Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage

Classic Antarctica including Deception Island

19 photos of trip
in the gallery »

Cruise route
Title: Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage
Dates:
Tripcode: JNS27-22
Duration: 10 nights
Ship: m/v Janssonius
Embarkation: Ushuaia
Disembarkation: Ushuaia
Language: English speaking voyage
Important: Camping and kayaking are optional activities
More about: Antarctica cruises
Antarctic Peninsula cruises
South Shetland Islands cruises
 
Cabins & prices
Itinerary

PLEASE NOTE: All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. The on-board expedition leader determines the final itinerary. Itineraries may mention places that require permission to land, which must be granted by the relevant national authorities. Such permission is not granted prior to the publishing of these itineraries. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. Average cruising speed of m/v Janssonius is 10,5 knots.

This Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands cruise delivers you into a landscape of dark rugged rock, pure white snow, and a fantastic variety of wildlife. Come say hello to whales, seals, and thousands of penguins.

Day 1: End of the world, start of a journey

Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening. 

Day 2 - 3: Path of the polar explorers

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

Day 4 - 7: Enter the Antarctic

Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands. 
 
Sites you may visit include: 
 
Danco Island – Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.
 
Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
 
Paradise Bay – You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.

Port Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.
 
There are great opportunities also for kayaking and camping in this area, and when conditions are right, you can even snowshoe around the shore and to the old ski-way at nearby Damoy Point.

Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland

The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels). In Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.
 
As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Day 9 - 10: Familiar seas, familiar friends

Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Day 11: There and back again

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.

Highlights you might experience

Antarctic Camping

Antarctic Camping

Kayaking

Kayaking

Zodiac Cruising & Shore Program

Zodiac Cruising & Shore Program

Neptune's Bellows

Neptune's Bellows

Cuverville Island

Cuverville Island

Paradise Bay

Paradise Bay

Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy

Neko Harbour

Neko Harbour

Chinstrap Penguin

Chinstrap Penguin

Gentoo Penguin

Gentoo Penguin

Leopard Seal

Leopard Seal

Weddell Seal

Weddell Seal

m/v Janssonius

Janssonius, our newest, most advanced vessel Polar Class 6 cruise ship, exceeding all the latest green requirements of the Polar Code Full ship info »

38 photos of ship
in the gallery »

ACTIVITIES YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN

Camping

195 USD 26 places left
Camping

Kayaking

450 USD 26 places left
Kayaking

Cabins & Prices

Quadruple Porthole

Windows Windows Info Info
  • 2 portholes
  • 2 upper & lower berths
  • Small sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
  • This cabin is suitable for families traveling with children, or passengers who do not require a twin or more luxurious cabin
Complete cabin
32200 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Sharing berth
8050 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price

Triple Porthole

Windows Windows Info Info
  • 2 portholes
  • 1 upper berth & 2 lower berths
  • Small sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
  • This cabin is suitable for families traveling with children, or passengers who do not require a twin or more luxurious cabin
Complete cabin
27300 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Sharing berth
9100 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price

Twin Porthole

Windows Windows Info Info
  • 2 portholes
  • 2 single beds
  • Small sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
Complete cabin
19900 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
16915 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

Sharing berth
9950 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price

Twin Window

Windows Info Info
  • 1 window
  • 2 single beds
  • Small sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
  • Please be aware that the view from some windows might be partially obstructed due to the design requirements of the ship
Complete cabin
20800 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
17680 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

Sharing berth
10400 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price

Twin Deluxe

Windows Windows Info Info
  • 2 windows
  • 2 single beds
  • Sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Refrigerator
  • Coffee & tea maker
  • Bathrobe
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
Complete cabin
22000 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
18700 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

Sharing berth
11000 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price

Superior

Windows Windows Info
  • 2 windows
  • 1 double bed
  • Sofa
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Refrigerator
  • Coffee & tea maker
  • Bathrobe
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
Complete cabin
23800 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
20230 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

Junior Suite

Windows Windows Info
  • 1 double window
  • 1 double bed
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Refrigerator
  • Coffee & tea maker
  • Bathrobe
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
Complete cabin
25200 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
21420 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

Grand Suite with private balcony

Windows Windows Info
  • 1 double window
  • 1 double bed
  • Sofa
  • Private balcony
  • Private shower & toilet
  • Flatscreen TV
  • Desk & chair
  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)
  • Refrigerator
  • Coffee & tea maker
  • Bathrobe
  • Hair dryer
  • Cabinet
  • Wardrobe
Complete cabin
28900 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

Single cabin
24565 USD

Price for the complete cabin occupied by 1 person (1.7x the shared rate).

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