South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands & the Antarctic Peninsula
« All Ortelius cruise options
- Day 1 Puerto Madryn, Argentina
- Days 2-3 At Sea
- Day 4 Falkland Islands
- Days 5-7 At Sea
- Days 8-10 South Georgia
- Day 11 At Sea
- Days 12-13 South Sandwich Islands
- Day 14 At Sea
- Day 15 South Orkney Islands
- Day 16 Elephant Island
- Day 17 South Shetland Islands
- Days 18-20 Antarctic Peninsula
- Days 21-22 At Sea
- Day 23 Ushuaia / Disembark
| Dates | Deck + Cabin Type | ||||
| Quadruple Porthole | Twin Porthole | Twin Window | Superior | Suite | |
| Nov 1 '13 |
$11,350 | $13,950 | $14,550 | $16,700 | $18,550 |
| Bilingual voyage: English & German | |||||
- Please note: There will be an additional fuel surcharge of US $25 per passenger per night on Antarctic voyages for the 2012-13 season.
- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the double occupancy rate.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Ortelius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Deposit & Payment - Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double occupancy.
- Cabins are available for single occupancy at 1.7 times the double occupancy rate.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Ortelius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Day 1 Puerto Madryn, Argentina
In the afternoon, embark in Puerto Madryn and set sail to the Falkland Islands.
Days 2-3 At Sea
On your way to the Falkland Islands, the ship is followed by several species of albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
Day 4 Falkland Islands
In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) plan to spend the whole day on the fascinating western side of the archipelago. A hike along the Shore of Carcass Island will give you views of Magellanic and Gentoo-Penguins, as well as close encounters with water fowl and Night herons and passerines. In addition, on Saunders you will be able to observe four species of breeding penguins (Gentoo, King, Magellanic and Rockhopper), Black-browed Albatrosses and King Cormorants.
Days 5-7 At Sea
Continuing on your polar expedition cruise, make your way to South Georgia across the Antarctic Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop by as much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the Convergence you will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship; several species of Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels, Prions and Skuas.
Days 8-10 South Georgia
Visit the areas where the German explorers, von Neumayer, Drygalski, Filchner, Kohl-Larsen, have worked and put their marks (e.g. Grytviken, Royal Bay/Moltke Harbour, Drygalski Fjord and more). The sites visited give a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and wildlife, like King and Macaroni Penguins, Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Fur Seals, and Elephant Seals. There will be opportunities for walkers in the group to hike on South Georgia. All hiking excursions are subject to weather and landing site availability. The voyage in South Georgia ends at Drygalski Fjord, which is a great scenic place for zodiac cruising.
Day 11 At Sea
On your way to South Sandwich Islands again be followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Southern Atlantic.
Days 12-13 South Sandwich Islands
At the rarely visited and uninhabited South Sandwich Islands (British Territory) try to land on Zavodovski Island, home to over a million pairs of breeding Chinstrap Penguins, making it one of the world's largest penguin colonies. Other landings will be pursued on the steep-sided Candlemas Island, Saunders Island and Montagu Island. These volcanic islands, discovered by James Cook in 1775, with an ice cap on the top, are windswept and often shrouded in mist and fog, but do offer subtle pleasures. There is a nice variety of flora (mosses, lichens and flowering grasses) and fauna, such as Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins and Southern Giant Petrels. Elephant Seals and Fur Seals also haul out at the beaches. This is the area where you will meet the remains of the huge table ice bergs from the Weddell Sea of which those deep blue ice bergs remain with penguins huddling in ice grottos. Southern Thule is a huge crater with a natural harbour like Deception Island. German explorer Wilhelm Filchner visited the South Shetland Islands in November 1911 onboard the ´Deutschland´ prior to exploring the unknown Weddell Sea.
Day 14 At Sea
Sailing along the ice edge to the west the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At the edge of the pack-ice which extends far to the north you might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the McCormick Skua and Snow Petrel. and the elusive Emperor Penguin.
Day 15 South Orkney Islands
If the island are not still surrounded by sea-ice plan a visit to Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show you their facilities and enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding glaciers.
Day 16 Elephant Island
In the evening your expert crew will try to land at Elephant Island, or just cruise by. You will spend only a few hours here. Depending on the weather conditions (often very challenging) visit Point Lookout on the South side of the Island or Point Wild on the North Coast. Point Lookout is a favored haul-out site for Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Point Wild is the historical outpost west of Cape Valentine where Shackleton’s men beached here after the Endurance sank in the Weddell Sea. Shackleton started from here his successful open-boat passage to South Georgia. Shackleton´s voyage onboard `James Caird´ was originally retraced by German explorer Arved Fuchs in a replica of the boat. A brave adventure.
