Snow Hill to the Peninsula: Emperor Penguins and the 7th Continent

When you arrive in the vibrant Argentine capital, famous for its European-style architecture, rich culture, and lively neighborhoods, make your way to the hotel included in your package.

Start your day with a complimentary early breakfast at the hotel before your group transfers to the airport for a private charter flight to Ushuaia, located at the southern tip of Argentina. Upon arrival, you'll be taken to a central downtown spot where you can explore the charming town of Ushuaia at your own pace before heading to the pier. In the late afternoon, you'll board the ship and set sail along the historic Beagle Channel, which cuts through the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southernmost edge of South America. Feel the excitement build as you depart—your next sight of land is Antarctica.

The storied Drake Passage, the 800-kilometer waterway between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica, is an adventure unto itself. Its position at the confluence of the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Southern oceans can mean either a turbulent or calm passing. While under the attentive care of the expert staff and expedition team, you’ll have plenty of time to gaze out at the expansive ocean waters, photograph seabirds as they swoop down around the ship, and get to know your Expedition Team and fellow travelers.

You begin the passage through Antarctic Sound. This stretch of water separates the northern tip of the peninsula from the Weddell Sea. This historic sound is notorious for being filled with massive ice chunks that originate from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf—so have your cameras and binoculars ready. The onboard team teaches you everything about ice, as the Weddell Sea boasts the world’s most impressive floes and tabular icebergs. The captivating flat-topped icebergs you’ll see on this eastern side of the Peninsula are known to be exponentially bigger and more visually impressive than those observed off the western coast. Onboard experts enrich your polar quest during daily presentations. You’ll hear what it was like a century ago for the brave polar heroes who embraced the unknown. Expect a fascinating deep dive into the world of ice-dwelling Emperor penguins.

The journey toward Snow Hill Island puts you in explorer mode as the captain and Expedition Leader keep you updated through weather briefings, as well as meteorological and sea ice condition reports. The thickness of the ice determines how close Ultramarine can get to Snow Hill Island, at which point the ship’s twin-engine helicopters take over. Like summitting a mountain from base camp, parties set out from Ultramarine towards the Emperor penguin colony. As experienced by all of the guests who visited Snow Hill Island in November 2023, the adventure begins with an extended helicopter transfer that reveals a landscape of snow-capped peaks and apartment-building-sized tabular icebergs. As seasoned polar explorers can attest, these mammoth, flat-topped icebergs captivate you with their majesty. The colony itself is located on the sea ice off the south coast of Snow Hill Island, and you land as close to the penguins as possible, yet at a safe distance to avoid disturbing the birds. Upon landing, your party walks across the ice to the fabled Emperor penguin colony. Your auditory senses be on high alert: the non-stop Antarctic wind, the crunch of the ice beneath your feet, and, of course, the chatter of thousands of Emperor penguins.   On your guided walk to the colony, you may be surprised to find yourself walking next to paths in the snow carved< by penguins that were waddled by before. As with all of the off-ship excursions, native wildlife and their habitat always take priority. Every effort is made to minimize any disturbance to their environment. The singular sounds of the flightless birds get louder as you march toward one of the rarest wildlife scenarios on the planet: the colony of 8,000 rarely seen Emperor penguins. The plan is to ensure that every guest visits the remote colony once during the voyage. The Expedition Team and special experts stay close so they can answer your questions and help you take it all in. You’ll observe how the Emperors behave as a tight-knit community, how they care for their young—with male and female adults sharing parental duties—and how their bodies surf across the ice in a way that can only be described as quirky yet efficient.   While at the base on Ultramarine—in the heart of the Weddell Sea—you can look forward to Zodiac cruising among the icebergs and kayaking. The plan is to offer each guest a heli-flightseeing adventure—included in the cost of the voyage—during this segment of the itinerary.   Each day the polar experts, who include penguin scientists, glaciologists, biologists, and polar historians, present various aspects of Emperor penguins and their behaviors, ice formations such as the breathtaking tabular icebergs visible from the deck of the ship, and the experiences of polar explorers who braved the Weddell Sea over a century ago. Or you may, on one of the days, decide to take the polar plunge or test your balance on a stand-up paddleboard. Or pamper yourself at Ultramarine’s Tundra Spa, the sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows, fitness room, or yoga space.   However you spend your time immediately following your visit to the legendary colony, you are invited to take some time to reflect on everything you’ve witnessed, and appreciate that you are one of the few humans to have experienced the rare wildlife spectacle at Snow Hill.

