Day 1 .
Embarkation in Ushuaia, Argentina, and Beagle Channel:

In the early afternoon, you'll begin embarking them/v Ushuaia and familiarizing yourself with your new home for the next ten days. You'll participate in mandatory shipboard safety drills and get to know your expedition team and the ship's crew. We'll begin to set sail in the early evening and begin sailing through the historic Beagle Channel. The Beagle is a great place to observe all types of wildlife, including potentially your first penguin sightings. Dolphin, whales, and various bird species are frequently observed in the Beagle channel; so we suggest you bring your binoculars and spend as much time outside as possible during this transit.

Days 2/3.
Sailing the Drake Passage on our way to Antarctica:

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, 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 favorable 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.

Days 4-8.
Expedition days in Antarctica and S. Shetland Islands:

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 breathtaking.

King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. 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 (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 the Melchior Island group, 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.

NOTE: The extended 11 day itinerary will have one extra day in Antarctica!

Days 9/10
Departing Antarctica and reentering the Drake passage:

Sadly, our time in Antarctica has come to an end, but the adventure isn't over. We will reenter the Drake passage as we head back towards Ushuaia. Hopefully, we will still have plenty of wildlife sightings during the crossing, and the expedition team will continue to offer presentations.

Day 11.
Disembarkation in Ushuaia:

The time has come to say goodbye to the m/v Ushuaia, your expedition team and crew, as well as all the new friends you made. However, it should never be goodbye....rather "see you later!".

Your luggage will be collected and taken off the ship for you, where courtesy busses will be provided to take you to the airport to catch your departing flight or take you to the city center if you plan to stay in Ushuaia for a bit.

Shore excursions:

Landings will be the primary of objective of our trip, along with Zodiac cruises during our time in Antarctica. Landings will include visiting dense penguin colonies, research stations, trekking opportunities and maybe even the southern most post office in the world! While landings will be the main focus of activity days, weather will ultimately determine how many times we will be able to set foot onshore. While on shore, our guide team will be there to answer any questions you have, point out interesting wildlife, geological features and historical landmarks, as well as keep us safe from any potential hazards in the snow/ice.

Zodiac cruises:

Zodiac cruises are great for observing whales, icebergs, glaciers and penguins who may be out feeding at sea. Your driver will navigate around the area looking for wildlife and beautiful landscapes. By the end of the trip, Zodiac cruises tend to become the crowd favorite because of the vast diversity you get to experience on the cruises. Zodiac cruises are also a great opportunity to spend some quality time with your expedition guides. We all have our expertise, and as you rotate through drivers during the trip, you'll be able to get some one-on-one time with different drivers who love sharing their knowledge with you.

Ship Cruises:

In the event we encounter bad weather and are unable to disembark the ship, we will do what we call 'expedition day ship's cruise". This is when we try to reposition the ship to a more protected location, while observing the wildlife and landscape around us. During this reposition, we encourage everyone to bundle up, head outside and enjoy this scenery. During this time, one of the expedition team specialists will likely offer a presentation related to Antarctica Wildlife, History, conservation or more! If the ship finds a suitable area to conduct off-ship operations, we will try as hard as we can to follow-through with operations for the day.

A typical expedition day may look like this:

06:45: Wake-up call
07:00-08:00: Breakfast
08:30-11:30: Morning activity - Landing and Zodiac Cruise
12:30-13:30: Lunch (Ship relocates)
14:30-17:30: Afternoon Activity - Landing and Zodiac Cruise
18:30-19:30: Evening Recap with Expedition team
19:30: Dinner
21:00: Evening entertainment or presentations with Expedition team.

* All activities are subject to weather, scheduling and timing.

INCLUSIONS

• 10-day cruise with accommodation

• All Zodiac landings and excursions as per itinerary

• Rubber boot rentals

• Guiding and lectures by our expedition leader and team

• English-speaking expedition team

• Full board on the ship - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks

• Free tea and coffee 24 hours daily

• Taxes, Port fees, document fees

• Detailed post-expedition log

EXCLUSIONS

• Extra excursions and activities not mentioned in the itinerary

• Single room supplement and stateroom upgrades

• Meals not on board the ship

• Beverages (other than coffee and tea)

• Tips for the crew

• Personal expenses

• Anything not explicitly mentioned under ’Inclusions’

• Waterproof parka, pants or other gear not specified under ‘Inclusions’

A deposit of 10% of the cruise fare is required per person to confirm reservations.
A second deposit of 20% of the cruise fare is required 270 days prior to departure with final payment due 90 days prior to departure.
Credit card payments are done via PayPal, with a 5% convenience fee