Day 17 South Shetland Islands
Land at Half Moon Island at the South Shetland Islands, where you can observe Elephant, Weddell and Fur Seals as well as Chinstrap Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Snowy Sheathbills, Antarctic Terns and Antarctic Brown Skuas. At Deception Island, sail into the crater through the spectacular narrow entrance Neptune’s Bellow into the ring of the caldera to reach Whalers Bay. Deception itself is a sub-ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
Days 18-20 Antarctic Peninsula
On your way south, sail to Danco Island and Cuverville Island in the Errera Channel, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula. It contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. Hope for a continental landing at Neko Harbour in Andvord Bay. Your team is aiming to sail further south to Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, while having chances of seeing large Whales. Have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. Land at the Argentinian station Almirante Brown, which is most of the time not manned. Sailing South through the Lemaire Channel visit Petermann Island (named after the German geographer August Petermann), the most southery point of this voyage. Head back North with direction Neumayer Channel (named after German scientist Georg von Neumayer). Aim for the historic British station Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. Hope for a landing on the neighbouring island Jougla Point which is inhabited by Gentoo Penguins and Imperial Shags. Sailing north again through Neumayer Channel and Gerlache Strait, pass by the Melchior Islands with a final glimpse at the beautiful landscape with icebergs, where you may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales. Leave from here to the open sea with direction Ushuaia.
Days 21-22 At Sea
On your way north again are followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.
Day 23 Ushuaia / Disembark
Arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.
Itinerary Notes
Fares include:• Voyage aboard the Ortelius.
• All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
• Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
• All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
• Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
• Comprehensive pre-departure material.
Not included:
Any airfare whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post land arrangements; transfers to the vessel; 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; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Please note:
It is agreed that if world fuel prices will reach or exceed US Dollar $120 per Barrel Brent 90 days prior to departure the Ortelius reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of US $25 per passenger per night.
Deposit & Payment
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, and Discover. Alternatively, you can send a check to our Missoula, Montana, office or register online at: https://www.adventure-life.com/forms/fourways.php
Final payment is due 70 days prior to departure.
Final payment by transfer, check or Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Amex. Credit Card payments subject to variable credit card fee.
Booking last minute? No problem! Please contact one of our trip planners, and we can get you on your way if booking less than 70 days prior to departure.
Click here to see a copy of our Terms and Conditions.
Cancellation Policy
| Days Prior to departure | Fee |
|---|---|
| 90 days or more | 25% deposit |
| 89-60 days | 55% trip cost |
| 59-0 days | 100% trip cost |
Ortelius
- Ship Highlights
- Passengers : 106
The ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” is an excellent vessel for Polar expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctica, providing us with possibilities to adventure remote locations such as the Ross Sea and Franz Josef Land.
“Ortelius” was built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, was named “Marina Svetaeva”, and served as a special purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. The vessel is re-flagged and renamed “Ortelius”. As Plancius, Ortelius was a Dutch / Flemish cartographer. Abraham Ortelius (1527 – 1598) published the first modern world atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theatre of the World in 1570. At that time, the atlas was the most expensive book ever printed.
The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1 equivalent to 1A) and is therefore very suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice and loose multi-year pack ice. “Ortelius” is a great expedition vessel for 100 passengers with lots of open-deck spaces and a very large bridge which is accessible to the passengers. The vessel is manned by 34 highly experienced Russian nautical crew, 15 international catering staff, including stewardesses, 6 expedition staff (1 expedition leader and 5 guides/lecturers) and 1 doctor.
”Ortelius” offers a comfortable hotel standard, with two restaurants, a bar/lecture room and a sauna. Voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 100 on the “Ortelius”, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities.
The vessel offers basic but comfortable cabins and public spaces. The cabin lay-out is as follows: 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins); 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths; 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room, and 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. All cabins are spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin.
| Cabins | |
|---|---|
 | Quadruple Porthole 5 quadruple cabins with bunk beds and private facilities (these can also be used as triple or twin cabins). Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Twin Porthole 23 twin cabins with portholes, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |
| Twin Window 10 twin cabins with windows, private toilet and shower and 2 single lower berths. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin | |
 | Superior 6 superior cabins with double beds, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin |
| Suite 1 suite with a double bed, private toilet and shower and a separate day room. Spacious outside cabins with a minimum of two portholes or windows per cabin. | |
