CHIMU ADVENTURES EXCLUSIVE ANTARCTICA AND USHUAIA OFFER
From $4550 USD
Contact us at australia@chimuadventures.com or 1300 216 252 for more details.
Chimu Adventures prides itself on its ability to tailor make your trip to Latin America and Antarctica. With offices in Australia, the UK and on the ground in Latin America, our specialised staff will help you put your ideal trip together in a matter of minutes. We work with a range of vessels to Antarctica for all budgets and tastes, so please contact us for more details on this deal, or find yourself another here:https://www.chimuadventures.com/content/antarctica-super-specials-2015-16.
Departure: 22 March 2016
Join Chimu Adventures on this wonderful trip of a lifetime, with a not to be repeated once in a decade price, to celebrate 10 years of Chimu Adventures’ great value trips to Latin America and Antarctica.
For this unique departure, we have chartered one of our favourite ice –strengthened vessels, the MV Ushuaia to take us to see the ice bound land of the penguin! We have specially reconfigured the vessel for this value packed itinerary, made especially for 88 lucky guests for our anniversary.
Highlights: Using the ship's eight manoeuvrable zodiac boats, we will aim to step ashore a minimum of twice daily, and explore on foot. We will visit Penguin colonies, get up close to seal pups and see whales from close quarters at water level. This time of year is perfect for whale watching!
Chimu Adventures are Australia’s leading travel company to Latin America and Antarctica, and send thousands of clients every year on the Adventure of a lifetime. Places on this trip are strictly limited, and already filling up, so contact us today!
Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Ushuaia, Patagonia. Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city, and the gateway to Antarctica. We spend the night in a centrally located hotel.
Day 2: End of the World national park. Today you will explore the only National Park on the island, Tierra del Fuego, home to a variety of wildlife including beavers, foxes and rabbits as well as some beautiful native flora. A collection of short walks will take you to Ensenada Bay, Roca Lake and Lapataia Bay, before returning to Ushuaia Includes National Park entrance fee & Regular Transfers.
Day 3: Embarkation!. After a free morning to explore Ushuaia, and to grab some last minute supplies, we transfer to the cruise terminal to board the ship early this afternoon. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.
Day 4 and 5: Sailing the Drake passage. Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds.
As we sail across the passage, Antarpply Expeditions' lecturers will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake. The USHUAIA's open bridge policy allows you to join our officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales, and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures will be offered as well.
The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and islets first sighted in February 1819 by Capt. William Smith of the brig Williams. With favourable conditions in the Drake Passage our lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore as you experience your first encounter with the penguins and seals on Day 5.
Day 6 to 9. South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and Southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is truly amazing.
King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island.
The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range.
We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways on the planet (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers.
We plan to make at least two landings per day and possible landing sites may include:
Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins.
Further exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.
Day 10 and 11: Crossing the Drake. We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day 12: Arrival in Ushuaia. We arrive at the port of Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the USHUAIA after breakfast. We then transfer to the airport
Please note: The above itinerary is a guide only. Our exact route and program will vary to take best advantage of local weather and ice conditions and opportunities to view wildlife. Changes will be made by the Captain and/or Expedition Leader to facilitate the best results from the prevailing conditions. A daily program sheet will be issued on board. Flexibility is the key to success.
Triple cabin per person
From: $4550 USD
Standard cabin per person
From: $5190 USD
Superior cabin per person
From: $7290 USD
Suite cabin per person
From: $7990 USD
*Please note singles are welcome, with no single supplements if prepared to share with someone of the same sex.
SPACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED, AND ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS. DEPOSIT OF $2000 PER PERSON DUE UPON CONFIRMATION. BALANCE DUE 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.
Email us now on Australia@chimuadventures.com or call us on 1300 216 252 today!
Includes: 2 nights hotel accommodation in Ushuaia, daily breakfast in hotels, airport transfers, tour to national park. All port taxes, meals onboard Antarctica voyage, all daily landings and activities onboard ship.
Not included: International and domestic air travel, drinks aboard the MV Ushuaia, meals in Ushuaia (except hotel breakfast, gratuities and train in national park on day 2.
