Join this 12-day voyage that sails across Bransfield Strait to an Antarctic Sound dawn, where tabular icebergs ride currents from the Weddell Sea. The Peninsula’s wild side welcomes you with a strange, ice-free landscape hiding renowned fossil beds and vast penguin colonies. Explore Prince Gustav Channel and fossil-rich Seymour Island. In contrast to the Weddell Sea’s wild isolation, the Peninsula’s west coast offers glaciated peaks rising from a maze of islands and waterways alive with seals, penguins, and whales. This itinerary includes a flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams and a town tour of Puerto Williams before the voyage.
Day-by-Day Summary
Day 1 : Punta Arenas | Fly to Puerto Williams | Embark Days 2-3 : Drake Passage Day 4 : Weddell Sea Days 5-6 : Eastern Antarctic Peninsula Days 7-9 : Western Antarctic Peninsula Days 10-11 : Drake Passage Day 12 : Ushuaia, Argentina | Disembark
Highlights
View vast tabular icebergs in the wild Weddell Sea
Fly from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams. Enjoy a tour of the scenic port before being warmly welcomed aboard Polar Pioneer and having introductory and safety briefings prior to cruising down the Beagle Channel.
Ease into shipboard life as the ship crosses the Drake Passage. The ship naturalist and paleontologist expand your Antarctic knowledge and prepare you for landings. The outer decks and flying bridge provide excellent space to see and photograph wildlife.
Access to the Weddell Sea is totally ice-dependent. Calved from massive ice shelves, the tabular icebergs of Antarctic Sound create a memorable sight. The ship threads its way through waters alive with penguins against a backdrop of breathtaking volcanic scenery.
Weather systems and shifting pack ice dictate the schedule. Perhaps visit the vast Adélie and gentoo penguin colonies of Brown Bluff or Paulet Island and fossil-rich Seymour Island. Or hike to spectacular vantage points on Beak and Devil Islands. The ship may even reach the islands of Prince Gustav Channel. Wherever you go, wildlife, Heroic Age relics, and haunting landscapes await.
Head for the Peninsula’s beautiful western flanks to make full use of the late summer daylight hours and relatively ice-free waters. Wildlife stops on offshore islands, visiting historic huts, and Zodiac cruising amidst bergs and whales are all possibilities. Listen carefully for the otherworldly courtship song of the leopard seal.
Petrels, prions, and albatross accompany you across the Drake Passage. Final talks help polish your Antarctic education before making a ceremonial rounding of Cape Horn, time and weather permitting. Gather for a celebratory dinner as the ship enters the Beagle Channel.
Day 12 Ushuaia, Argentina | Disembark
1 Breakfast
A pre-dawn sail along the Beagle Channel and an early breakfast prepare you for docking in Ushuaia. There’s time for final photos and to say farewells before disembarking.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
$8,725
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Triple Shared
Triple Cabins have two lower and one upper berth, a desk, a small washbasin, storage and hanging space and portholes. Showers and toilets are very close by and are shared with other Main Deck cabins.
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Twin Shared
Twin Shared Cabins have two lower bunks, a desk, small washbasin, ample storage and hanging space and portholes. Showers and toilets are very close by and are shared with other Main Deck cabins.
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Twin Private
Twin Private Cabins have two lower bunks, a desk, windows, and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin. Two cabins have upper and lower bunks (cabins 402 and 403).
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Mini Suite
Mini Suites have a separate small bedroom with double bed, a sofa bed in the main room, a desk, video player and TV, windows and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin.
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Suite
The Suite features a large lounge area, a separate small bedroom with double bed, a sofabed in the main room, a video player and TV, refrigerator, large forward and side facing windows, and a private bathroom with shower, toilet and washbasin.
Notes
Please note that all of Polar Pioneer itineraries are at the mercy of weather conditions and not all landings are guaranteed. These itineraries are flexible and will change voyage to voyage, allowing the best chance to make the most of surprising wildlife displays and unexpected opportunities.
- Rates represent costs per person, double or triple occupancy. Request the Twin or Triple Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
- Single costs are 1.7 times the twin rate
Voyage Inclusions:
• One-way flight between Punta Arenas, Chile and Puerto Williams, Chile (or vice versa)
• Puerto Williams town and surrounds tour
• Polar Photography Workshops
• Antarctic Camping on the ice (weather permitting)
• Scenic flight over breathtaking Cordillera Darwin (Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams)
• Transfer from Puerto Williams airport to ship
• Shipboard accommodation with daily cabin service
• All shipboard meals and snacks, including tea and coffee
• All shore excursions and Zodiac outings
• Guiding services by your expert team, including lecture program
• Basic medical services, if required
• Port taxes, charges and landing fees
• Luggage transfer to ship
• Loan of expedition boots during voyage
• Comprehensive pre-departure information, including destination primer
• A waterproof polar jacket to keep
• Photo book from images taken during your voyage
Voyage Exclusions:
• Flights or transfers to or from expedition starting point
• Arrival or departure taxes
• Visa, passport and vaccination charges
• Any arrangements, tours or optional activities not included in the expedition itinerary
• Travel insurance
• All items of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages, laundry services, personal clothing, gratuities, medical expenses and email or phone charges
Initial deposit is $2700, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card. Alternatively, you can register online here.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge.
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
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