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Voyage to the remote Bouvet Island on your polar expedition cruise

Bouvet Island

Example 29 Day Cruise aboard Ortelius
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Voyage to Bouvet Island - once believed to be completely inaccessible. In 2006, the Ortelius managed to land there successfully with some of its most adventurous passengers. Return to this remote outpost on an unforgettable opportunity in 2015. The first leg of this discovery cruise starts in Ushuaia, Argentina and offers the South Shetland Islands, followed by the South Sandwich Islands (home to several millions of chinstrap penguins, together with smaller colonies of Adélie, gentoo and macaroni penguins) and Bouvet island, ending in Ascension.
Bouvet Island view.Arctic macaroni penguins.A settlement on the island of Saint Helena.Bouvet Island view.Voyage to the remote Bouvet Island on your polar expedition cruise
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Embark in Ushuaia, Argentina

In the afternoon embark in Ushuaia and sail through the Beagle Channel.

Day 2-3: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In the Drake Passage witness a multitude of albatrosses, petrels and fulmars.

Day 4: South Shetland Islands

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In the South Shetland Islands land on King George Islands, where you will visit the Chilean, Russian, Chinese and Korean stations. In this area chances are good for encounters with gentoo penguins, Weddell seals, leopard seals and orcas.

Day 5-7: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Sail along the sea ice drifting north out of the Weddell Sea. Witness a multitude of albatrosses, petrels and fulmars.

Day 8: South Sandwich Islands

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In the rarely visited and uninhabited South Sandwich Islands (British), land on Southern Thule Island, a volcano with a caldera, where you can land near the derelict Argentinian base. Other islands are Cook Island and Bellingshausen Island, named after the discoverers who reached them. These volcanic islands, with an ice cap on the top, are windswept and often shrouded in mist and fog, but do offer subtle pleasures. There is a variety of flora (mosses, lichens and flowering grasses) and fauna, such as gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, and southern giant petrels. Elephant seals and sur seals also haul out at the beaches. Around the islands see large blue icebergs which have drifted there from the Weddell Sea. In blue ice grottos gentoo penguins congregate.

Day 9-11: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
At sea in the westerlies have a pleasant tailwind. Near the Antarctic Convergence, observe many species and great numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds.

Day 12-13: Bouvet Island

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Due to the unpredictability of landings at Bouvet, 48 hours are being allocated to be able to have multiple opportunities to land at Bouvet Island (Norwegian territory), another volcano in Antarctic waters topped by an ice-cap, with a rich fauna of seabirds and seals near the coasts. At the southwest side of the island you should have the best opportunities to land at Larsöya and Kapp Norvegia, which have some protection from the swell from the west. A third possibility is at Nyröysa, but this area is more exposed and partly out of bounds, as it is a nature reserve. These two days are reserved for landings at Bouvet Island.

Day 14-17: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
At sea in the westerlies witness side winds. On both sides of the Antarctic Convergence, observe many species and great numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds. You also arrive now in more temperate waters with their own brand of species.

Day 18: Gough Island

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Today plan to approach the unique Gough Island for zodiac cruising around the island, as always weather permitting. In previous years the ship has managed to circumnavigate all but four miles of the 33 mile circumference of the island in the ship, seeing spectacular scenery and an unprecedented abundance of wildlife.

Day 19-20: Tristan da Cunha archipelago

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
In the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, plan to call on the settlement at the west side of the main island. Also try to make landings at Nightingale Island or Inaccessible Island with millions of seabirds ranging from yellow-nosed albatrosses to brown noddies. Please note that your expedition team will try and approach for landings, however due to the weather conditions this is not always possible. Since Ortelius began voyages to Tristan da Cunha in 1998, 30% of the voyages were not able to make landings in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago due to adverse weather.

Day 21-24: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Enter sub-tropical waters with their own species of seabirds and dolphins.

Day 25-26: St Helena

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
St. Helena has a good anchorage and landing site. On this island, have ample opportunities to enjoy local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic plants and birds. Visit the place where Napoleon lived in exile. There will be opportunities to explore the Island on your own.

Day 27-28: At Sea

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Spend these two days at sea heading towards Ascension Island.

Day 29: Ascension Island

  • 1 Breakfast
Ascension Island is a dry volcanic island with a moist and richly vegetated top. The sooty tern (wide-awake) colony sometimes consists of more than 1 million breeding pairs. You may witness egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore in the evening. Disembark and fly with the scheduled RAF (Royal Air Force) flight to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, UK.

Ship/Hotel

Ortelius

M/V Ortelius Reception Area
M/V Ortelius at Torellneset, Spitsbergen
The bar and observation lounge aboard the Ortelius.

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$10,490
M/V Ortelius Quadruple Porthole
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Quadruple Porthole
4 quadruple cabins with 2 portholes, 2 upper / lower berths, Private shower & toilet, Desk & chair, Flatscreen TV, Telephone & WiFi (supplemented), Hairdryer, Ample storage space.
M/V Ortelius Triple Porthole
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Triple Porthole
4 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 on the Ortelius
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Twin Porthole
23 twin cabins with 2 portholes, 2 lower berths, Private shower & toilet, Desk & chair, Flatscreen TV, Telephone & WiFi (supplemented), Hairdryer, ample storage space.
Twin Window on the Ortelius
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Twin Window
10 twin cabins with 2 windows, 2 lower berths, Private shower & toilet, Desk & chair Flatscreen TV, Telephone & WiFi (supplemented), Hairdryer, ample storage space.
M/v Ortelius Twin Deluxe
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Twin Deluxe
6 superior cabins with 3 windows, 2 lower berths, Private shower & toilet, Desk & chair, Small sofa, Refrigerator, Coffee & tea maker, Flatscreen TV, Telephone & WiFi (supplemented), Hairdryer, ample storage space.
M/V Ortelius Superior Cabin
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Superior
1 suite with 2 windows (minimum), 1 double bed, 1 single (sofa) bed, Private shower & toilet, Desk & chair, Flatscreen TV, Telephone & WiFi (supplemented), Refrigerator, Coffee & tea maker, Hairdryer, ample storage space.

Notes

- 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.
- Children between the ages of 3-15 will be discounted 40% in triple or quad cabins, one child per cabin.
- 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.
Included
  • 13 Breakfasts, 12 Lunches, 13 Dinners

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