Antarctica Citizen Science Penguin, Leopard Seal, and Orca Expedition 2027

End of the world, start of a journey

We ask that all passengers arrive the night prior to departure in Ushuaia to avoid any delays from flights or lost luggage. Hotel night is not included. Transfers from airport to hotel and from hotel to the pier are not included. On day of embarkation, luggage should be dropped off in the morning between 8:00am and 11:30am at a pre-determined location to be advised at time of final documents.

Passengers are asked to make their own way to the port on day of embarkation. It is not allowed to board the ship before 4:00pm (unless mentioned otherwise) as the crew is getting the ship ready for their arrival.

Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Path of the polar explorers

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum Antarctic upwelling zone.

Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. 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 are a few of the birds you might see.

From Point Wild to the Weddell Sea

We will arrive early to the famous Point Wild, Elephant Island, where Shackleton’s crew made their first landing after the loss of their ship, Endurance. This inhospitable spit of land is a favorite among our guests, and if conditions permit, we will offer activities around the point before setting off for the Weddell Sea.

Entering the Weddell Sea

The great Weddell Sea features massive tabular icebergs, wildly dramatic landscapes, and fascinating historical sites. It is also one of the best places in Antarctica for viewing iconic wildlife like whales, seals, and rarely seen seabirds.

We may visit the following locations, depending on local conditions:

Antarctic Sound - Antarctic Sound is nicknamed “Iceberg Alley,” as we often see enormous tabular icebergs here.

Brown Bluff - Possibly the most scenic location in the northern Antarctic Continent, Brown Bluff is characterized by sheer canyon walls, fallen boulders, and beautiful volcanic creations capped with ice.

Herbert Sound - We will focus our attention on the visually impressive areas of Naze Peninsula and Comb Ridge.

Devil Island - This island offers a magnificent vantage point for hikers willing to foot it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes forms a waterfall dropping from the cliffs close to Cape Well-met.

Erebus and Terror Gulf - Here we look for new activity opportunities and may visit Vega Island, experiencing the wilderness of Antarctica in its most remote places.

Familiar seas, familiar friends

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.

There and back again

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.

Disembarkation is between 8:30 am - 9:00 am on day of return to port. The transfer from the ship to the airport is

included in the cruise rate. Guests can catch a flight out of Ushuaia any time after 12:00 Noon on that day.