during the voyage.
Lecture program by renowned naturalists and experienced members of the expedition staff.
Port taxes and fees while the program is underway.
Pre-departure information material.
Detailed navigation log.
Complimentary expedition parka and boots.
Starlink WI-FI included.
EXCLUSIONS
No airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; no pre- and/or post-cruise services of any kind; transfers to and from the ship; visa or passport expenses; government arrival and departure fees; meals on land; baggage, personal, and cancellation insurance (highly recommended); excess baggage expenses and all expenses of a personal nature, such as bar and telecommunications, as well as tips at the end of the trip (recommendations will be provided).
For 3 travelers, these cabins measure approximately 151 ft² (14.0 m²) and are ideal for small groups or families. They include private bathrooms, ocean views, and essential amenities that balance comfort and practicality.
Features
Private Bathroom
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Standard Twin $8,890
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Standard Twin
For 2 travelers, these 111 ft² (10.3 m²) cabins are cozy and efficient. They include upper/lower twin beds, semi-private bathrooms, and porthole views, along with a personal washbasin, desk, and WiFi for basic comfort.
Features
Shared Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Bunk Bed
Standard Plus Twin $10,290
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Standard Plus Twin
For 2 travelers, these cabins offer around 129 ft² (12.0 m²) of efficient space with either a porthole or window view. Each includes twin beds, private bathroom, desk, and hairdryer, making them perfect for travelers seeking great value.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Premier Twin $11,790
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Premier Twin
For 2 travelers, Premier Twin cabins offer approximately 136 ft² (12.6 m²) of modern comfort. They feature twin beds, a private bathroom, an ocean view, plus added touches like a desk, hairdryer, and complimentary WiFi.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Premier Single $13,990
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Premier Single
For 1 traveler, these private cabins are approximately 114 ft² (10.6 m²) with a porthole view (partially obstructed by a lifeboat). Each includes a single bed, private bathroom, desk, and WiFi for a comfortable, self-contained stay.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Superior Twin $12,890
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Superior Twin
For 2–3 travelers, these comfortable cabins span around 125 ft² (11.6 m²) and are ideal for couples or friends. They feature twin beds, a private bathroom, an ocean-view window, and practical amenities like a desk, chair, and hairdryer.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Suite $13,790
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Suite
For 3–4 travelers, our spacious and elegantly appointed Suites offer approximately 243 ft² (22.6 m²) of comfort with large windows for natural light and ocean views. Each includes a private bathroom, lounge area, desk, Nespresso machine, and modern touches like a hairdryer and, in some cases, a sofa bed.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Double Bed
For 3 travelers, these cabins measure approximately 151 ft² (14.0 m²) and are ideal for small groups or families. They include private bathrooms, ocean views, and essential amenities that balance comfort and practicality.
Features
Private Bathroom
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Standard Twin $10,690
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Standard Twin
For 2 travelers, these 111 ft² (10.3 m²) cabins are cozy and efficient. They include upper/lower twin beds, semi-private bathrooms, and porthole views, along with a personal washbasin, desk, and WiFi for basic comfort.
Features
Shared Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Bunk Bed
Standard Plus Twin $12,190
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Standard Plus Twin
For 2 travelers, these cabins offer around 129 ft² (12.0 m²) of efficient space with either a porthole or window view. Each includes twin beds, private bathroom, desk, and hairdryer, making them perfect for travelers seeking great value.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Premier Twin $13,590
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Premier Twin
For 2 travelers, Premier Twin cabins offer approximately 136 ft² (12.6 m²) of modern comfort. They feature twin beds, a private bathroom, an ocean view, plus added touches like a desk, hairdryer, and complimentary WiFi.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Premier Single $15,790
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Premier Single
For 1 traveler, these private cabins are approximately 114 ft² (10.6 m²) with a porthole view (partially obstructed by a lifeboat). Each includes a single bed, private bathroom, desk, and WiFi for a comfortable, self-contained stay.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Superior Twin $14,790
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Superior Twin
For 2–3 travelers, these comfortable cabins span around 125 ft² (11.6 m²) and are ideal for couples or friends. They feature twin beds, a private bathroom, an ocean-view window, and practical amenities like a desk, chair, and hairdryer.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Single Bed
Suite $15,590
Ship: Ushuaia | Cabin: Suite
For 3–4 travelers, our spacious and elegantly appointed Suites offer approximately 243 ft² (22.6 m²) of comfort with large windows for natural light and ocean views. Each includes a private bathroom, lounge area, desk, Nespresso machine, and modern touches like a hairdryer and, in some cases, a sofa bed.
Features
Private Bathroom
Desk
Ocean View
WiFi (Suplemented)
Double Bed
* 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.