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Antarctica Cruise Itineraries

Select from the list below for details about that itinerary and scheduled departures for that itinerary.

Classic Antarctica

2009-10 Departure Schedule
Duration: 10-12 days
Coverage: South Shetlands + Peninsula
Highlights:
- Albatross
  
  Your cruise to Antarctica will experience the wildlife and scenic highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. Each voyage is different, some offer adventure options such as kayaking, mountaineering, camping and skiing. These options sell quickly, so please reserve as early as possible. The Captain and Expedition Leader continually assess daily weather conditions and wildlife opportunities, taking advantage of the extended daylight to maximize time ashore. You will become one of the fortunate few to have set foot on the continent of Antarctica.
- This well-established expedition cruise offers you the ideal introduction to Antarctica. Departing and finishing in the port of Ushuaia in Argentina, the itinerary visits prime sites along the Antarctic Peninsula and the neighbouring South Shetland Islands. This program will emphasize wildlife viewing, possible visits to scientific bases, and the breathtaking scenery with narrow waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains.
- Travel with expert naturalists and guides and visit a working scientific station and other historic sites on the Antarctic peninsula, including abandoned whaling stations. Throughout your journey, board Zodiacs to go ashore for up-close views of wildlife and to explore this remote, spectacular continent.

Antarctic Explorer

2009-10 Departure Schedule
Duration: 16 to 24 days
Coverage: Falklands + South Georgia + Peninsula + South Shetlands
Highlights:
- Scuba Diving among Icebergs
  
  A relaxed sail through the Southern Ocean from the tussock covered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) to the Antarctic Peninsula via the wildlife paradise of South Georgia. Landings and Zodiac cruising enable close-encounters with penguins, whales and seals when conditions permit. All activities are delivered in an environmentally responsible manner.
- Seize the rare opportunity to stand among thousands of penguin in the Falklands and explore the wildlife-rich, glacier-carved coves and rugged shoreline of South Georgia Island. Cruise to the White Continent and follow polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's route across South Georgia Island. Journey out on Zodiac expeditions for close encounters with wildlife at the southern tip of the world.
- This epic journey includes Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. View abundant Antarctic wildlife, visit scientific bases and enjoy breathtaking scenery of icy waterways, glaciers, icebergs, and rugged mountains. For the adventurous, some departures offer sea kayaking and camping options

Antarctic’s Weddell Sea

2009-10 Departure Schedule
Duration: 11 to 13 days
Coverage: Peninsula + S. Shetlands + Weddell Sea
Earlier in the season trips focus on Snow Hill Island’s Emperor Penguin rookery.
Highlights:
- Viewing Penguins on the Falkland Islands
  
  A Quark cruise confirmed the existence of 4,000 pairs of Emperor Penguins at a previously unknown site near Snow Hill Island - and we're still the only company visiting this remote rookery. Our "safari" is an ideal opportunity for photographers and nature lovers to observe Emperors early in the breeding season and to take the time you need to appreciate these extraordinary creatures. Beginning and ending in Ushuaia, Argentina, you will experience the wildlife and scenic highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. Each voyage incorporates as much wildlife viewing as possible, and plenty of time to enjoy breathtaking waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains. You will become one of the fortunate few to have set foot on the continent of Antarctica.
- This expedition spends three days at an Emperor Penguin rookery, where we'll have the opportunity to watch the adult birds tending to their chicks. We'll sail on to the Antarctic Peninsula - a vast expanse of whites and blues - where we hope to visit Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguin rookeries while the birds are selecting nesting sites and choosing partners.
- An Emperor Penguin rookery is situated south of Snow Hill Island. Although we will not be able to reach that far through the ice, we will try to sail between Snow Hill Island and James Ross Island close to the ice-edge and observe the young Emperor Penguins on their way to the open water. If the weather and /or ice-conditions are adverse, we will try again the next day. If on the other hand the weather is great, but we can not find any Emperor Penguins, our program would still unfold on Snow Hill Island with a visit to the historic hut of the Swedish Nordenskjöld Expedition and a visit to Seymour Island in order to see fossils.

Crossing the Antarctic Circle

2009-10 Departure Schedule
Duration: 12 to 14 days
Coverage: Peninsula + S. Shetlands + Polar Circle
Highlights:
- Icebergs
  
  This expedition is for people who enjoy active adventures and hanker to travel south of the Antarctic Circle. It offers an average of three activites off the ship per day while in the Antarctic Peninsula. There is a shipboard education program. Optional adventures - camping and kayaking - are available on selected departures.
- Extend our classic Antarctica Peninsula journey on a quest for the Antarctic Circle. Few people in the world can claim to have crossed this latitude, voyage through spectacular channels and bays of icebergs, seals, penguins and more. Be one of the few to set foot on the continent of Antarctica and beyond to the Polar Circle!

Unique Antarctic Itineraries

Unique Antarctic Itineraries

2009-10 Departure Schedule
Highlights:
- These itineraries have a particular focus and include additional days on selected sites for in depth exploration. I’ll give more info later….

Choosing an Antarctica Travel Itinerary

A classic Antarctic Icescape

Off the beaten track is a relative term. Though tourists are allowed to visit some 200 sites in Antarctica, most choose to stop at the top thirty-five. Even these sites receive only hundreds of visitors each year, not thousands, attracting seasoned travelers with environmental and wildlife interests, who aren’t deterred by a little cold weather and some polar blasts. Antarctica is one of the least visited tourist destinations on the planet.

Emperor Penguins coming ashore

The shortest route to Antarctica is from Argentina’s most southerly city, Ushuaia, a 386-mile cruise across Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula that juts out from the mainland. The peninsula is the primary destination of Antarctica tours due to its proximity, and because, here, the coast tends to be free of ice during the five month November to March Antarctic tourist season.

Many Antarctica travel itineraries embarking from Ushuaia also visit islands in the vicinity that lie within or just beyond the Antarctic Convergence, including South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands and the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Antarctic travelers and visitors come to South Georgia to observe its abundant wildlife that arrive during the summer season, including 95% of the world’s fur seals, 50% of the world’s southern elephant seals, and millions of penguins and other marine birds. The South Shetlands have many accessible landing sites rich with Antarctica historic significance, and the islands provide an opportunity to see a wide array of marine animals and bird species. The two Falkland Islands are a haven for seals, penguins and albatrosses as well as being home to a small human population, primarily of British descent.

The largest Antarctic cruise ships travel to more distant destinations in Western Antarctica such as the Weddell Sea that borders the peninsula and the Ross Sea. Ships that travel to East Antarctica in the Indian Ocean depart from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, all much longer Antarctic trips with less frequent departures. All of the cruise ships on Southern Explorations’ Antarctica tours embark from Ushuaia.

Snowy Sheathbills

In accordance with the strict environmental protection guidelines of the Antarctic Treaty, Antarctica tour itineraries must be approved in advance and may be suspended, modified or canceled if deemed a threat to the Antarctic ecosystem and wildlife. Antarctica tour ships must acquire permits to enter government-protected areas, must ensure adequate passenger supervision by trained, experienced Antarctic guides and have approved management and monitoring plans for emergencies and waste disposal. Cruise ship operators are required to inform passengers about the Antarctic Treaty’s provisions, conduct evacuation and other safety drills onboard and submit a follow-up report detailing the activities that took place during the cruise.

To give you a general idea of the types of Antarctica trips and vacations we offer, please read about our itinerary categories.

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