Emblematic Antarctica

Arrive at Buenos Aires, relax and spend the overnight here preparing for your adventure.  (You'll need to transfer independently from the airport, or from any other independent pre-cruise travels.  You'll have a "meet and greet" at the hotel with Ponant's local representative, and the ability to check in from late morning onwards.)  
 

Early morning breakfast will be served before leaving on a provided transfer from your Buenos Aires hotel, bound for the airport for your flight from Buenos Aires – Ushuaia.  (Approximate flight duration: 3 hours, 30 min.)  Once in Ushuaia, you'll have another "meet and greet" at the airport with proper instructions provided for the rest of the day...

Depending on your choice made when booking your cruise (options not combinable):
   You will be transferred to a restaurant in Ushuaia for lunch, then have a bit of free time to explore before embarkation.
          OR
   Guests choosing to book the trip to visit the Tierra del Fuego National Park (additional cost) will move forward on this group excursion.  Immediately upon arrival at Ushuaia airport, these travelers will leave towards the Park where they will have lunch before starting the tour.  Created in 1960, the park which covers 63 000 hectares (155 670 acres) is located southwest of the Tierra del Fuego Province on the Beagle Canal.  Mountainous landscapes, lagoons, bogs, and rivers draw a picturesque scenery reinforced by the southern position of the park itself. The Darwin Mountains, which represent the southern part of the Andes Mountains are mainly responsible for such landscape. The Park is only partly accessible to the public and this tour will provide you with the opportunity to discover the local flora and sub-Antarctic landscapes. If you get lucky, you may encounter beavers, beaver dams, birds, wild orchids, etc… This is a true paradise for Nature Lovers!  At the end of your visit, you will return to Ushuaia and the port, for embarkation on your vessel.

Pull away from Ushuaia this evening, entering the Beagle Channel and eventually the Drake Passage, bound for Antarctica!

Use your days spent in the Drake Passage to familiarise yourself with your ship and deepen your knowledge of the Antarctic. The Expedition Leader will first present the IAATO rules of conduct that must be observed during landings in the region and will explain everything you need to know about the Zodiac® outings. Lectures about the history and wildlife of the Antarctic will be an opportunity for you to learn more about this magical region, where every cruise is a unique experience. From the ship’s bridge, you will experience exceptional sailing moments before joining the naturalist-guides on your ship’s exterior decks to look out for albatrosses, cape petrels, and other seabirds flying over the Drake Passage.

Succumb to the magic of a place unlike any other. To this day, the mythical Antarctic Peninsula still holds a real fascination and promises its visitors unforgettable moments. Throughout your adventure in this icy realm, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. Penguins, humpback whales, seals, and giant petrels are at home here, as are elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic minke whales, and orcas. Depending on which sites you will be lucky enough to visit, you may get the chance to observe them and share with them the beauty of these extreme parts.

Each day, based on ice conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader will suggest Zodiac® outings or landings to discover the infinite riches of the Antarctic Peninsula.  Glaciers, ice floe, tabletop icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge straight into the sea, volcanic beaches, research stations, enchanting bays, and vestiges of the whaling industry: these are the faces of the Antarctic that will likely reveal themselves to you, in a hushed and surreal atmosphere. You will sail in the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Adrien de Gerlache and Sir Ernest Shackleton, great Antarctic explorers who, from the 19th century, set out to conquer these remote and uninhabited lands.

If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly the Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to Antarctica. Seasoned navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As the Antarctic convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbors a very diverse marine fauna. Don't forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.

Today, you will return to Ushuaia, disembarking in the port area after breakfast.  One last "meet and greet" with local folks here, to get instructions on how to board the proper transfers to the Ushuaia airport.  Fly back to Buenos Aires (flight duration 3.5 hours) and complete your journey there.  You can choose further independent travels, or you can choose to connect on a late-evening northbound flight back home.