Antarctic Explorer: In Partnership with New Scientist Discovery

Upon arriving in Ushuaia, meet an Aurora Expeditions representative for a seamless transfer to your assigned pre-voyage hotel alongside fellow travelers. If already in the city, simply proceed directly to the hotel, where check-in begins at 3:00 pm. During the afternoon, visit the hospitality desk located in the hotel lobby between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to collect your luggage tags and confirm participation in tomorrow's Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour. The dedicated team is readily available to finalize embarkation day details, answer any questions, and provide helpful recommendations for local dining or purchasing last-minute items. For late arrivals checking in after 7:00 pm, a welcome pack awaits at the reception desk; simply plan to visit the hospitality desk the following morning between 8:00 am and 10:00 am. Enjoy the rest of the day entirely at your leisure to relax or explore the area, keeping in mind that all meals today remain an independent expense.

Assigned accommodation: Arakur Resort & Spa

This morning, enjoy breakfast and complete the check-out process. Please ensure all cabin luggage is fitted with tags clearly labeled with your name and assigned cabin number. Bring these bags to the hotel reception either prior to or during check-out. The luggage is then securely stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, arriving in the cabin ahead of boarding. Keep any valuables or essential personal items on hand throughout the day. To join the Lake Escondido tour, gather in the hotel lobby after breakfast at the departure time provided by the hospitality desk. This excursion offers an unforgettable panoramic drive through massive valleys of glacial origin, evergreen forests, rushing waterfalls, and winding rivers within the vast Andes Mountain Range. Depart from Ushuaia toward the northeast of Tierra del Fuego, driving through peat bog valleys to reach Garibaldi Pass. This stunning location is accessible solely by a winding road leading straight to a spectacular panoramic viewpoint. From this elevated spot, take in amazing views of Lake Escondido and, weather permitting, Fagnano Lake. Descend to the shores to admire the beautiful scenery before stopping to enjoy a traditional Argentinian barbecue. After some free time, return to Ushuaia to board the ship.

Alternatively, enjoy the day at leisure and meet either in the hotel lobby or at the designated parking lot meeting point near the pier—based on details provided by the ground staff—for a seamless transfer to the vessel. Once onboard, take time to settle into the cabin before attending the important mandatory safety briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, gather on the deck to commence the adventure while soaking in spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening, get to know fellow travelers alongside the friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner, celebrating the start of a thrilling voyage to Antarctica.

Settle into your stateroom and make yourself comfortable! The onboard gym, wellbeing center and well-equipped library are yours to discover, and your expedition team will offer a series of presentations on Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment to help enrich your experience. Collect your Muck Boots and attend important briefings on biosecurity, wildlife-watching guidelines and Zodiac safety, in preparation for your first landing in Antarctica. 

On day four the excitement is palpable as you near the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, with everyone converging on the observation decks to spot their first iceberg. Now that you’re south of the Antarctic Convergence the ocean takes on a whole new character, as you’re surrounded by porpoising penguins and dramatic icebergs. The memory of your first iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. Time and weather permitting, you may attempt your first Antarctic landing in the late afternoon. 

It is almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.  

Once you arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are yours to explore, and you have a host of choices available to us. Because you are so far south, experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.  

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities. The expedition team will help you experience a range of activities centered around daytime exploration via Zodiac boat safaris (investigating coves, glaciers and wildlife), guided hikes (exploring pristine beaches and stunning wildernesses) and photography (helping you improve your skills with a camera).

You generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. Rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of the favorite spots along the peninsula.  

While ashore you aim to stretch your legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. Speaking of the oceans below, keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place at any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life! 

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales traveling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain’s discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendor. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent. 

Join the team in the lecture theater for presentations covering a broad range of topics to suit every interest. These lectures will cover polar science, wildlife, marine biology, glaciology, ornithology, exploration, history, photography and research including specialist New Scientist talks. Regardless of the topic, they all have one thing in common: they all aim to engage, educate, entertain and turn you into an ambassador for the planet. Plus, both on board and in the Zodiacs, the expedition crew will give you introductions to and commentary on many of the Antarctic phenomena you are experiencing. 

You can have the opportunity to participate in the unique citizen science program offered throughout the voyage. It is designed to be a hands-on, immersive and transformative experience that helps you protect the beauty of the planet. Various sampling and data collection projects will be conducted on your voyage and a citizen science coordinator will be on hand to introduce and assist you. This expedition provides a unique platform to help collect high-quality data. With extended access to these remote regions and your expedition team equipped with scientific backgrounds, you have the potential to participate and engage with passengers in citizen science projects to provide valuable data to the global scientific community. For a greater understanding, visit the world-class Citizen Science Center. You be rewarded for your thirst for knowledge with one of the best views on the ship. 

Your expedition can be as active or as leisurely as you want it, and no activity or talk is mandatory. 

Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before you re-enter the Drake Passage for your return journey to South America. 

With lectures and film presentations to complete your Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what you have seen and experienced.

As you approach the tip of South America, your Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting. 

During the early morning, cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where you can disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as you all continue your onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.  

Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked their accommodations through Aurora or for those staying in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 14.30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 14.30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.     

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, it is not recommend to book flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.