Active Antarctic Adventure

Day 1: Arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina

On arrival in the bustling city of Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego Province, you'll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Your accommodation tonight is included in your itinerary.  

In the afternoon, confirm locally whether you would like to join tomorrow’s complimentary scenic cruise around the Beagle Channel and nearby Isla de Los Lobos (Sea Lion Island). The team will also be on hand to answer any questions about your upcoming journey to Antarctica. 

Day 2: Embarking on the ship in Ushuaia

You have the morning at leisure to explore the local shops and quirky museums. In the early afternoon, board the catamaran and sail towards the emblematic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. En route you’ll spot sea lions and cormorants sunbathing on the rocky outcrops, along with abundant birdlife, from skuas to petrels, in the skies. 

This is also a perfect opportunity to soak up views of Ushuaia’s setting with its scenic combination of peaks, glaciers and thick forests, all edged by the shimmering waters of the channel. 

Afterwards, you’ll embark on your awaiting expedition ship and your Antarctic voyage will begin in earnest. After your mandatory safety briefings, the expert guides in your experienced Expedition Team will cover key details about your upcoming adventure. 

As you set sail from Ushuaia and leave civilisation, head out on deck and look out for wildlife as the sun sets. Later on, the welcome dinner is the ideal chance to meet your fellow adventurers and the vessel's attentive crew. 

Day 3: Crossing the Drake Passage

As the ship takes on the Drake Passage – one of the world's most legendary sea crossings  – the Expedition Team will keep you busy with briefings on biosecurity procedures and wildlife guidelines to prepare you for your first landings. This is also when the engaging educational lecture series kickstarts, diving deep into Antarctica's diverse history, wildlife and environment. 

Your awe-inspiring wildlife encounters will begin here. Keep your camera pointed at the sky as an impressive variety of seabirds follow the ship's wake. Mighty albatrosses and giant petrels will effortlessly navigate the air currents created by the vessel, rising and falling in a graceful dance. Get involved with interactive citizen science projects including bird counts and cloud surveys for NASA. 

Day 4: Navigating the Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands

The anticipation will hang heavy in the air today as the ship closes in on the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. Stay out on deck or in the window-filled observation lounge as much as you can, searching the sea for your first iceberg of the trip. As you cross the Antarctic Convergence, the temperature of the ocean and air will drop. 

If the sailing and weather conditions allow for it, the ship may be in a position to make a bonus first excursion in Antarctica late this afternoon.  

Days 5 to 12: Exploring the Antarctica Peninsula

With the extended daylight hours this far south, your days exploring the White Continent are long and packed with adventures. Your seasoned Expedition Team, with countless voyages to this pristine wilderness under their belts, will craft the perfect itinerary to capitalise on the weather, ice conditions and impromptu wildlife encounters.

Weather permitting, the team will plan to offer landings or zodiac cruising opportunities twice a day. You might weave through mazes of surreally sculpted icebergs, all while keeping your eyes peeled for the blow of whales or the splash of penguins porpoising through the water. The sturdy zodiacs will also ferry you from ship to shore, where you can enjoy the antics of characterful nesting penguins in their chaotic rookeries and soak up the incredible landscapes of glacier-laden Antarctica. 

With ample time for exploration, the Expedition Team will also look for the optimal conditions to offer the exciting array of included additional activities. Each guest will have the option to sample each activity, giving a fantastically diverse experience of Antarctica from multiple angles. Listen to the crackle and pop as you kayak through brash ice without the background hum of an engine. Head below the surface for the snorkel of a lifetime as you come face to (chilly!) face with Antarctica’s nutrient-rich waters. Back on dry land, don a pair of snowshoes and hike through crisp white powder for spectacular views of the peaks draped with heavily crevassed glaciers. One evening, you might forsake your cosy cabin and spend a night out in a self-dug snow hole. Curl up in your provided sleeping bag listening to the eerie distant thunder of calving glaciers or the sound of penguins braying carrying on the wind.       

As well as these activities, your ship will cruise through some of the slender straits that split the offshore islands from the mainland and linger in spectacularly scenic bays to watch whales on the hunt for krill. Enjoy the jaw-dropping views whether in the warmth of the panoramic observation lounge with its large windows or out on deck. Or jump into your swimsuit and luxuriate in the bubbled heat of the outdoor jacuzzis, watching snoozing seals on ice as you pass.

Days 13 & 14: Returning via the Drake Passage

On Day 13, if conditions allow, there may be time to squeeze in one final morning in the South Shetlands before the ship pivots north towards  the Drake Passage. Relax with your new travel friends and reminisce about your favourite memories as you cross this iconic waterway bound for South America. Your Expedition Team will continue with their fascinating educational program and take time to recap all the amazing sights you’ve experienced. Seek out a quiet spot to flick through the hundreds of photos you’re bound to have taken or head out on deck to look for birds following in the wake of the ship. 

Day 15: Arriving back in Ushuaia

After the ship slips up the Beagle Channel and pulls back into Ushuaia, you'll say farewell to the fantastic onboard crew and continue your journey onwards. A transfer back to the airport is included for those flying north today.

PLEASE NOTE: Each optional included activity (kayaking, camping, snowshoeing and snorkelling) is offered once during the voyage. Antarctica is a wonderful, wild destination with unpredictable weather and ice conditions; because of this, it’s not guaranteed that every departure will offer all activities, though the expedition team and Captain will certainly try their best.

This itinerary is for guidance only as each voyage will vary depending on ice and weather conditions, as well as opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is key and all part of the adventure of an expeditionary cruise.