Holidays in the Weddell Sea

Day 1 Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina

Enjoy the Argentinean leather markets and succulent lamb dishes that make Patagonia famous as you explore the southernmost town in the world. Highlights of Ushuaia include an award-winning museum and trips to nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park and its popular “Train at the End of the World”.

Day 2 Embarkation

Arriving at the ship in the afternoon, you will be greeted by your Expedition Team and ship's officers at a safety and orientation briefing followed by the Captain's welcome dinner. After dinner, relax and take in the mountainous scenery on an early evening sail down the Beagle Channel past Magellanic Penguin, Rock Cormorant, and Sea Lion colonies.

Days 3-4 Drake Passage

Among the wildlife spotting opportunities as you sail south are the Albatrosses, Prions, and Petrels that frequently follow the ship. Your Expedition Team will be out on deck as well, looking for the Whales and Dolphins that may also be seen in the area. Experts will begin the presentations with informative and entertaining lectures on the wildlife, history, and geology of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Helpful briefings on environmental regulations and expedition safety will also be held in the comfortable lecture hall.

Days 5-12 Antarctica including east and west coasts of the Antarctic Peninsula

The land of superlatives, Antarctica! Your Expedition Leader and Captain will create a flexible itinerary based on weather, ice, and opportunity to include as much of the diversity of the Antarctic Peninsula as possible.

Hope to begin with Christmas Eve at Elephant Island, the most notorious island in Antarctic history where 22 bedraggled members of the Endurance expedition lived under two upturned lifeboats for 135 days awaiting the return of their leader, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Weather permitting; attempt a landing at historic Cape Wild, now home to chinstrap penguins and a memorial bust.

Aawake Christmas Day in the astounding ice of the Weddell Sea where the majestic emperor penguin is a likely sighting as you navigate farther south. Huge tabular icebergs calved from the ice shelves of the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula will challenge the limits of your appreciation for nature.

Continue with landings and cruises in the Antarctic Sound. Known as “Iceberg Alley”, the sound is an astonishing assortment of floating ice both large and small as well as a large concentration of Adélie penguins. Hope to visit the Adélies on the Antarctic continent at Brown Bluff or Hope Bay. The 48 kilometer-long (30 mile) waterway is your gateway from the Weddell Sea to the South Shetland Islands and the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The west side features the most scenic bays and channels of the Peninsula with penguin rookeries, seal wallows, bird colonies and whale feeding areas as well as sites of historic and scientific interest. The trip may include picturesque Neko Harbor, sheltered Paradise Harbor, the Humpback Whale favored Wilhelmina Bay, the striking Lemaire Channel, the wildlife-filled Penola Channel, or the majestic Neumayer Channel. You may stop in an active scientific base such as Poland’s Arctowksi or Ukraine’s Vernadskiy as well as an historic base such as U.K.’s Port Lockroy or Wordie House. Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins abound, and Weddell, Crabeater and Elephant Seals are often found hauled out to rest along with the predatory Leopard Seal and the aggressive Antarctic Fur Seal. Minke and Humpback Whales are frequent visitors in the late season and Orca sightings are also common.

New Year’s Eve will be celebrated during your last night among the icebergs as you say good bye to the Deep South.

Days 13-14 Drake Passage

Continue your lecture series and wildlife spotting as you sail back to Ushuaia and reflect on beautiful Antarctica and its fragile future. Arrive at Ushuaia in the early hours of Day 15.

Day 15 Ushuaia / Disembark

Morning disembarkation lets you catch a flight to Buenos Aires or stay in Ushuaia for more sights and adventure.