Antarctica - Basecamp - free camping, kayaking, snowshoe/hiking, mountaineering, photo workshop

You start your voyage where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city on the planet, lies at the far southern tip of South America. In the afternoon, you set sail from this charming resort town on Tierra del Fuego, famously called “The End of the World.” As evening approaches, you navigate the stunning, mountain-fringed Beagle Channel, taking in breathtaking views and the serene beauty of your surroundings.

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you experience the same thrilling adventures as the great polar explorers who first charted these regions. You feel the cool salt breezes and navigate the rolling seas. You might even spot a majestic fin whale spouting sea spray. As you pass the Antarctic Convergence, Antarctica’s natural boundary formed by the collision of north-flowing cold waters with warmer sub-Antarctic seas, you enter the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Here, both the marine and avian life transform. You marvel at the sight of wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels.

Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands. 

Places you might visit include:

Neumayer Channel: The vessel may position itself here, launching its multiple basecamp activities from the protected waters around Wiencke Island. You can enjoy the splendors of this alpine environment at sea with Zodiac and kayaking trips, or if you’re in the mood for a walk, there are possible snowshoe hikes and soft-climb mountaineering options farther inland. Naturally, favorable weather conditions determine the possible activities.

Port Lockroy: After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station—now a museum and post office—of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, such as meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags. At the nearby sites, such as Damoy Point, there may be the opportunity for snowshoeing to the old ski-way; this is also one of our favorite camping sites.

Pléneau and Petermann Islands: If the ice allows it, you can sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There’s also a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales here, as well as leopard seals. Kayaking, glacier walks, and more ambitious mountaineering trips are the potential activities at this location. 

Neko Harbour: An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.

Paradise Bay: You have the chance to make camp here like a true polar explorer, enjoying a supreme overnight Antarctic adventure.

Errera Channel: Possible sites in this area include Danco Island and Cuverville Island, but also the lesser-known (though equally picturesque) Orne Island and Georges Point on Rongé Island. 

On your last day of near-shore activities, you pass the Melchior Islands toward the open sea. Keep a sharp lookout for humpback whales in Dallmann Bay. You might also shoot for Half Moon Island, in the South Shetlands, with further chances for activities. 

Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.