Antarctica expedition cruise
| country: | Antarctica |
| departures: | 2009: 22 Nov, 1 Dec, 10 Dec 2010: 6 Jan, 2 Feb, 11 Feb, 20 Feb, 12 Mar |
| price: | From £3725 (11 days) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes: 1 night in Ushuaia before expedition starts, 9 nights aboard vessel MS expedition, all meals, lectures, information sessions and several landings on Antarctic Peninsula |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
11 day expeditionary cruise to the white continent.
A true adventure to the world's most remote wilderness! Our 11-day Antarctica Classic expedition focuses on the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, home to some of the planet's most impressive wildlife and dramatic landscapes. Throughout our voyage, our team of lecturers and guides will share their knowledge of the region's remarkable natural history.
A true adventure to the world's most remote wilderness! Our 11-day Antarctica Classic expedition focuses on the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, home to some of the planet's most impressive wildlife and dramatic landscapes. Throughout our voyage, our team of lecturers and guides will share their knowledge of the region's remarkable natural history.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Ushuaia. Arrive into Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, at any time. Make your way to your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure. |
| Day 2: | Embarkation of the expedition ship. Today we will embark on the expedition ship. Embarkation time is set for 4 pm. The morning is free to do any last minute shopping, an optional excursion to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park or a good hike up to the Marshall Glacier. The evening is spent on board the ship watching the sunset over the Beagle Channel. |
| Day 3-4: | The Drake Passage. Our adventure begins with a 400-mile crossing of the passage that bears the name of the 16th-century English explorer Sir Francis Drake. The MS Expedition is at home in this part of the Southern Ocean, known for the unimpeded fetch of the winds that encircle the Antarctic. At some point on the second day we cross the Antarctic Convergence, a meeting of cold polar water flowing north and warmer equatorial water moving in the opposite direction. This mixing pushes nutrient rich waters to the surface attracting a variety of seabirds, whales and other species. As we make the passage you have time to become acquainted with the ship and frequent the common areas that include the lounge, dining hall, library and lecture hall where we meet our guides, ship's crew and expedition staff. We also begin the lecture and information sessions to learn the extraordinary human and natural history of the Antarctic region. |
| Day 5-8: | Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands. Experience some of the most unique wildlife viewing and inspiring scenery in the world as you set foot on the Antarctic continent. Antarctica is a continent of superlatives. It is the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest and highest of all the major landmasses in the world. It is the continent with the longest nights and the longest days and it is home to the world’s greatest concentration of wildlife. It is also one of the last true wilderness areas left on earth – largely unchanged since the early explorers and whalers first landed on its inhospitable shores less than two centuries ago. The lowest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth, -89.2°C, was recorded on July 21, 1983, at Vostok Station. Winds have been recorded at 200 mph in the interior of the continent and the average annual water precipitation in the interior is only about 50 mm. We will Take two excursions per day (conditions permitting), and encounter Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie penguin rookeries, Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals, and Orca, Humpback and Minke whales in the cold Antarctic waters. The Peninsula also has a remarkable human history. During the voyage we will learn about some of the most important and dramatic expeditions to this remote corner of the world. |
| Day 9-10: | Drake Passage. Today we leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. In between bird watching and whale watching and enjoying some final lectures by our expedition staff, this is a chance to relax and review the adventures of the past week before returning to Ushuaia. |
| Day 11: | Depart Ushuaia. And so our adventure comes to a close. We'll say our goodbyes as we disembark in Ushuaia in the morning. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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Antarctica is the largest wilderness area on earth, unaffected by large scale human activities. Accordingly, this unique and pristine environment has been afforded special protection. Furthermore, it is physically remote, inhospitable, unpredictable and potentially dangerous. All activities in the Antarctic Treaty Area, therefore, should be planned and conducted with both environmental protection and safety in mind. IAATO Charter – International Association of Antarctic tour operators.
A trip to the Antarctic is a completely different experience and quite unlike any other trip you have probably been on. We use a highly regulated, licensed vessel which is well equipped to operate in this pristine ecosystem. We are fully compliant with all rules set down by the IAATO. We carefully vet all ships we work with and choose them for their small size as this creates far less impact on shore landings with wildlife. We see the voyage Antarctic as an expedition, not a sightseeing trip. Smaller boats such as ours can navigate narrow waterways, and are far less polluting than the larger ships in Antarctic waters. By carrying less passengers, we have far less waste, and all waste is carried back to the home port, unlike some of the larger ships which do not allow for this. We are regulated by very strict conditions, and we take our responsibility seriously. We are currently working towards supporting a nominated wildlife charity which operates in Antarctica and we have a long term commitment to maintaining its pristine condition while still offering some of the best value trips to this unique destination. Our pre departure pack provides you with all the information required for your tour, from what to take with you to practical advice on how to minimise your impact on the Antarctic environment. This is in the form of waste reduction and how to interact with wildlife on the continent. We really work hard to keep all our operations green! All our worldwide offices currently run on 90% green energy (we are working towards 100%) from hydro electric, wind to solar power. Being web based, we are close to becoming a paperless environment, brochure prints are at a minimum (and printed on a requirement basis) and all pre departure information is emailed. We use energy saving bulbs in our work centres, and recycle all our waste. We currently work with 3 different charities, giving us a broad spectrum and diversifying where our monies go. We work with Project Peru in the UK who run an orphanage in Zapallal in the shanty town outskirts of Lima, ANIA in Peru which is a high profile Peruvian NGO which works with children and helps to teach them about their local environment and how to manage it affectively, and GVI Foundation in Australia which work on several development projects in Latin America and around the world. We help these charities by fundraising treks, through donations as a company and through our clients and also through many of our customers who volunteer their time and expertise. These charities are close to our core of supporting the environment and children in need. |
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. |