Antarctic cruises
| country: | Antarctica |
| departures: | From Nov - Mar. We offer a complete tailor made service allowing you to decide where you stay and what to do. Please note we are a UK based company and are only able to help with flight arrangements from the UK |
| price: | From £4475 (16 days) including flights from the UK; this trip can also be booked without flights. Price is based on 2 people sharing |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Antarctica is one of the last truly unspoilt regions of the world.
The mysterious white continent, with its multi-coloured ice caps, glistening glaciers and towering snow-capped mountains, offers unparalleled scenery and photographic opportunities.
Enormous numbers of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds congregate in the food-rich waters along the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic shores. The future of Antarctica is crucial to the climate and ecology of the world and on these cruises you have an opportunity to visit one of the many scientific bases.
We use small, specially designed expedition ships to journey south, taking full advantage of the 24 hours of daylight during the austral summer. Ice-strengthened hulls and state-of-the-art equipment allow safe navigation through the pack ice and narrow waterways. Zodiac excursions, guided by foremost Antarctic experts, offer the freedom to explore remote locations and observe Antarctica’s abundant wildlife.
The Ships
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev are modern and comfortable research vessels of the Hydrographic Institute of St. Petersburg. Built in 1990 in Finland, and designed as ice-strengthened vessels, the ships are now under long-term contract by Oceanwide Expeditions. Converted in the Netherlands for passenger use, the vessels are ideally suited to expedition cruising.
The vessels are strongly built of steel with an ice-strengthened hull, perfect for the polar seas. They are manned by an enthusiastic Russian crew of around 20, all highly experienced in ice navigation. Russian captains are recognised experts in polar navigation. All their international expedition leaders and lecturers are highly knowledgeable, helpful and dedicated to the protection of the environment.
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev have a large bridge (where you are almost always welcome) and good open deck-viewing areas. They carry a full complement of Zodiac craft, excellent for landings and wildlife viewing opportunities in otherwise in-accessible areas. Excellent cuisine, prepared by international chefs, is served in the dining room, which also acts as the lecture room. Other public areas include a lounge and bar, small library, infirmary, and sauna.
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev provides accommodation for 46 travellers in 23 comfortable twin and superior cabins. All cabins are outside, with a desk, windows and ample storage space.
Each cruise offers a different experience and this can all be determined by your surroundings and the weather. This continent is forever changing with its huge icebergs drifting and melting over time. All our boats are comfortable and offer great communal areas, which offer extensive views of the picturesque surroundings.
This is a fun packed adventure suitable for all adults, days are spent on zodiacs cruising around the iceberg filled bays or exploring on land. For those who want to head upwards most landings offer a short hill walk where you can get great panoramic views of the area. The evenings are spent sailing or you may like to attend the nightly lectures.
The mysterious white continent, with its multi-coloured ice caps, glistening glaciers and towering snow-capped mountains, offers unparalleled scenery and photographic opportunities.
Enormous numbers of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds congregate in the food-rich waters along the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic shores. The future of Antarctica is crucial to the climate and ecology of the world and on these cruises you have an opportunity to visit one of the many scientific bases.
We use small, specially designed expedition ships to journey south, taking full advantage of the 24 hours of daylight during the austral summer. Ice-strengthened hulls and state-of-the-art equipment allow safe navigation through the pack ice and narrow waterways. Zodiac excursions, guided by foremost Antarctic experts, offer the freedom to explore remote locations and observe Antarctica’s abundant wildlife.
The Ships
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev are modern and comfortable research vessels of the Hydrographic Institute of St. Petersburg. Built in 1990 in Finland, and designed as ice-strengthened vessels, the ships are now under long-term contract by Oceanwide Expeditions. Converted in the Netherlands for passenger use, the vessels are ideally suited to expedition cruising.
The vessels are strongly built of steel with an ice-strengthened hull, perfect for the polar seas. They are manned by an enthusiastic Russian crew of around 20, all highly experienced in ice navigation. Russian captains are recognised experts in polar navigation. All their international expedition leaders and lecturers are highly knowledgeable, helpful and dedicated to the protection of the environment.
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev have a large bridge (where you are almost always welcome) and good open deck-viewing areas. They carry a full complement of Zodiac craft, excellent for landings and wildlife viewing opportunities in otherwise in-accessible areas. Excellent cuisine, prepared by international chefs, is served in the dining room, which also acts as the lecture room. Other public areas include a lounge and bar, small library, infirmary, and sauna.
The Grigoriy Mikheev and Aleksey Maryshev provides accommodation for 46 travellers in 23 comfortable twin and superior cabins. All cabins are outside, with a desk, windows and ample storage space.
Each cruise offers a different experience and this can all be determined by your surroundings and the weather. This continent is forever changing with its huge icebergs drifting and melting over time. All our boats are comfortable and offer great communal areas, which offer extensive views of the picturesque surroundings.
This is a fun packed adventure suitable for all adults, days are spent on zodiacs cruising around the iceberg filled bays or exploring on land. For those who want to head upwards most landings offer a short hill walk where you can get great panoramic views of the area. The evenings are spent sailing or you may like to attend the nightly lectures.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Fly to Buenos Aires. On arrival transfer to hotel. Free time to explore the city. |
| Day 3-4: | Fly to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. Here you will stay overnight and have time to relax and explore the town and national park, before boarding your ship. |
| Day 5-6: | Famous for its potentially high seas and rolling winds, cross the Drake Passage while enjoying informative talks by the onboard experts on the region and its wildlife. On day 4 expect to see your first icebergs in the distance. |
| Day 7-11: | Zodiac landings and trekking. This will enable you to set foot on the islands and peninsula itself, allowing closer inspection of the majestic scenery and fascinating wildlife. |
| Day 12-14: | Return across the Drake Passage. |
| Day 15: | You will be met from the pier and transferred to Ushyaia airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. Transfer to hotel on arrival |
| Day 16: | Transfer to airport and return flight to London. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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The boats we use are owned by a full-member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), a member organisation founded in 1991 to advocate, promote and practice safe and environmentally responsible private sector travel to Antarctica. Their vessels all comply with the international safety regulations and meet the requirements of international shipping organisations (SOLAS, ISM) and Russian Register.
We ensure that all of our guests are fully briefed about the environmental issues that affect Antarctica and all guests will attend a series of lectures, while aboard the ships, relating to conservation issues. We make sure that they are informed of how to enjoy the wildlife encounters without being intrusive so that all of our guests get the most out of their visit without compromising the pristine environment that they are there to visit. We only use small boats so that the disturbance to the wildlife is as minimal as possible. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |