Join this 12-day voyage that sails across Bransfield Strait to an Antarctic Sound dawn, where tabular icebergs ride currents from the Weddell Sea. The Peninsula’s wild side welcomes you with a strange, ice-free landscape hiding renowned fossil beds and vast penguin colonies. Explore Prince Gustav Channel and fossil-rich Seymour Island. In contrast to the Weddell Sea’s wild isolation, the Peninsula’s west coast offers glaciated peaks rising from a maze of islands and waterways alive with seals, penguins, and whales. This itinerary includes a flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams and a town tour of Puerto Williams before the voyage.
Highlights
View vast tabular icebergs in the wild Weddell Sea
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Fly from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams. Enjoy a tour of the scenic port before being warmly welcomed aboard Polar Pioneer and having introductory and safety briefings prior to cruising down the Beagle Channel.
Ease into shipboard life as the ship crosses the Drake Passage. The ship naturalist and paleontologist expand your Antarctic knowledge and prepare you for landings. The outer decks and flying bridge provide excellent space to see and photograph wildlife.
Access to the Weddell Sea is totally ice-dependent. Calved from massive ice shelves, the tabular icebergs of Antarctic Sound create a memorable sight. The ship threads its way through waters alive with penguins against a backdrop of breathtaking volcanic scenery.
Weather systems and shifting pack ice dictate the schedule. Perhaps visit the vast Adélie and gentoo penguin colonies of Brown Bluff or Paulet Island and fossil-rich Seymour Island. Or hike to spectacular vantage points on Beak and Devil Islands. The ship may even reach the islands of Prince Gustav Channel. Wherever you go, wildlife, Heroic Age relics, and haunting landscapes await.
Head for the Peninsula’s beautiful western flanks to make full use of the late summer daylight hours and relatively ice-free waters. Wildlife stops on offshore islands, visiting historic huts, and Zodiac cruising amidst bergs and whales are all possibilities. Listen carefully for the otherworldly courtship song of the leopard seal.
Petrels, prions, and albatross accompany you across the Drake Passage. Final talks help polish your Antarctic education before making a ceremonial rounding of Cape Horn, time and weather permitting. Gather for a celebratory dinner as the ship enters the Beagle Channel.
Day 12: Ushuaia, Argentina | Disembark
1 Breakfast
A pre-dawn sail along the Beagle Channel and an early breakfast prepare you for docking in Ushuaia. There’s time for final photos and to say farewells before disembarking.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Twin Shared
Twin Shared Cabins have two lower bunks, a desk, small washbasin, ample storage and hanging space and portholes. Showers and toilets are very close by and are shared with other Main Deck cabins.
Notes
Please note that all of Polar Pioneer itineraries are at the mercy of weather conditions and not all landings are guaranteed. These itineraries are flexible and will change voyage to voyage, allowing the best chance to make the most of surprising wildlife displays and unexpected opportunities.
- Rates represent costs per person, double or triple occupancy. Request the Twin or Triple Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
Initial deposit is $2700 plus $250 USD deposit for any activities at the time of booking, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Adventure Life has a great team. They were very knowledgeable and responsive and helped us choose the right Arctic Expedition for us. We would recommend them.
Kbear
4 months ago
Friendly representative, ease of booking and bountiful information along the way.
Gary Brodarick
5 months ago
Erin was really helpful during the booking process! She met with me, answered all my questions and made the booking process really easy!
Adrianne Trogden
6 months ago
This was a life changing trip of a lifetime and exceeded my expectations. No details were left out during the planning of this trip by Adventure Life. The entire crew on the ship could not have been more helpful and kind. Everyone went out of their way to make this trip as pleasurable as possible.
