Antarctica Cruises & Tours

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Ship: Marina Svetaeva

Itinerary: Icebergs and Emperors

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 cabins & deck plans  |  additional itineraries  |  cancellation policy

On 2 December 1911 in his 6000-ton ship 'Aurora' Douglas Mawson sailed into Commonwealth Bay where landfall was made at Cape Denison. Mawson and his men had unwittingly discovered the windiest place on the planet. Despite the loss of two companions and his own struggle to survive, the beauty of East Antarctica drew Mawson back in years to come. We hope to visit Mawson's Hut at Commonwealth Bay, with the whim of the winds on our side.

Day 1 : Arrive in Hobart, Australia

Arrive in Hobart and stay overnight in hotel.

Day 2 : Depart Hobart

Morning transfers take us to Marina Svetaeva where Aurora staff and Russian crew welcome us aboard before we set off down D'Entrecasteaux Channel and turn south along Tasmania's east coast.

Days 3-4 : Tasman Sea

We make our way towards Macquarie Island some 850 nautical miles to the south, accompanied by soaring albatross, shearwaters and flighty petrels. Entertaining and informative talks enhance our understanding of the wildlife, oceanography and history of the mighty Southern Ocean.

Days 5-6 : Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island, where Mawson set up his communication base in December 1911, is home to some three million royal penguins, hundreds of thousands of inquisitive king penguins, and nesting albatross. On the beach of this World Heritage area, we may encounter elephant seals in wallows and frisky fur seals peeking through strands of bull kelp.

Days 7-9 : Southern Ocean

Time to reflect on our Macquarie Island visit and continue our informative talks to prepare us for Antarctica. Just south of Macquarie Island, we cross the Antarctic Convergence. We may see our first icebergs any time now.

Days 10-12 : Commonwealth Bay

Reputedly the windiest place on earth, the Cape Denison Historic Site is located near the South Magnetic Pole. Weather permitting, we plan to make a landing and to visit Mawson's Hut. With luck we may also see Wilson's storm-petrels, Weddell seals, Adelie penguins and perhaps some skuas.

Day 13 : Dumont D'Urville

Overnight we wend our way through iceberg-adorned seas to Petrel Island or the sea ice edge, home of the French research station Dumont D'Urville and the nesting ground of snow and Wilson's storm petrels. We hope to visit the station, walk the island shores and take Zodiacs out to admire the ice front of the Astrolabe Glacier.

Days 14-16 : East Antarctic Coastline

We follow the route taken by Captain John King Davis in 1912 as he pushed the SY Aurora through pack ice to find a place for Mawson's Western Party to winter. Like Davis, our path will be dictated by ice and weather, but we hope to get close to the Dibble Iceberg Tongue and push along the Wilkes and Sabrina Coasts as far west as time allows, watching for emperor penguins along the way. What a Christmas treat!

Day 17 : Port Martin

As make our way east again, we hope to stop at this rocky toehold on the Antarctic Plateau, usually out of reach of the katabatic winds of Commonwealth Bay. Here we may search for signs of the French Base abandoned because of a fire in the 1950s, and visit a lively Adelie penguin colony.

Day 18 : Mertz Glacier

We pass the awesome ice tongue of the Mertz Glacier, a natural boundary that attracts wildlife including the larger whale species. Should the opportunity arise, we could take a closer look from our Zodiacs.

Days 19-21 : Oates Land Coast

We thread through the maze of icebergs formed by the Mertz Glacier to reach open water along the Oates Land Coast. With our helicopters we hope to chart a route and explore as much as we can of this seldom-visited coast.

Days 22-24 : Southern Ocean

As we head north we welcome time at sea to assimilate the rich experiences of the past few weeks.

Day 25 : Auckland Island Group

After our weeks spent south, we delight in the luxurious rata forests found on these islands. We search for rare yellow-eyed penguins, the endemic teal duck and powerful Hooker sea lions. If conditions permit, we may use our Zodiacs to obtain views of breeding grounds of both shy and wandering albatross.

Days 26-27 : Island Exploration

This morning we may continue our explorations of the New Zealand Sub Antarctic islands. We then start our journey home across the Southern Ocean towards Australia.

Day 28 : Disembark in Hobart

We expect to dock at Hobart in the early morning. We disembark and farewell new friends, or join them to explore this atmospheric town before transfers to the airport.

Ship Description: Marina Svetaeva

Svetaeva was built in the famous Gdynia Poland ship yards in 1989 as an ice strengthened passenger vessel. Pronounced "Svetayva" and named after the famous Russian poet, contemporary of Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova, she was built to transport people across frozen oceans in the Arctic and northern Pacific Oceans. She now spends the northern summers around the coast of the beautiful island of Sakhalin north of Japan. She was refurbished in early 2005 to provide comfortable but not luxurious accommodations for 100 passengers and 41 Russian crew. A helideck was added so that 2 helicopters could provide the magical key to unlock the secrets of the heavily iced coastlines of Deep Antarctica.

A fleet of Zodiacs with outboard motors will add to our ability to come to grips with Antarctica.

The ship is characterized by spacious cabins and large public spaces, including the bridge and outer decks, library, lecture room and bar.

Quad share Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.	Triple Share Two lower berths and one upper, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.
Twin Share Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a wash basin. Showers and toilets are located in the companionway outside the cabin.	Twin Private Two lower berths, a desk, wardrobes and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin.
Mini Suite Lounge with desk and settee. A separate bedroom has two single beds. Private bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-basin. Ample storage. TV monitor, video player, fridge, tea and coffee making.	Suite Large lounge with desk and settee. A separate bedroom has a double and a single bed. Private bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-basin. Ample storage. TV monitor, video player, fridge, tea and coffee making.