Day 1: | Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Getting to the southernmost city in the world is easy, because the local airport (Ushuaia) is served by flights from Buenos Aires, and Santiago, Chile. Our team will be happy to provide you with a tailor-made quotation for flights and any additional stopovers or extensions to accompany your voyage. A pre-voyage night in Ushuaia at one of the city’s charming hotels is included tonight. |
Day 2: | Embarkation Day
Boarding is in the late afternoon. Your luggage will be taken from your hotel and delivered to your cabin, so you can explore the city at the end of the Earth before embarkation of the sturdy icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. |
Days 3-5: | Drake Passage and South Shetland Islands
Seabirds accompany the ship across the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands, our intended first landfall in Antarctica. Our Expedition Team will plan landings at penguin rookeries. They will deploy Zodiacs to cruise through ice floes where seals lounge in the Antarctic summer sun. |
Days 6-8: | Antarctic Peninsula
Pushing ever southward, we cross the Antarctic Circle to enter a world where daylight is continuous at this time of year. There will be shore landings and Zodiac cruises in quiet bays where dozens of icebergs have run aground. From Marguerite Bay, the icebreaker will enter the Bellingshausen Sea. |
Days 9-10: | The Phantom Coast
Our route follows the Phantom Coast. Explorer Richard E. Byrd gave the coast that lies between Palmer Peninsula and Thurston Island its ghostly title. For two centuries, the ice-locked coastline defied the efforts of explorers to chart it. We also plan to visit Peter I Island. In 2006, the last time one of our expeditions successfully landed, our historian noted that only 800 people in all human history had been known to visit the fog enshrouded island. Join these privileged few travellers. |
Days 11-16: | Amundsen Sea
Passengers can look forward to several adventurous days of breaking through the Amundsen Sea pack ice – an awesome experience aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov. We'll deploy our helicopters so you can witness the power of the icebreaker from the air. Amazing photographic opportunities will abound. |
Days 17-18: | Ross Ice Shelf
Excitement builds as the icebreaker approaches the immense Ross Ice Shelf; a hulk of ice the size of France. If conditions permit, we plan to land our helicopters atop the floating ice barrier. Be on the alert for the majestic Emperor Penguins. The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of the world's largest penguin species. |
Days 19-20: | Ross Island and McMurdo Sound
Ross Island is home to the US research base McMurdo Station and Scott Base, New Zealand's research station. Nearby is Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Hut (1901-04). The historic building is slowly deteriorating under the onslaught of a century of ice, snow and wind. Conservation efforts are underway thanks to the invaluable work of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. Our planned visit is carefully controlled to ensure that the impact of our exploration is negligible.
Our exploration of McMurdo Sound may include visits to several bustling penguin rookeries, research stations and encounters with marine mammals. Although each voyage is painstakingly planned, it is impossible to provide prior to departure a definitive summary of the journey you will actually experience. The Expedition Leader in cooperation with the ship's Captain adjusts the route as the expedition unfolds to take advantage of the best weather and ice conditions. For this reason, no itinerary provided in advance of the voyage should be considered exact. |
Days 21-24: | Ross Sea and Cape Royds
At Cape Royds, we'll visit Sir Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Hut (1907-09). A century after construction, the hut is now considered one of the ten most endangered monuments in the world. The Antarctic Heritage Trusts are raising funds for its restoration. Your voyage operator supports the project through onboard charity auctions, and visitor admission fees. Many of the expert onboard team have been involved with the polar regions for some number of years and have worked with either the Scott Polar Research Institute or the British Antarctic Survey. |
Days 25-28: | Southern Ocean and Campbell Island
Heading north, we plan to stop at one of the Subantarctics; Campbell Island, a nature preserve where Royal Albatross nest. You'll follow boardwalks through lush greenery to observation points, from which you can photograph the amazing abundance of wildlife. |
Day 29: | Enderby Island to Lyttelton, New Zealand
Yellow-eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and New Zealand sea lions share subantarctic Enderby Island with Red-crowned Parakeets. If the conditions are right, we'll go ashore to explore the protected environment. Continue northward to the port of Lyttelton, New Zealand, where you will disembark the Kapitan Khlebnikov on Day 31. Remember, flights and any additional holiday arrangements are quoted on a tailor-made basis; our team will be pleased to talk through your travel plans with you. before disembarking our epic adventure in Lyttelton, New Zealand. |
Note: | Please note the voyage route and daily itinerary is subject to ice and weather conditions therefore flexibility is the key to enjoying your expedition voyage to the full. Wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed.
Note: Flights and additional ground arrangements are quoted on a tailor-made basis; please call us to discuss your options. Thank you. |