The Antarctic Peninsula presents an unrivalled opportunity to both observe and capture images of one of the planet's most wild and dramatic landscapes. From the continent's towering mountains pour ancient white glaciers and magnificent carved icebergs. On the fringes of this land await an enormous abundance and diversity of species: penguins, seals, and birdlife.

The icy oceans are a rich feeding ground for whales including orcas, humpbacks, blue and sperm whales. Our wildlife and marine life experts will also leopard seals - huge and beautiful creatures, often seen resting on ice floes, or feigning to be rocks as they stalk close to the breeding grounds of macaroni, chinstrap and gentoo penguins. The Antarctic Peninsula is an important breeding ground for penguins and by February hatchlings have developed into noisy juveniles.

Amongst an onboard team of expert polar guides, Award Winning Photographer, Franco Banfi will be onboard both of the February 2011 voyages. Franco is a true polar photography expert, both above and below water. Franco has joined Aqua-firma before in Spitsbergen with great success and several of the photographs appearing on this website have been taken by Franco, both in Antarctica and the Arctic.

The onboard programme includes evening lectures on the wildlife and marine life of the continent as well as the work of the onboard professionals.  Workshops on photography are available to help you get the best from your camera and hone and improve your photographic skills. Throughout the voyage there will be plenty of opportunity to talk with our leaders and of course fellow like-minded passengers who are passionate about natural history and exploration of wilderness areas.

You will be accompanied on this voyage by underwater photographers and divers who will help to open up for you the secrets of the Antarctic depths. With their own dedicated guides and zodiacs, they will focus on some of the best dive sites around the Peninsula. Topside, expedition leaders and guides will accompany small personalised groups on rigid inflatable boats to explore icebergs, glaciers and wildlife from the water, and take you onshore to walk amongst wildlife on the ice. There will also be stops at historical sites and polar research stations.

The evenings provide opportunities to share images, including those captured by divers. These help your onboard guides to provide a greater insight into the profusion of life which exists beneath the water in Antarctica. Images you can hope to see will be leopard seals and their unfortunate prey; scenes of icebergs beneath the water, beautifully carved by escaping bubbles; giant isopods (10cm) crawling the seabed like enormous woodlice; 34 armed star-fish in stunning colours hiding amongst kelp walls; and shy Antarctic fish filled with their own special anti-freeze to survive in these waters. New species are being discovered in Antarctica all the time.

Our ship is a modern and comfortable ice strengthened research vessel. Carrying a maximum of 54, it is by far one of the smallest and friendliest expedition cruise ships exploring the Antarctic waters.  The entire vessel is open to all, including the decks at all levels particularly the ship's bridge from which you can enjoy awe inspiring panoramic views.

Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Linda Ashmore, Keith Hiscock, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 Göran Ehlme, Franco Banfi and Paul Nicklen

Antarctic Peninsula - Ice strengthened polar vessels - Rainforest4Climate Carbon Neutral Voyages - Responsible Travel - Antarctic Birdlife and Birdwatching - Ice Diving - Expedition Cruise holidays and vacations - Marine Life & pelagic experts - Plancius - Maria Svetaeva - Professor Molchanov - Multanovskiy - Maryshev - Ocean Nova - Orlova - Polar Pioneer - oceanwide surveys - British Antarctic Survey - Chile - Tailor Made Travel in Argentina - Academik Vavilov Shokalskiy Ioffe - Antarctic Dream - Noorderlicht - Whale Watching

2011 Dates and Prices

Cabin Type	Feb 04-15 2011 (11 days)	Feb 15 -26 2011 (11 days)	Nov 28 -Dec 08 2011 (11 days)	Dec 8-19 2011 (12 days)
Triple cabin with shared facilities	€4235	€4235	€4390	€4570
Twin cabin with shared facilities	€5295	€5295	€5190	€5460
Twin cabin en-suite	€6060	€6060	€5790	€6190
Superior	-	-	€6390	€6790
Suite	€7290	€7290	€7190	€7590
Diver add on package price	€795	€795	€795	€795
Kayaking option	n/a	n/a	€575	€575
Camping option	n/a	n/a	no charge	no charge

Click here for 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 1.8 times the per person cabin price.However this does not apply 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.
Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
Photography workshops.
All miscellaneous services taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Use of rubber boots.

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. 

Draft Itinerary for 11 Day Version Please note that all polar voyage itineraries are provided to give you a flavour of the voyage only. The ships route will be decided by the captain and may vary in accordance with ice, weather and other conditions. Day 1 The ship leaves the picturesque city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.  Ushuaia is the world's southernmost city located in the Beagle Channel. Days 2 & 3    We sail across the Drake Passage. Once we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in an area known as the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. In this area we can hope to see 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.  We will make our first sightings of icebergs close to the South Shetland Islands. Day 4  At Deception Island, we try to land at Baily Head where we should encounter a colony of ten thousand or so Chinstrap Penguins. Deception Island is a huge volcano with its crater open to the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we 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 nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. Day 5 We sail to Orne Islands with its large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins and beautiful views across the Gerlache Strait. Later we continue to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. It contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. From there we sail through Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, providing opportunities to see large whales. We will have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Day 6  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 which is home to Elephant Seals. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales. Day 7 Sailing north through the Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait we can enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Charlotte Bay.  There are usually good opportunities here for zodiac cruising amongst icebergs where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and Minke Whales. Day 8 Half Moon Island is a beautiful volcanic island with Chinstrap Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, sheathbills and Brown Skuas. Weddell Seals and Elephant Seals may also be spotted. The crew of the Argentine station are very hospitable. We may also choose to land at Hannah Point, which has a very rich wildlife featuring Elephant Seals, Cape Pigeons, Southern Giant Petrels, Macaroni Penguins and Gentoo Penguins. Day 9 & 10 In the Drake Passage where we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds. Day 11 We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photographs kindly provided by Charlotte Caffrey, Linda Ashmore, Keith Hiscock, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006 Göran Ehlme, Franco Banfi and Paul Nicklen