Emblematic Antarctica | Le Lyrial

Your cruise package includes a pre-voyage night in Buenos Aires. Here you will have a meet and greet at your hotel by our local representative.

Buenos Aires, Argentina’s elegant, historic and cosmopolitan capital, is known as the “Paris of the South” due to its European atmosphere with glamorous avenues lined with fashionable shops and Parisian-style restaurants and cafes. Located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires has many fascinating neighbourhoods to explore including the colourful and lively La Boca, home to art galleries and tango shows; San Telmo with its restored mansions and antique stores and Recoleta, the city’s most exclusive area.

Please Note: Check in is scheduled for the late morning. You will have time at your leisure to explore the city in the afternoon.

You will have an early morning breakfast before being transferred to the airport for your included flight to Ushuaia. Upon arrival in Ushuaia you will be met at the airport and then depending on your choice made when booking your cruise either transferred onto an optional excursion or to lunch then on to your vessel to begin your incredible voyage to Antarctica. (Approximate flight time, 3 hours and 30 minutes. Embarkation is scheduled for 4pm).

To reach the mythical “White Continent” we cross the notorious Drake Passage named after the famous explorer, Sir Frances Drake, who sailed in these waters back in 1578. You will then traverse the Polar Front which marks the area where waters from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans meet. The Antarctic Convergence is a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters.

The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached Antarctica.

Succumb to the magic of a place unlike any other. To this day, the mythical Antarctic Peninsula still holds real fascination and promises its visitors unforgettable moments. Throughout your adventure in this icy realm, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. Penguins, humpback whales, seals and giant petrels are at home here, as are elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic minke whales, and orcas. Depending on which sites you will be lucky enough to visit, you may get the chance to observe them and share with them the beauty of these extreme parts.

Each day, based on ice conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader will suggest Zodiac outings or landings to discover the infinite riches of the Antarctic Peninsula. Glaciers, ice floe, tabletop icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge straight into the sea, volcanic beaches, research stations, enchanting bays, and vestiges of the whaling industry: these are the faces of the Antarctic that will likely reveal themselves to you, in a hushed and surreal atmosphere. You will sail in the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Adrien de Gerlache and Sir Ernest Shackleton, great Antarctic explorers who, from the 19th century, set out to conquer these remote and uninhabited lands.

We leave Antarctica and head north back across the Drake Passage, searching for seabirds and whales as we sail.

Disembarkation is scheduled for 9:00 am.