Antarctic Women's Expedition: Spirit of Antarctica

Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be met by a representative 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. Our team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minute items.

Los expedicionarios que lleguen después de las 19.00 horas encontrarán un paquete de bienvenida esperándoles en el mostrador de facturación. Le rogamos que visite nuestro mostrador de hospitalidad mañana entre las 8.00 y las 10.00 horas.

El resto del tiempo será libre. Todas las comidas de hoy corren por su cuenta.

Alojamiento asignado: Por determinar

Esta mañana, disfrute del desayuno y haga el check-out. Asegúrese de que su equipaje de camarote lleva etiquetas claramente etiquetadas con su nombre y número de camarote. Lleve su equipaje de camarote a la recepción del hotel, antes o en el momento de la salida. Su equipaje será almacenado y trasladado directamente al puerto para su despacho, para ser colocado en su camarote antes de su llegada a bordo. Por favor, guarde cualquier objeto de valor u objeto personal con usted durante todo el día.

Quienes deseen unirse hoy a nuestra excursión al Lago Escondido, les rogamos que se reúnan en el vestíbulo del hotel a las 8.45 horas. Esta excursión nos ofrece un inolvidable recorrido panorámico a través de grandes valles de origen glaciar, bosques siempre verdes y caducifolios, cascadas y ríos, en la inmensidad de la Cordillera de los Andes. Saldremos de la ciudad de Ushuaia hacia el noreste de Tierra del Fuego, conduciendo a través de valles de turberas hasta llegar al Paso Garibaldi, sólo accesible por un sinuoso camino que nos llevará a un punto panorámico. Desde aquí tendremos increíbles vistas panorámicas del Lago Escondido y, si las condiciones meteorológicas lo permiten, del Lago Fagnano. Comenzaremos nuestro descenso hacia el noreste para llegar a la orilla del Lago Fagnano donde visitaremos un rancho local. Después de apreciar el paisaje, tendrá la oportunidad de disfrutar del típico asado de cordero fueguino. Disfrute de tiempo libre antes de regresar a Ushuaia para embarcar.

Alternativamente, disfrute de su día libre y reúnase en el vestíbulo de su hotel o en el punto de encuentro en el aparcamiento cercano al muelle (los detalles se los dará nuestro personal de tierra en el hotel), para ser trasladado al muelle para el embarque.

Una vez a bordo, tendrá tiempo para instalarse en su camarote antes de nuestras importantes reuniones informativas obligatorias. A medida que el barco se aleja del puerto, nos reuniremos en la cubierta para comenzar nuestra aventura con espectaculares vistas sobre Ushuaia y Tierra del Fuego.

Esta noche, conozca a sus compañeros expedicionarios y al amable equipo de expedición y tripulación en una cena de bienvenida para celebrar el comienzo de una emocionante aventura a la Antártida.

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.

Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following our vessel. On sea days, you may can enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, wellness centre or the relaxing in one of the observation lounges.

Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the afternoon of day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks watching for our first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime.

Time and weather permitting, we may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.

Es casi imposible describir la sensación de llegar a la Antártida. Avistar el primer iceberg y respirar profundamente el aire más fresco y fresco de la Tierra es una experiencia que te acompañará siempre.

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:

Dr Sylvia Earle – Dr. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998; and was named by Time Magazine as its first ‘Hero of the Planet’. Her conservation initiative Mission Blue is creating a global network of marine protected areas known as Hope Spots, and her new Deep Hope project aims to deliver two deep-dive submersibles to collect crucial scientific data of as-yet-unseen ocean depths.

Dr. Carden Wallace AM - Científica principal emérita del Museo de Queensland desde 2014, la Dra. Wallace es una preeminente científica australiana y la primera conservadora/directora del Museo de Queensland Tropical de 1987 a 2003. Es experta en corales y formó parte del equipo que descubrió el desove masivo del coral en 1984. En reconocimiento a su contribución a la ciencia marina, la Dra. Wallace fue nombrada Miembro de la Orden de Australia en 2021.

Joanna Ruxton – Joanna has the rare distinction of being hailed as ‘the person responsible for the plastic-free movement’ by Sir David Attenborough himself. She spent many years at the BBC Natural History Unit working on the first Blue Planet documentary series. Her award-winning film A Plastic Ocean, released in 2016, shows the devastating impact of plastic waste on ocean ecosystems and has helped to turn the tide against single-use plastics. In 2009, Joanna co-founded Plastic Oceans UK (now known as Ocean Generation), to inspire an inclusive global movement to restore a sustainable relationship between humanity and oceans.

Sharon Kwok – In 2013, Sharon founded the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation to promote marine education and inspire the next generation to protect and preserve ocean biodiversity. Sharon continues her advocacy as a Mission Blue and WildAid board member and Executive Director of the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation.

Bernadette Demientieff – Bernadette is a passionate mother/advocate for the rights of Alaska and the Gwich’in people in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada. As Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, she speaks for the protection of the calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd, known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, against destruction from oil and gas companies.

Dr. Asha de Vos – Internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research in the northern Indian Ocean, Dr. Asha de Vos founded Oceanswell, Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organisation. Her flagship initiative, The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project, has led to many key research publications and informs policy on whale conservation at a local and global level. Asha’s award-winning work has been showcased by the BBC, National Geographic, The New York Times and TED, among many others, and in 2018 she was named one of the 100 most inspirational and influential women in the world by the BBC.

Hanli Prinsloo – Hanli Prinsloo is the founder and executive director of I AM WATER, an ocean conservation foundation based in Cape Town, South Africa. Dedicated to protecting oceans through human experience, I AM WATER helps children in underserved South African communities experience the ocean’s transformative beauty for the first time. A champion freediver, Hanli co-founded I AM WATER Ocean Travel with husband Peter Marshall, offering intimate wildlife encounters with the ocean’s most majestic creatures.

Disfrute de un último desembarco matinal en las Islas Shetland del Sur antes de volver a entrar en el Pasaje de Drake para nuestro viaje de regreso a Sudamérica.

Con conferencias y proyecciones de películas para completar nuestra experiencia antártica, aún queda mucho tiempo para disfrutar de la magia del Océano Antártico y de la vida que lo llama hogar. Hay tiempo para la reflexión y el debate sobre lo que hemos visto y experimentado. Esperamos que se conviertan en embajadores de la Antártida y que cuenten a sus familiares, amigos y colegas su viaje a este lugar mágico, abogando por su conservación y preservación para que algún día puedan visitar la región y experimentar lo que ustedes han tenido la suerte de ver y hacer aquí.

A medida que nos acercamos a la punta de Sudamérica, nuestro capitán puede navegar cerca del legendario Cabo de Hornos, si el tiempo y las condiciones meteorológicas lo permiten.

Por la mañana temprano, navegaremos por el Canal de Beagle antes de atracar en Ushuaia, donde podremos desembarcar alrededor de las 8.00 am. Despediremos al equipo de expedición y a los demás pasajeros mientras continuamos nuestro viaje, esperemos que con una nueva sensación del inmenso poder de la naturaleza.

Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked their accommodations through Aurora or for those staying in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 12.30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 12.30 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.   

Nota: Al finalizar el viaje, no recomendamos reservar vuelos con salida de Ushuaia antes de las 12.00 horas del día de desembarque por si hubiera retrasos.