Classic Antarctica 11 Days | MV Ushuaia

Embarkation on the M/V USHUAIA begins in the afternoon at the port in Ushuaia. Embarkation time is set for 4:00pm and is followed by a welcome drink and an introduction to the crew and expedition staff. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.

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. As we sail across the passage, our lecturers will be out with you on deck to teach you about the geography of the area and the sea birds you encounter. The open bridge policy on the USHUAIA allows us to join the officers on the bridge to learn about navigation, watch for marine life and enjoy the views of the open ocean. A full program of lectures will be available during your voyage.

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. 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 3 of our voyage.

The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rockeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur and Southern elephant seals make every day spent in this spectacular island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is an amazing experience. 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. It is also home to the scientific bases of many countries. Later we plan to visit Livingston Island where macaroni, chinstrap and gentoo penguins as well as elephant seals can all be found. There will be plenty of time to explore the pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways and its incredible variety of wildlife. We are also likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range.

Depending on weather and ice conditions, we hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways including 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 a day including Paradise Bay, perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and 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 us 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.

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.

We arrive into Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the M/V USHUAIA after breakfast.

*** Important - Please be sure not to book flights out of Ushuaia before 12PM (Noon) on the day of disembarkation from your cruise ship.