The expedition to Antarctica is a navigation that lasts eleven days and ten nights, in which you will have the possibility to discover all the life offered by the frozen continent.
And of course, the surrounding islands, the giant icebergs and the wild sea defying the navigators and demanding the maximum out of the boats daring to cross it.
Day 1:
You will board during the evening in the city of Ushuaia and you’ll have the possibility of meeting the crew and the group of lecturers who will be accompanying you during the navigation to Antarctica. Once you have settled down in your cabin, you’ll enjoy the navigation through the Beagle Channel, passing through the Mackinlay passage.
Days 2 and 3:
The navigation through the Drake passage is highly attractive in these days. This famous part of the river was named after Sir Francis Drake who, in 1578, became the first man sailing through here for the first time. In this place, a natural and biological barrier is located, in which the cold waters coming from the pole end up in the lower levels of the ocean beneath the warmer currents coming from the north. This convergence of waters is ideal for the development of a wide variety of marine flora and fauna. This place is also a mark of the northern limit for the Antarctic birds.
While in deck, the boat’s crew will be accompanying you in order to help you with the identification of the great variety of birds and marine fauna that can be observed. On the other hand, since this is an “open bridge” craft, you’ll have the possibility of sharing the bridge with the rest of the passengers and learning basic navigation matters.
During the third day of this journey, spotting the first icebergs and ice mountains will be an indication of the proximity of the Shetland Islands from the South.
Days 4 to 8:
During this period you will be touring through the Shetland southern Islands, which are populated with abundant wild fauna. Penguins, marine wolves and sea elephants colonies are the ones populating the coasts of these Islands. In between these Islands, the strangest one is the one called Decepción (Deception), which is beneath a volcano due to the fact it has been formed near the top of a volcanic crater. It is a circular island and it has several thermal waters streams where, if the climate allows for disembarkation, the travellers will be able to submerge.
After the Shetland Islands, the first approach to the Antarctic Peninsula will be made and, when being possible, a disembarkation in Bahía Paraíso or Punta Portal or some of the islands surrounding this peninsula will be made. It must be taken under consideration that the schedule depends almost exclusively on the conditions of the climate and the ice.
The entire voyage is accompanied by several informal lectures about the history of this peninsula, the first men to explore this region, and the heroes.
You will be able to observe close by Adelia penguins, hooded and Weddell seals and sea leopards. As well, hooded and other kinds of whales and killer whales too.
You will be sailing through the beautiful Antarctic channels, such as the ones named Gerlache, the Neumayer and the Lemaire. At least two disembarkations per day are planned, having in mind that this depends on the climate condition.
Days 9 to 10:
The return heading north begins; you will be passing by the Drake passage again. This is a moment for relax and reflection about the experiences lived during the journey, and it is also a moment to make the most out of the informal lectures regarding the region, before arriving to Ushuaia.
Day 11:
Early, during the morning, the disembarkation at the port of Ushuaia takes place.
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