Emperor Penguins: Snow Hill Island Safari

Days 1-2 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Arrive in Ushuaia and transfer independently to our conveniently located hotel. The next day, eat breakfast at your hotel before enjoying a leisurely day of exploring the area. In the late afternoon, board the Kapitan Khlebnikov to start your adventure.

Days 3-4 Crossing the Drake Passage

We sail across the Drake Passage and into the Southern Ocean under austral spring skies tinged with pink by late sunsets. Our ornithologists fill in the details on the Emperor Penguins' biology, unique habitat and adaptive behavior, while our photography experts lead practical onboard workshops. Up on deck, look for Wandering Albatross, shearwaters, whales and dolphins. And, if the skies are clear, watch the horizon for Elephant Island, where Sir Ernest Shackleton left the stranded Endurance crew while he and five men sailed a lifeboat 800 miles to South Georgia to secure their rescue.

Days 5-7 Snow Hill: Walking Among the Emperors

As on any Antarctic expedition, but particularly on this voyage, our itinerary may have to be modified in response to changing weather and ice conditions; naturally our objective is to visit the Emperor Penguin colony in the best possible weather. On the approach to Snow Hill Island, the Captain and Expedition Leader use air reconnaissance data to choose the best place to position the icebreaker. As we draw near, a few curious penguins may be attracted to the open water by the ship, so keep a look out.

After flying by helicopter to a site that is safely away from the rookery, we walk across the meters-thick sea ice and pause a short distance from the penguins so they are able to adjust to our presence and we can attune ourselves to their relatively quiet ways. When we visit early in the breeding season, the Emperor chicks are still young, so you will possibly see them brooding on their parents' feet or huddling together in large, communal crouches. (As adults they will use the huddle to survive the bitter cold of the austral winter; forming dense groups and keeping their backs to the wind, each bird gradually moves inward to benefit from the warmth at the center, then returns to the edge again so that others may take a turn.) You also witness the Emperors' characteristic displays and can listen for noisy "feeding exchanges."

And of course nothing can match the sight of these remarkable creatures tobogganing, with surprising speed, across the ice - or shooting out of the sea and onto shore. Best of all, this exclusive Quark Expeditions adventure offers photographers and nature lovers extended time in the rookery, so you have plenty of chances to observe and record the Emperor Penguin's life in its natural environment. No other Antarctic travel company comes here, because only a purpose-built polar icebreaker can penetrate the Weddell Sea this early in the season.

Days 8-11 Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetlands

As we resume our journey back through the Antarctic Sound, our exact route and the number of possible Zodiac landings will depend on the variable conditions encountered throughout the voyage up to this point. Our plan is to land at Brown Bluff on the Trinity Peninsula - the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula - joining the select few who have actually set foot on the White Continent. Although the focus of our expedition is mainly on the Emperor Penguin, we also hope to visit colonies of Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as they return with the Antarctic summer to breed on the Peninsula. Further on, we sail past the remote South Shetland Islands, a chain that boasts a profusion of wildlife and is home to 12 research stations operated by various countries. (Under the Antarctic Treaty, which suspends all territorial claims, the islands are not controlled by any one nation.) Time and weather conditions permitting, you can look forward to further sightings of penguins, seabirds and seals along the way.

Days 12-14 Cruising back to Ushuaia

While every expedition has its own special character, all conclude on a familiar note - a lively debate over how best to safeguard the future of Antarctica and protect extraordinary species like the Emperor Penguin. Your Expedition Team specialists, in their engaging recap sessions, challenge all of us to become ambassadors for Antarctic conservation. Meanwhile, the ship makes its way across the Drake Passage and through the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. After a last superb meal on board the Kapitan Khlebnikov, transfer to the airport for your flight home.