Classic Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is the most readily accessible area of the White Continent with some of the best wildlife and scenery. Our Antarctic Peninsula voyages include as much wildlife viewing as possible while allowing you plenty of time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery, glaciers, blue and white icebergs, and towering mountains.

Your journey begins and ends in the southernmost town in the world - Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego - which nestles between the spectacular snowcapped mountains of the Andes and the Beagle Channel. The first stage of the voyage is across the infamous Drake Passage, accompanied by whales, dolphins, albatrosses and other seabirds.

Your first stop is the Shetland Islands, where you visit enormous penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and observe wallowing elephant seals. One of the many highlights here is sailing into the flooded caldera of Deception Island where the brave can take a dip in the warm thermal waters inside.

Next, you move on to the Antarctic Peninsula, where you have plenty of time to experience the special magic of this aweinspiring wilderness. You visit enormous gentoo, chinstrap, and Adelie penguin rookeries and see blue-eyed shags, kelp gulls, Cape petrels, snowy sheathbills and many other birds. You're also likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, while orcas, humpback and minke whales are often encountered at close range depending on ice and weather conditions.

In fact, there are more cetaceans here than almost anywhere else in the world. From deck you may notice you’re being accompanied by a school of boisterous hourglass dolphins, following a pod of orca as they hunt among the ice floes or watching humpback whales breaching in front of a wilderness of icebergs.

Itineraries vary, but some visit Paradise Harbour, filled with a mind-boggling array of icebergs; the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, with its towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers; Port Lockroy, with its thriving colonies of penguins; and Petermann Island, with Adelie and gentoo penguins, skuas and blue-eyed shags.

Itinerary

Day 1: Board your ship & leave Ushuaia.

Days 2-3: Cross the Drake Passage.

Days 4-8: First explore the South Shetland Islands, including Deception Island. Next journey through the Gerlache coastline of the Antarctic Peninsula, in search of whales, seals & penguins.

Days 9-10: Head north on the Drake Passage.

Day 11: Arrive Ushuaia.

11 days, from £8,365 (voyage only)

Departures: Oct-Feb

See pages 54-55 for dates

Embark/Disembark: Ushuaia/ Ushuaia

Vessels: Sylvia Earle, Plancius, Ortelius, Ocean Adventurer & Greg Mortimer

Why book Classic Antarctica?

For a chance to savour the extraordinary world of Antarctica and its unique wildlife populations.

ཀྵ Polar wilderness

ཀྵ Once-in-a-lifetime experience

ཀྵ Close wildlife encounters

Wildlife Highlights

ཀྵ Gentoo & chinstrap penguins

ཀྵ Humpback, minke & fin whales

ཀྵ Orcas

ཀྵ Giant southern petrels & other seabirds

Activities

Bird & whale watching, Zodiac cruises, sea kayaking, camping, exploring old whaling stations

I still get goosebumps thinking about waking up and seeing the Antarctic Peninsula for the first time. A gang of gentoo penguins were jumping from the ice and I knew this trip would be epic. I was not disappointed.

Chris Osborn, Wildlife Travel Consultant

South Shetland Islands

Deception Island