Antarctic Women’s Expedition: Spirit of Antarctica

Upon arrival in Ushuaia, a representative meets and transfers you to the assigned pre-voyage hotel. If already in the city, please proceed directly to the hotel, where check-in begins at 3:00 pm. Between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm, visit the hospitality desk in the lobby to collect luggage tags and confirm interest in the Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour scheduled for tomorrow. The team confirms details regarding the embarkation day, answers questions, and provides information on dining or purchasing last-minute items.

For arrivals after 7:00 pm, a welcome pack awaits at check-in; please visit the hospitality desk tomorrow between 8:00 am and 10:00 am.

The remainder of the day is at leisure, with all meals at personal expense.

Start the morning with breakfast and check-out. Ensure cabin luggage bears tags clearly labeled with your name and cabin number. Please deliver luggage to the hotel reception prior to or upon check-out. Luggage is stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance and placement in the cabin. Keep all valuables and personal items on your person throughout the day.

For those joining the Lake Escondido tour, meet in the hotel lobby at 8:45 am. This excursion features an unforgettable panoramic drive through glacial valleys, evergreen and deciduous forests, waterfalls, and rivers within the vast Andes Mountain Range. Depart Ushuaia to the northeast of Tierra del Fuego, traveling through peat bog valleys to reach Garibaldi Pass via a winding road leading to a panoramic viewpoint. Here, marvel at views of Lake Escondido and, weather permitting, Fagnano Lake. The route descends towards the northeast to the shores of Fagnano Lake for a visit to a local ranch. After appreciating the landscape, savor a typical Fuegian Lamb barbecue. Enjoy free time before returning to Ushuaia for embarkation.

Alternatively, spend the day at leisure, meeting later at the hotel lobby or the designated point at the parking lot near the pier (details provided by ground staff) for transfer to the ship. Once onboard, settle into the cabin before attending mandatory briefings. As the ship departs, gather on deck to commence the adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening, meet fellow expeditioners and the friendly expedition team at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.

As you commence the Drake Passage crossing, you make the most of your time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. The expedition team prepares you for your first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start your lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment. 

Your wildlife experiences begin as you enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following your vessel. On sea days, you may enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, wellness center or the relaxing in one of the observation lounges.  

Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the afternoon of day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks watching for your first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once you are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. 

Time and weather permitting, you may attempt your first landing in Antarctica by 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. Because you are so far south, experience approximately 18 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. 

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 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. If you have chosen an optional activity, you can have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course 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. 

On board, you can find a range of areas to socialize or relax. You have a number of lounges, including the Glass Atrium Lounge and Observation Lounge. The wellness center houses sauna (with a large window, so you can still enjoy the passing scenery) and offers treatments (book with reception). Across from the wellness center you can find the gym with a range of equipment for your use. Perhaps you would like to take a dip in one of the jacuzzis on the back deck or enjoy a quiet moment in the library. As part of the deck theming, they hope to educate expeditioners on the impressive and important conservation work these female scientists are doing across the globe, leading the way in global conservation initiatives. The team honor these women who work tirelessly to make the world a better place through their innovation, education and activism. If you are interested, the hallways of each deck will introduce you to: 

Dr Sylvia Earle - Dr. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998; and was named by Time Magazine as its first ‘Hero of the Planet’. Her conservation initiative Mission Blue is creating a global network of marine protected areas known as Hope Spots, and her new Deep Hope project aims to deliver two deep-dive submersibles to collect crucial scientific data of as-yet-unseen ocean depths. 

Dr. Carden Wallace AM - Principal Scientist Emeritus at the Queensland Museum since 2014, Dr. Wallace is a preeminent Australian scientist and the first curator/director of the Museum of Tropical Queensland from 1987 to 2003. She is an expert on corals and was part of a team that discovered the mass spawning of coral in 1984. In recognition of her contribution to marine science, Dr. Wallace was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021. 

Joanna Ruxton - Joanna has the rare distinction of being hailed as ‘the person responsible for the plastic-free movement’ by Sir David Attenborough himself. She spent many years at the BBC Natural History Unit working on the first Blue Planet documentary series. Her award-winning film A Plastic Ocean, released in 2016, shows the devastating impact of plastic waste on ocean ecosystems and has helped to turn the tide against single-use plastics. In 2009, Joanna co-founded Plastic Oceans UK (now known as Ocean Generation), to inspire an inclusive global movement to restore a sustainable relationship between humanity and oceans. 

Sharon Kwok - In 2013, Sharon founded the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation to promote marine education and inspire the next generation to protect and preserve ocean biodiversity. Sharon continues her advocacy as a Mission Blue and WildAid board member and Executive Director of the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation. 

Bernadette Demientieff - Bernadette is a passionate mother/advocate for the rights of Alaska and the Gwich’in people in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada. As Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, she speaks for the protection of the calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd, known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, against destruction from oil and gas companies. 

Dr. Asha de Vos - Internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research in the northern Indian Ocean, Dr. Asha de Vos founded Oceanswell, Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organization. Her flagship initiative, The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project, has led to many key research publications and informs policy on whale conservation at a local and global level. Asha’s award-winning work has been showcased by the BBC, National Geographic, The New York Times and TED, among many others, and in 2018 she was named one of the 100 most inspirational and influential women in the world by the BBC. 

Hanli Prinsloo - Hanli Prinsloo is the founder and executive director of I AM WATER, an ocean conservation foundation based in Cape Town, South Africa. Dedicated to protecting oceans through human experience, I AM WATER helps children in underserved South African communities experience the ocean’s transformative beauty for the first time. A champion free diver, Hanli co-founded I AM WATER Ocean Travel with husband Peter Marshall, offering intimate wildlife encounters with the ocean’s most majestic creatures. 

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. Tell your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.  

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 are free to 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 12.30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 12.30 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 recommended to book flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.