The next stage of your specialized itinerary focuses on the rarely visited east side of the Antarctic Peninsula—where few operators go. You spend time each day in stunning locations, taking advantage of off-ship opportunities shaped by the weather. The goal is to maximize your experience of Antarctic wildlife, ice, and landscapes.

As you explore the Antarctic Peninsula, you witness the flexibility and technical prowess of the industry-leading expedition team, pilots, and crew. They seek out opportunities for you to experience Antarctica beyond the coast and across the vast glacial terrain of the last great wilderness. Much of this takes place during helicopter flightseeing excursions, included in your trip. These heli-flightseeing experiences differ from the helicopter ride that transports you between the ship and the Emperor penguin colony at Snow Hill Island. Flightseeing lets you soar freely among Antarctica’s icy peaks while viewing expansive stretches of ice, rock, coast, and sea.

Within the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, the Antarctic Sound, Erebus and Terror Gulf, and the northwestern Weddell Sea form the main theater for this venture. As you sail through Antarctic Sound and pause to admire dramatic fields of tabular icebergs, you aim to visit Paulet Island in the Weddell Sea. This small, circular island hosts a large Adelie penguin colony. The iconic cone rising 353 meters (1,158 feet) serves as a reminder of the island’s volcanic past.

In addition to penguins, you have the chance to visit the historic hut built by members of the 1901–04 Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Shackleton knew of this hut—and of the provisions stored there. When he and his crew were forced to abandon the *Endurance*, his objective became reaching the safety, shelter, and supplies at Paulet Island. But the Weddell Sea's ice and current had other plans.

You also visit two towering geological features: Madder Cliffs on Joinville Island and Brown Bluff on the northernmost tip of the Antarctic continent, where you plan to go ashore. Brown Bluff is believed to be an exposed volcano that erupted beneath glacial ice, causing lava to spread laterally and create the dramatic geological layering visible on the 745-meter bluff walls. At the base, thousands of Adelie and gentoo penguins gather in their rookeries.

On standard excursion days, you take part in a variety of off-ship experiences tailored to each location and weather conditions. These may include Zodiac cruises, shore landings on islands and the continent, and paddling programs.

This section of the itinerary also features the James Ross Island archipelago, adjacent to Erebus and Terror Gulf and highly valued for its geological features. On these islands, you find fossilized specimens, ventifacts—ancient rocks smoothed by wind and sand—and remains of the KT Boundary, marking the shift from the Cretaceous (dinosaurs and reptiles) to the Tertiary (mammals). You have the opportunity to see ventifacts up close and better appreciate how wind erosion by sand or ice particles shapes the region over time. These formations offer valuable insights into the area's climatic history and prevailing winds.

One highlight of the eastern side of the peninsula is Devil Island, defined by its twin cones of ash and hardened lava rising from a bay on the north shore of Vega Island. At low tide, grounded bergy bits and sea ice reveal extraordinary formations underneath—shapes sculpted by brine channels and ocean waves.

Before you cross the Drake Passage to return, you aim to visit the wildlife-rich South Shetland Islands. As with all polar expeditions, the team prepares multiple plans for this region. The main goal is to step foot on Livingston Island, home to the most spectacular mountains in the South Shetlands and chinstrap penguin colonies lining the rugged coast. The towering peaks you see include the Tangra Mountains (32 kilometers long by 8.5 kilometers wide), Mount Friesland (1,700 meters/5,578 feet), Bowles Ridge (822 meters/2,697 feet), and Pliska Ridge (667 meters/2,188 feet).

Another potential landing is Deception Island. Alongside waddling penguins and lounging seals, you also see rusting relics of long-abandoned whaling operations. Longer walks may lead you to panoramic viewpoints. The contrast between snow, dark volcanic sand, and rising geothermic steam creates a hauntingly beautiful scene. Deception Island is also home to one of the world’s most renowned chinstrap penguin colonies, with population estimates ranging from 50,000 to 70,000.

The journey back across the Drake Passage provides a final opportunity to enjoy the invigorating Southern Ocean air. Spend time on deck watching for seabirds and scouting for whales, enjoy presentations by your Expedition Team, and celebrate the experiences you’ve shared off the beaten track in remote Antarctica.

You arrive in Ushuaia in the morning and disembark after breakfast. The mandatory transfer package includes a tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park for a taste of Patagonia, after which you’ll transfer to the airport for the return group charter flight to Buenos Aires.