This is the ULTIMATE Antarctic Peninsula cruise!
Visiting Antarctica is nothing shy of mind blowing! After a formidable journey across the drake passage, the endless seascape will give way to great white ethereal vistas, sculptured by ice, and weathered by isolation. This journey will take you from Ushuaia to the South Shetland Islands and onto the Antarctic Peninsula where you will be swathed in the beauty of the most enigmatic place on earth. This complete encounter will take you on a deeper exploration than your average Antarctic Peninsula cruise and with the right conditions, will even venture over to the Weddell Sea where tabular icebergs lay and the history of Antarctic Exploration sighs in echoes through the rarely visited landscapes.
Joining this exclusive Chimu Charter is self-professed geek, comedian and author, Adam Spencer. He has been a breakfast radio announcer on triple j and ABC Sydney, a TV personality on everything from comedies Good News Week and The Glasshouse to weekly sports wrap The Back Page, and is a member of the Sleek Geeks Science Team with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. On board Adam will excite the crowd with his endless curiosity about - pretty much everything! Focussing on our citizen science program, Adam will spearhead crowd enthusiasm to help scientists via 'passer by' observations in Antarctica. Travellers will capture cloud formations, sea bird activity and whale tails through imagery, and this detail, among other things will be sent back to scientific bases to assist professionals via our onboard Citizen Science Co-ordinator.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play critical roles in the regulation of the Earth’s climate system and many ways are the “canary in the coal mine” of climate change.
Through partnerships with NASA, Oxford University, Happy Whale and others, our onboard Citizen Science Program allows travellers to contribute to the future of Antarctica, to collect data that can contribute to real scientific studies of the frozen continent and its inhabitants.
Your experiences through our in-depth expedition program is our number one priority and we’re excited to invite you to participate in giving back whilst we present to you one of the highlights of your life!
Antarctica never disappoints!
Adam Spencer
Broadcaster, mathematician, comedian and all round geek, Adam Spencer would probably be known to you as the voice of breakfast radio at both Triple J and ABC Sydney over a celebrated 15 year career.
Adam has also authored 6 best-selling books on popular mathematics and appeared on television shows as varied as ABC TV’s The Drum through to FoxSports Back Page.
*Offers aboard the Ocean Endeavour 2022/23 season end 31 August 2022 and are subject to availability. Not combinable with any other promotion. Offers apply to new bookings only. Book cabin categories Cat 5, Cat 5a, Cat 6 and Cat 7 and save up to 25% off the regular retail price. Book cabin categories Cat 1, Cat 8, Cat 9 and the Owners Suite and save up to 30% off the regular retail price. Applies to selected departures only; cabins limited. Subject to availability and currency fluctuations. Further conditions apply, please contact us for more information.
Optional Activities :
Trip Code: ACAEAAS
Ship: Ocean Endeavour
On arrival at Ushuaia Airport, please make your way through to the Arrivals Hall where our representative will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel. He/she will be holding a sign with your name on it.
The first night of your voyage is spent in the quaint town of Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world and the capital of Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire).
The day is at leisure and you are free to explore, maybe making a few last minute purchases from the many shops or artisan markets, or relaxing in a café. Avenida San Martin is the main street and there are some excellent museums to visit or you may prefer to wander the streets taking in the town’s dramatic setting, with views of the mountains to the north and the Beagle Channel to the south.
This morning is free for you to explore Ushuaia, giving you time to wander the streets of this quaint port town, or discover Tierra del Fuego National Park.
Transfer to the pier of Ushuaia for embarkation in the late afternoon. You will be welcomed on board the Ocean Endeavour by the Expedition Team and the Ship’s Officers.
This evening we set sail through the Beagle Channel that was named after the British ship the HMS Beagle. This famous channel transects the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the extreme south of South America, and is rich in wildlife. Keep a look out for Magellanic penguins, rock cormorants, petrels and black-browed albatross from the deck as well as sea lion colonies.
