Antarctica

24 photos of the trip
in the gallery »

Title

Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage

Start – End

Tripcode

PLA26-25

Language

English speaking voyage

Ship

m/v Plancius

Embarkation / Disembarkation

Ushuaia - Ushuaia

Nights / Days

10 nights

Important

Kayaking is an optional activity

More about

Antarctica cruises

Antarctic Peninsula cruises

South Shetland Islands cruises

Cabins & Prices

Group request For reservations with more than 15 guests you can contact us directly

Itinerary

PLEASE NOTE:

All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. Landings are subject to site availabilities, permissions, and environmental concerns per IAATO regulations. Official sailing plans and landing slots are scheduled with IAATO prior to the start of the season, but the expedition leader determines the final plan. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. The average cruising speed for our vessel is 10.5 knots.

Short description

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 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 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.

Included in this voyage

Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary
All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
Comprehensive pre-departure material.

Excluded from this voyage

Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
Pre- and post- land arrangements.
Passport and visa expenses.
Government arrival and departure taxes.
Meals ashore.
Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).
Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).

Highlights you might experience

Photo Workshop

On select voyages, professional photographers will help you get the most out of your personal camera equipment

Snowshoeing

Explore your way inland from the Polar shorelines with a wide variety of snowshoeing expeditions built for everyone.

Kayaking

Kayaking is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the beautiful blue-and-white world of the peaceful polar seas

Deception Island

A volcanic island in the South Shetlands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula

Cuverville Island

Paradise Bay

A breathtakingly beautiful bay offering classic views of colossal ice formations and iconic Antarctic wildlife

Port Lockroy

A former British base built in 1944, Port Lockroy is located on Goudier Island near the Antarctic Peninsula

Lemaire Channel

A classic route for our expeditions to Antarctica, this iconic waterway serves as the gateway to the southern Antarctic Peninsula

Neko Harbour

A pleasant beach in Antarctica’s larger Andvord Bay, Neko Harbour is a scenic landing site that offers great views of gentoo penguins and a nearby glacier

Chinstrap Penguin

Though armed with the "stonebreaker" nickname and a quarrelsome reputation, these gentoo relatives are fading from the Antarctic – probably due to climate change

Gentoo Penguin

These hygienic divers are the only penguin species whose population is currently increasing along the Antarctic Peninsula

Weddell Seal

Named after the British navigator and sailor James Weddell, these extensively studied seals live farther south than any other mammal

m/v Plancius

Our most longstanding vessel, Plancius is a classic choice for some of our most popular polar voyages.

Full ship info »

70 photos of the ship
in the gallery »

Activities you can participate in

Photo Workshop

FREE

Participants with a special interest in photography will bring their personal photo equipment. The workshop must be pre-booked prior to departure.

Learn more

Snowshoeing

FREE

Snowshoe walking is easy and does not require any technical skills. The snowshoes will fit all boot sizes and can be used in combination with Oceanwide’s rubber boots

Learn more

Kayaking

on request

Basic kayaking experience is of advantage, but it is not a requirement. Physical fitness is essential. Kayaking is subject to weather and prevailing ice conditions.

Learn more

Cabins & Prices

Show description

Quadruple Porthole

Cabin size 12 m²
1 porthole
2 upper & lower berths
Private shower & toilet
Desk & chair
Flatscreen TV
Telephone & WiFi (supplemented)
Hair dryer
Ample storage space
Safe deposit box
This cabin is suitable for families traveling with children, or passengers who do not require a twin or more luxurious cabin

Complete cabin

24200 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

34600 USD

Sharing berth

6050 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price.

8650 USD

Show description

Triple Porthole

1 porthole
1 upper berth & 2 lower berths
Private shower & toilet
Desk & chair
Flatscreen TV
Telephone & WiFi (supplemented)
Hair dryer
Safe deposit box
Ample storage space
This cabin is suitable for families traveling with children, or passengers who do not require a twin or more luxurious cabin

Complete cabin

22500 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

32100 USD

Sharing berth

7500 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price.

10700 USD

Show description

Twin Porthole

Cabin size 12 m²
1 porthole
2 lower berths
Private shower & toilet
Desk & chair
Flatscreen TV
Telephone & WiFi (supplemented)
Hair dryer
Safe deposit box
Ample storage space

Complete cabin

15000 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

21400 USD

Single cabin

12750 USD

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

18190 USD

Sharing berth

7500 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price.

10700 USD

Show description

Twin Window

Cabin size between 12,5 m² and 13,5 m²
1 window
2 lower berths
Private shower & toilet
Desk & chair
Flatscreen TV
Telephone & WiFi (supplemented)
Hair dryer
Safe deposit box
Ample storage space

Complete cabin

15600 USD

Price for the complete cabin, fully occupied.

22300 USD

Single cabin

13260 USD

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

18955 USD

Sharing berth

7800 USD

Share your cabin with others for the best price.

11150 USD

Show description

Twin Deluxe

Cabin size 13,5 m²
2 windows
2 lower berths
Private shower & toilet
Desk & chair
Flatscreen TV
Telephone & WiFi (supplemented)
Hair dryer
Ample storage space
Safe deposit box
These cabins are corner cabins and are slightly more spacious than the normal twin porthole/window cabins