As the white shimmer of Antarctica looms on the horizon, wildlife abounds along your projected route along the Antarctic Peninsula, with especially Antarctic fur seals, gentoo penguins and humpback whales being active in these wonderful waters.
You aim to take your time at these outings, allowing to deploy kayaks and arrange wonderful hikes in the pristine nature. The late season solitude creates unique memories as the sun sets and as you leave these isolated areas that most probably won’t welcome any visitors until next spring.
The projected landings include: Wilhelmina bay with plenty of humpback whales; Neko harbor with its gentoo penguins and seals; Brown station and Paradise harbor with wonderful views and on your way back north, a wonderful walk at Hannah Point awaits you.
The itinerary and activities over the next days depend on weather and ice conditions. The route and shore landings can be determined by the captain and expedition leader and communicated to guests through regularly scheduled briefings.
Please note that all the outings and landings rely on weather, sea and ice conditions being favorable both for the ship to access the areas, as for the zodiacs and kayaks to maneuver under adequate conditions, ensuring the safety of all the passengers and staff.
For this reason, during moments of harsh weather and throughout the entire trip, the ships offer excellent public areas such as wellness/sauna, restaurant, bar and a library for the passengers to spend their spare time. The ships are staffed by experts in the field who can also share great lectures along the way, ranging from exploration history to biology, geology, ice and wildlife.
Visitors to these far southern reaches in mid to late March/beginning of April experience large amounts of whales, wonderful sunsets, crisp fresh air, dustings of snow and other telltale signs of the seasonal change. Some penguin colonies are near deserted whilst others are very busy. Many say that this is the time to visit the real Antarctic, and have it all for yourselves. It is safe to say that there can be fewer other ships around as you wrap up the season.