Enjoy your first taste of life at sea and a welcome dinner. The air is likely to be filled with anticipation, as your next view of land will be of Antarctica - the White Continent.
On day three of your voyage to the Antarctic, wake to the sights and sounds of the famous Drake Passage where albatross and other seabirds escort us south. In preparation for the days to come, your on-board experts in biology, oceanography, history and photography will begin their presentations in the Nautilus Lounge. Whether out on the Ocean Endeavour’s decks or from the warmth of the observation area on the ship’s bridge, keep your eyes peeled for the first sighting of an iceberg as the continent of Antarctica appears on our horizon.
In the real spirit of exploration, day five will hope to see the bow of the Ocean Endeavour round the eastern end of Antarctic Sound and point south toward the truly wild coastlines of the Peninsula’s eastern side. It’s within this ice-laden sea that Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men sledged and floated their way north from their crushed and sunken vessel and bordering this vast expanse is an endless coastline of dramatic basaltic beaches, towering islands that rise straight from the sea and a spattering of remote archipelagos barely seen by human eyes since the heroic era.
From here, the options for exploration are endless. From the secluded Danger Islands to the north, the historically important and penguin-covered Paulet Island, the sweeping Prince Gustav Channel to the south or the protected and glacier-lined coves of Duse Bay. Over three days in this area, we will work with ice conditions to land and zodiac cruise around as many remote locations as possible. Keep an eye out for minke whales as captain and expedition leader navigate the scenic channels around the eagle island group and for the most intrepid: prepare for a polar plunge like none other or even a chance to step onto your very own piece of sea ice. Whatever the weather delivers, what we are sure to find here is a rare Antarctic experience and the closest one is likely to get to a true sense of exploration on planet Earth.
Following our three days of discovery on the Peninsula’s east side, the Ocean Endeavour will plot a course to transit Antarctic Sound and to visit the more well-trodden western shores. As we attempt to enter the sound, a collection of tabular icebergs typically serves as a gateway from east to west and locations like Esperanza Station and the volcanic cliffs of Brown Bluff are viable landing points along the way. From here on out, we return to the more familiar sights and sounds of gentoo penguin colonies, a collection of Argentine and Chilean bases observable on craggy points and we lower the zodiacs again to explore famous sites like Orne Harbour, Paradise Bay or Port Lockroy. While the east side afforded us the most true sense of isolation and wilderness observable on Earth, the contrast becomes apparent on the western side as no excursion lasts long without the presence of gentoo or chinstrap penguins parading through the early-season snow and marine mammals hauling themselves onto ice-floes. After our four days of excursions in this region, we will again turn north to cross the Bransfield Strait. As we thread the Ocean Endeavour through South Shetland Islands, we will take to the aft deck of the Ocean Endeavour once more for a final toast to the Antarctic, to discovery and to the new horizon ahead.
Over days 12 and 13 we will watch as the outline of the Antarctic continent disappears over the horizon and again the albatross and seabirds of the open ocean join us for the voyage north. Whether enjoying some time out on deck to take in the sea air or making the most of our expert guides’ presentations, this is a great time to reflect on the journey behind us and all that we discovered on the Antarctic Peninsula over the previous days. For those still looking to brush up on their Antarctic knowledge, our guides will be out on deck binoculars in hand to help identify the amazing sea life that abounds in this part of the world. At night, we will take the opportunity to celebrate together and to share stories about this once in a lifetime voyage.
Following a steady night in the protection of the Beagle Channel, the early morning of our 14th day will see the Ocean Endeavour come alongside Ushuaia’s pier. Followed by breakfast, an 8am disembarkation means plenty of time to wrap up your exploration of Ushuaia before a short drive to the airport for any afternoon flight departures. Our guides will join you on the dock to say farewell and to wave goodbye to the ship’s team and crew who have shared the journey with you.
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30 Nov 2022 | 13 Dec 2022 | 14 | USD 9,490 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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