A voyage to cross the Antarctic Circle is one many dream of, venturing deeper south than many have travelled - beyond latitude 66°33'39" and into the region of continuous daylight. You will be accompanied by expert guides, eager to introduce you to some of the most dramatic coastal mountain, glacier and iceberg scenery; and inspire you with their knowledge of the wildlife, geology, marine life and polar history.

These voyages will take you along a mountain range which points northwards towards South America; and in amongst islands and icebergs, both in the mother ship and in rigid inflatable boats which are deployed to take you to shore and skirt close to the coast. One of the most scenically impressive passages is the Lemaire Channel, which is only ½ mile wide in places. Its characteristic glaciers and rocky outcrops encapsulate the dream of what people often expect Antarctica to look like.

From Goudier Island where crabeater seals breed, you will explore even deeper south, through the Gerlache Strait where the icebergs increase in size and you realise that Antarctica is not solely about the wilderness or the wildlife but the incredible mixture of the two. Fog hangs in the morning air over Crystal Sound and the noise of birds reach you from both shore and air as we pass other islands. Between the islands it may be possible to spot humpback whales, orcas, minke and fin whales, whose breath can be heard in constant rasps over the water in early morning silences.

Camping & Sea Kayaking

For those keen to experience what it is like for polar explorers to camp in the Antarctic wilderness, the option does exist on this voyage for those who pre-book. Although you will have the full support of the mother ship not far away, we will try to take you out of sight of it and experience an incredible sense of detached remoteness.

For people with some previous kayaking experience, the opportunity also exists to pre-book one of the limited Sea Kayaking spots.

Special Wildlife & Marine Life Voyage

We have a special Wildlife & Marine Life Polar Circle Voyage taking place 9^th - 20^th March, 2012. Amongst the expert leaders on this voyage will be Aqua-Firma Marine Scientist, Charlotte Caffrey, and former British Antarctic Survey scientific diving staff. With photographs and film brought to the surface by a team of divers, they will provide guests onboard the chance to experience diving in Antarctica without getting cold and wet!  For further details please click HERE.

Photos kindly provided by: Murray Watson, Keith Hiscock & Chloe Burnett

Prices & Dates 2012

Cabin type	Jan 15 - 27          2012       (13 days)
Triple non-private	£4890
Twin semi-private	£6290
Twin private	£6690
Superior	£6990
Premium superior	£7290
Ocean suite	£8060
Kayaking	£475
Camping	Free of charge
Vessel Details

Special Wildlife & Marine Life Polar Circle Voyage

Dates & Prices 2012 and 2013

Cabin type (all cabins en suite)	Mar  9th- 20th           2012       (12 days)
Quad cabin	£4480 / €5190
Triple with port hole	£4890 / €5690
Twin with port hole	£5320 / €6190
Twin with window	£5590 / €6490
Twin deluxe	£5920 / €6890
Superior	£6570 / €7650
Diving supplement	£275 / €290
Kayaking	£225 / €240
Camping	£65 / €68
Leica Akademie Photography Workshops	Free of charge
Vessel Details

 

 

 

Cabin Type	Jan 28 - Feb 07           2013       (11 Days)
Triple non-private	£4090 / $6165
Twin non-private	£4990 / $7590
Twin private	£8850 / $5750
Mini suite	£9750 / $6360
Private suite	£10690 / $6995
Vessel Details

Cabin Type (all cabins en suite)	Mar 09 - 20           2013       (11 Days)
Quad cabin	£4690 less 5%
Twin with porthole	£5595 less 5%
Twin with window	£5870 less 5%
Twin deluxe	£6220 less 5%
Superior	£6895 less 5%
Diving Supplement	£320
Kayaking	£245
Camping	£80
Leica Akademie Photography Workshops	£270
Vessel Details

A fuel surcharge of £16 / €18 per day will apply unless the price of Brent crude falls below US$80 90 days before the voyage.

Single supplement: Single occupancy price is 1.7 times the per person cabin price. There is no single supplement if you are prepared to share a cabin with another passenger of the same gender.

Included
Voyage as indicated in draft itinerary.
All meals, snacks, coffee and tea.
All shore excursions and zodiac activities.
Diving.
Dive master service.
Diving weights.
Free use of rubber boots.
Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
All miscellaneous services taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Carbon offset for your voyage and flights if booked through us.

Excluded
Airfares.
Pre and post land arrangements.
Transfers to and from the vessel.
Cancellation and personal insurance.
Passports and visas.
Arrival and departure tax.
Meals ashore.
Baggage.
Items of a personal nature (alcohol, laundry etc).
Tips.

Please note this itinerary is provided to give you a flavour of the voyage only and is based on a 12 days itinerary. A 13 days itinerary will have more time to explore a similar area. The ship's route will be decided by the captain and may vary from the above in accordance with ice, weather and other conditions.

Day 1 Ushuaia

In the afternoon we will embark in Ushuaia and set sail through the Beagle Channel in the evening.

Day 2

We sail across the Drake Passage. Once we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area we may meet wandering albatrosses, grey headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson's storm petrels, blue petrels and Antarctic petrels.

Day 3

We see our first icebergs close to the South Shetland Islands.

Depending on weather conditions, the captain may decide to sail the narrow English Strait between Robert Island and Greenwich Island. By late evening on the third day, we will then be in sight of Aitcho Island, South of the Shetlands. If the conditions prevent us from maneuvering through the English Strait, we will instead continue sailing South of Livingston. These volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are very much vulnerable to the elements and often shrouded in mist and fog. However, these islands harbour a wonderful variety of flora, including mosses, lichens and flowering grasses. A diverse range of wildlife also inhabit these islands, such as Gentoo Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins and southern Giant Petrels.

Days 4 - 9 Antarctica

Our first day in Antarctica may include a landing at Hannah Point, where we will find a wide variety of wildlife, including Gentoo Penguins, Chinstraps and southern Giant Petrels, as well as Elephant Seals hauling out on the beach.

The next stage of our journey will take us to Deception island, an incredible location where we intend to land. Deception itself is a sub ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we will find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson's Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels can often be seen nesting in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. Keen walkers may wish to hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune's Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.

On our way further South we will sail to Orne Islands, home to large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins. Here we will be treated to beautiful views across the Gerlache Strait and Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island, home to a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. When sailing to Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we will have the opportunity for zodiac cruising and diving between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Leopard seals idly rest on the bergs in this area waiting for the chance to ambush a passing penguin. Here we will also hope have one of the most spectacular wall dives in the Antarctic. The wall drops down to 75m. Thanks to the nearby Shag colony, there is an abundance of marine life. We will have the unique opportunity to step out on to the Antarctic Continent.

We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. We also try to land at Pleneau Island home to Elephant Seals. In this area there are good chances for encounters with Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales.

We head south along the Argentine Islands to Crystal Sound, south of the Polar Circle. The landscape is very impressive with very high mountains and huge glaciers. At the Fish Islands we land at one of the southernmost Adelie Penguin and Blue-eyed Shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula. At Detaille Island, south of the Polar Circle, in Crystal Sound we reach probably our farthest south. Sailing north again through Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait, we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape with icebergs, where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales.

Day 10

Weather reports will guide our departure time from Antarctica.

Day 11

Sailing across the Drake Passage where we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds.

Day 12 Ushuaia

We arrive back into Ushauia in the morning and disembark.