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Antarctica - Polar Circle - Deep South Discovery Voyage (12D)

A deep foray into the late summer polar delights and whale-rich seas of the Antarctic realm beyond the legendary Circle.

Highlights Itinerary Dates Extras

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Length

12 Days

Embark

Ushuaia

Disembark

Ushuaia

Starting at:

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Highlights

Discover Antarctica’s whale-rich late-summer waters, where Humpbacks, Minkes, and Fin whales feast on krill before migrating north.
Venture deep into the Antarctic realm beyond the legendary 66°33′ latitude, anchoring at the peninsula’s most coveted sites.
Take advantage of opportunities to hike the pristine peninsula and dive amid the Melchior Islands' iceberg-laden landscapes

Embark on this remarkable 12-day ‘deep-dive’ exploration of Antarctica to discover the secrets of the Southern Ocean that await along the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula and beyond the legendary Polar Circle itself.

Departing in late summer, your round-trip voyage from Ushuaia will pass through waters well-traveled by Humpback, Minke and Fin whales at this time of year, anchoring in various spots around the region, and offering the chance to hike the pristine penguin-dotted peninsula and dive in this magical realm’s iceberg-laden and krill-rich waters.

Sail the scenic Beagle Channel, surrounded by dramatic mountain landscapes, and navigate the infamous Drake Passage, retracing the path of legendary polar explorers, bound for the Antarctic Peninsula. Enriched by a series of lectures by noted naturalists on board, your days of discovery off-ship offer a plethora of polar pursuits as part of your ship’s Zodiac Cruising & Shore Program.

Led by experienced expedition staff, you’ll explore a variety of sites, such as Livingston Island, where gentoo and chinstrap penguins abound, and Deception Island, with its unique volcanic landscape and historical whaling station, not to mention the mammoth glaciers and alpine peaks of Neko Harbour, and the dramatic beauty of the Lemaire Channel—a.k.a. “Kodak Gap” thanks to its photographic renown.

Your voyage will (ice permitting) culminate in crossing the legendary latitude of 66°33 south, a feat only ever achieved by a select few, leaving you with a treasure trove of polar memories awash with awe-inspiring landscapes and unique wildlife encounters that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Ships

No departures available at this time

Standard Activities

Bird Watching

Hiking

Mountaineering

Navigation Workshops

Photography Workshops

Snowshoeing

Itinerary

Fly

Cruise

Day 1

End of the world, start of a journey

Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Ushuaia

Embarkation Point

Beagle Channel

Days 2-3

Path of the polar explorers

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. 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 are a few of the birds you might see.

Drake Passage

Antarctic Convergence

Days 4-9

Sights of late summer Antarctica

Options for Antarctic Peninsula activities are many, and no less great during the late summer. Humpback whales are prolific in this region, gorging themselves on krill before their migration north. The penguin chicks are also fledging, stirring up activity on the beaches while sleek leopard seals lie in wait, poised to attack the less fortunate ones.

Sites for your Antarctic adventures may include:

Livingston Island – Here you find a wide variety of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Hannah Point, as well as southern giant petrels and elephant seals hauling out onto the beach.

Deception Island – Actually a subducted crater, this island opens into the sea and creates a natural harbor for the ship. An abandoned whaling station, and multiple bird species – cape petrels, kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns – can be seen here. Wilson’s storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.

Cuverville Island – A small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Rongé Island, Cuverville houses a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas.

Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. You might also be able to set foot on the continent here.

Paradise Bay – You could take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where you have a good chance of seeing humpback and minke whales.

Pléneau & Petermann Islands – If the ice allows it, you may sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There’s also a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales as well as leopard seals.

Crystal Sound – Your journey takes you south along the Argentine Islands to this ice-packed body of water, and from here across the Polar Circle in the morning.

Detaille Island – You may make a landing at an abandoned British research station here, taking in the island’s lofty mountains and imposing glaciers.

Fish Islands – Further north you encounter one of the southernmost Adélie penguin and blue-eyed shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Melchior Islands – These islands offer a beautiful landscape rich with icebergs. Leopard seals, crabeater seals, and whales are found here, and there are excellent opportunities for diving.

Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Livingstone Island

Deception Island

Cuverville Island

Neko Harbour

Paradise Bay

Pléneau Island

Petermann Island

Crystal Sound Channel

Detaille Island

Fish Islands

Melchior Islands