Our moderate trips require an average level of fitness. Itineraries may include walks or short hikes of up to two to three hours with little elevation gain, sustained walking at higher altitudes, and/or other similar level physical activities. Many activities are optional.
How We Rate Our Trips
Easy: Our easy tours generally require fairly little exertion. Each day will involve walking, sightseeing and general travel-related activities such as getting in/out of vans, planes, boats, and zodiacs.
Moderate: Our moderate trips require an average level of fitness. Itineraries may include walks or short hikes of up to two to three hours with little elevation gain, sustained walking at higher altitudes, and/or other similar level physical activities. Many activities are optional.
Difficult: Our difficult trips may involve hiking over uneven terrain, with some hikes including significant elevation gain or loss and at higher elevations (up to 12,000 ft). Itineraries may include three to six hour hikes and other activities such as horseback riding, mountain bicycling, rafting and kayaking, which require no previous experience. On many trips, passengers may elect to skip a day's activity, depending on logistics.
Most Difficult: Our most difficult expeditions are for the adventurer who is in good physical condition. Itineraries may involve multi-day hiking and trekking excursions over steep, rugged terrain and/or where altitude may exceed 14,000 feet. Many trips include camping in remote areas and/or high altitude sites in varying temperature and weather conditions. Trips may also involve many days of demanding Class IV-V rapids, longer sea kayaking trips, horseback riding, and/or mountain bicycling. Training for the physical demands of these tours is highly encouraged.
The 353 feet (107.6 meter) MV Hondius was recently completed in Croatia and first launched in the summer of 2019. She has a maximum passenger capacity of 196 which is limited to 170 passengers for Antarctic voyages and is the most flexible, advanced, innovative, ice-strengthened vessel in the polar regions. Optimized for exploratory voyages that provide you the utmost first-hand contact with Antarctica, the Hondius also exceeds the requirements of the Polar Code as adopted by the International M... READ MORE >>
The 353 feet (107.6 meter) MV Hondius was recently completed in Croatia and first launched in the summer of 2019. She has a maximum passenger capacity of 196 which is limited to 170 passengers for Antarctic voyages and is the most flexible, advanced, innovative, ice-strengthened vessel in the polar regions. Optimized for exploratory voyages that provide you the utmost first-hand contact with Antarctica, the Hondius also exceeds the requirements of the Polar Code as adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), allowing you to enjoy the polar regions as much as possible while impacting them as little as possible. An environmentally friendly vessel, she uses LED lighting, steam heating, bio-degradable paints and lubricants, and state-of-the-art power management systems that keep fuel consumption and CO2 levels minimal. She is the first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel in the world (equivalent 1A-Super), meeting the latest and highest Lloyd’s Register demands for ice-strengthened cruise vessels, and is equipped with advanced stabilizers and two main engines (2 x ABC main engines; total 4,200 kW) capable of powering the vessel up to 15 knots (average cruising speed is 10.5 knots).
Itinerary
Itinerary (Falklands Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica: Puerto Madryn - Ushuaia)
The ship offers high-quality accommodation in 80 spacious cabins ranging from quadruple cabins to luxurious suites, some with balconies (all with private facilities).
Quadruple Porthole (4), two upper and two lower berths, two portholes, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (12 to 18 square meters, or 129 to 194 square feet)
Triple Porthole (2), one upper and two lower berths, two portholes, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (12 to 18 square meters, or 129 to 194 square feet)
Twin Porthole (27), two lower berths, two portholes, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (12 to 18 square meters, or 129 to 194 square feet)
Twin Window (14), one upper and two lower berths, one window, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (12 to 14 square meters, 129 to 151 square feet)
Twin Deluxe (11), one upper and two lower berths, two windows, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (19 to 21 square meters, 205 to 226 square feet)
Superior (8), one double bed, two windows, small sofa, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (20 to 21 square meters, 215 to 226 square feet)
Junior Suite (8), one double bed, one double window, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (19 to 20 square meters, 205 to 215 square feet)
Grand Balcony Suite (6), one double bed, one double window, sofa, balcony, private facilities, Flat-screen TV, Desk/Chair, Telephone, WiFi, Coffee/Tea maker, safe. (27 square meters, 291 square feet)
Marisa, we've been back a week and I'm writing to say how wonderful our trip was. Thanks you for all your guidance and planning. Buenos Aires was so interesting. Our tour guide, Alejandro, was top notch-- and very funny. The hotel was in a good location and the all-day tour in Ushuaia was memorable. The ship was well-run and the food was both interesting and plentiful. The crew was professional. The expedition leaders were kind, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. I can't give you credit for the fantastic weather and incredible scenery but it was an amazing trip. Thank you. - Susan Ogden/Rose Marie Wilson (Akademik Ioffe)
The trip was fantastic of course! South Georgia is an amazing place! After docking at Ushuaia, the driver was waiting there on the pier and coordinated well with the ship and the port officials, provided me with useful materials and delivered me to the Alto Andino. I liked the Alto Andino. It was quiet, clean and has a nice secure luggage store, which I used when I arrived, as it was too early to check in. They did let me check in early, shortly after lunch, when a room became available. And, when I came back to the hotel after dinner with friends, there was a message from my driver about the pickup time for departing to the airport. The transfer at BA went without a hitch, nice driver and nice car, and being Saturday, light traffic as well! Anyway, thank you! Your planning and support is greatly appreciate and I will be sure to let my friends know about your great company! - Philip H. Walters (South Georgia In Depth onboard Akademik Sergey Vavilov)
Carrie and Jonathan, we arrived back from Antarctica over the weekend. I just wanted to thank both of you for arranging such an outstanding trip! The guides, hotels, and logistics were all excellent—and we thoroughly enjoyed it all. Fortunately, despite my foot injury, I was able to fully partake in all the sightseeing and activities and didn’t feel that I had to curtail anything I wanted to do. We’ll be sure to contact you for future trips in South America. - Nancy Voye (Antarctic Peninsula onboard NG Explorer)
Carrie and Justin, I just wanted to send the two of you a message to thank you for all your help putting together our trip to the Antarctic. The trip was absolutely fantastic – definitely the best trip we have ever taken! I would strongly recommend the Akademik Ioffe team to anyone that asks. The places we visited and the excursions we were able to participate in were definitely first-rate, and I would credit the staff for making this happen. They selected great places to visit, and really made each zodiac or on-shore excursion a special experience. The Antarctic is just mind-blowing. We did get south of the Circle – which sounds like it was a bit of an accomplishment – and had really great weather for the entire trip. So again, thanks for making a totally fabulous trip a reality for us. -Ron & Bonnie Milzer (Antarctic Circle Voyage onboard Akademik Ioffe)
“I chose Southern Explorations for the combination of interesting itineraries and your high rating on customer satisfaction. I made the right choice. I will gladly recommend you to others.”
Pat Harding - TX
Custom Iguazu, Lakes District, Mendoza and Santiago
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Marisa, we've been back a week and I'm writing to say how wonderful our trip was. Thanks you for all your guidance and planning. Buenos Aires was so interesting. Our tour guide, Alejandro, was top notch-- and very funny. The hotel was in a good location and the all-day tour in Ushuaia was memorable. The ship was well-run and the food was both interesting and plentiful. The crew was professional. The expedition leaders were kind, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. I can't give you credit for the fantastic weather and incredible scenery but it was an amazing trip. Thank you. - Susan Ogden/Rose Marie Wilson (Akademik Ioffe) 
