Ultimate Antarctica Adventure from Ushuaia to Dunedin

Arrive at the airport and head to your hotel. Relax, and spend the overnight here preparing for your adventure.

*Pre/Post hotels and flights are always subject to change until the Travel Documents are provided. Specific hotel and location to be announced

Before embarkation, travel from Buenos Aires - Ushuaia on a Swan Hellenic–arranged charter flight, providing a convenient transfer to the start of your expedition.

Board your expedition ship in Ushuaia and begin your voyage through the remote landscapes of Antarctica.

Begin your journey in Ushuaia, the ultimate gateway to the White Continent. Nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Martial Range in Argentina's Patagonia region, this destination invites you to wander colorful streets where mismatched buildings cascade from imposing mountains before coming to an abrupt halt at the shores of the Beagle Channel. Embrace the atmosphere of a city often described as the 'End of the World,' a reputation it carries exceptionally well thanks to moody weather and dramatic surroundings that create an unforgettable setting.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of the knowledgeable experts.

Your first true taste of Antarctica comes fast in the South Shetlands, where jagged ridgelines, penguin shores, and active geology sit within a single horizon. At Discovery Bay on Greenwich Island, the scene is classic High Latitude: a sheltered inlet backed by snow and rock, with the quiet presence of research outposts and the sense that you’ve crossed into the polar world.

Later, Deception Island delivers a rare spectacle: an active volcanic caldera you can sail into, with black-sand beaches and steam-warmed ground in places. A call at Fort Point gives you a front-row look at the island’s stark coastal drama, while Whalers Bay brings the human story into focus with haunting remnants of the whaling era set against an otherworldly volcanic amphitheater.

Among captivating glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy islands, the Antarctic Peninsula is where most visitors to the White Continent live their Antarctica dream. It's the most accessible part, with scientific bases and incredible scenery, like the photogenic Lemaire Channel. Shore excursions might include Mikkelsen Harbor, where among gentoo penguins, snowy sheathbills and skuas, Antarctic Weddell seals haul out.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of the knowledgeable experts.

The magnitude of translucent bergs silently floating on crystal-clear seas is often broken up by the tail of a fluking whale and leopard seals resting on an ice floe. Rarely visited by ships, the ice-covered volcanic Peter I island in Bellingshausen Sea is claimed by Norway and is home to elephant seals, cape pigeons and southern fulmars. Two of the largest islands in the Antarctic - Alexander and Thurston Islands - lie past Peter I Island.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of the knowledgeable experts.

In one of the most remote areas of Antarctica, volcanic Shepard Island is an 11-mile stretch of wilderness near Grant Island off Marie Byrd Land’s unclaimed coast. It is ice-capped except along its northern, seaward side, where it is almost entirely embedded in the Getz Ice Shelf. The exposed northern shores provide sanctuary for chinstrap penguins and skuas in this remote polar refuge.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of the knowledgeable experts.

The Bay of Whales was Antarctica’s key natural harbor, an ice-bound inlet by the Ross Ice Shelf near Roosevelt Island and Cape Colbeck. As the southernmost navigable waters, it was the closest ship approach to the South Pole. The original bay vanished in 1987 when iceberg B-9 calved, but new embayments may form. It supported whaling and was Amundsen’s base for his 1911 South Pole triumph, 60 miles ahead of Scott.

Experience time travel first-hand as you cross the international date line. This imaginary line in the Pacific Ocean joins the South Pole to the North Pole and roughly follows 180 degrees longitude with a deviation east to the 150-degree meridian to include the Kiribati and Line Islands. Sailors celebrate the passing with the Ceremony of the Domain of the Golden Dragon. On the transpacific journey, you lose a day as you cross the line.

One of the last untouched salt-water wilderness regions, the Ross Sea region is home to an abundance of wildlife — southern right whales, orca, emperor penguins, and elephant seals, to name a few. Antarctica’s largest Adelie penguin colony is located on the shores of the Ross Sea. This faraway place also exudes polar history — many of the expedition huts of past explorers are still perfectly preserved.

The Balleny Islands, 2,000 km south of New Zealand near Antarctica, remain mostly untouched since their discovery in 1839. The Ross Sea surrounding them is a biologically rich area in the Southern Ocean, still under research. These dramatic coastal landscapes are home to humpback, fin and minke whales, along with crabeater, Weddell, elephant and leopard seals. Some islands host significant Adélie and chinstrap penguin colonies.

Spend your day at sea enjoying the facilities available onboard. Head to the sauna, get in a workout in the state-of-the-art gym or relax in the hot tub while taking in incredible views along the way. If you prefer to learn a little more about your surroundings, listen to an informative talk or have a chat with one of the knowledgeable experts.

Over these days at sea, you cruise through one of the planet’s great wildlife sanctuaries: New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, protected for their exceptional ecosystems and breeding colonies. These remote islands are famed for their seabirds, including albatrosses and petrels, and for shorelines where you may spot sea lions and seals in wild, wind-sculpted settings that feel truly at the edge of the world.

Expect the rhythm of expedition cruising: long horizons from deck, fresh expert commentary as conditions shift, and the quiet excitement of scanning for life in the sky and on the water as you move between these far-southern outposts.

Over these days at sea, you cruise through one of the planet’s great wildlife sanctuaries: New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, protected for their exceptional ecosystems and breeding colonies. These remote islands are famed for their seabirds, including albatrosses and petrels, and for shorelines where you may spot sea lions and seals in wild, wind-sculpted settings that feel truly at the edge of the world.

Expect the rhythm of expedition cruising: long horizons from deck, fresh expert commentary as conditions shift, and the quiet excitement of scanning for life in the sky and on the water as you move between these far-southern outposts.

Over these days at sea, you cruise through one of the planet’s great wildlife sanctuaries: New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, protected for their exceptional ecosystems and breeding colonies. These remote islands are famed for their seabirds, including albatrosses and petrels, and for shorelines where you may spot sea lions and seals in wild, wind-sculpted settings that feel truly at the edge of the world.

Known as the Edinburgh of New Zealand, Dunedin, on the South Island, is set in a pretty bay that serves as a port. Surrounded by bush-covered hills, the town is one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s proud of its Celtic connections with New Zealand’s only castles. Elaborate civic buildings, funky alleyways filled with street art, and picturesque parks add to the appeal.

After breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow travelers as you disembark today. Then, head to the airport for your flight home.