Grand Voyage Antarctica

Categories Cruises Semi-escorted Tours Antarctica Cruises Adventure & Eco Travel Small Ship Cruises South America Travel

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Our most extensive voyage to the world's remote wilderness! Our package includes flights and extra days in 'the Paris of the Americas' Buenos Aires and a 22 night voyage giving extended time in the seldom visited Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and in the mystical continent of Antarctica. Spending a full day at a King Penguin rookery and slowly exploring the untouched coastlines of these remote subantarctic islands. Making our way south to he South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, home to some of the planet's most impressive wildlife and dramatic landscapes.

Itinerary

Arrive in Buenos Aires at any time. There are no planned activities so check into our hotel and enjoy the city.

The capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires is the ultimate cosmopolitan city. Travellers find that it has more in common with the cities of Europe than the rest of South America. Nearly 40 per cent of Argentina's 33 million citizens live in Greater Buenos Aires, and the Porteños are justifiably proud of their home. The city is comprised of a number of distinct neighbourhoods, some of which have become top tourist draws. For many, the highlight of their time in the capital is a visit to San Telmo for the weekend antiques market and street artistís displays.

La Boca was originally settled by the successive waves of immigrants that contribute to the capital's unique character. Its brightly coloured walls and buildings draw Porteños and tourists alike, and it is here that the world-class football team, Boca Juniors, plies its trade. A Sunday afternoon match at the fabled Bombonera is not to be missed. Posh Recoleta, with its cafes, museums and cemetery, is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.

During colonial days Buenos Aires was the seat of the Viceroy of La Plata. Almost completely rebuilt since the turn of the century, the heart of the city is the Plaza de Mayo, with the historic Cabildo (Town Hall), where the Independence movement was first planned, the Casa Rosada (Government Palace) and the Cathedral where San Martín, the father of Argentine independence, is buried.

When you are done exploring, settle your weary feet and enjoy a drink in one of the many sidewalk cafes and restaurants and you will begin to understand the contemplative Argentine way of life. Upon return, Buenos Aires will be your last chance to try the succulent bife and parrilladas, so dig in and enjoy!

Please note: You should be especially careful when wandering about the capital city on your own, particularly at night. Tourists are easy prey for individual pickpockets or groups of two or more people working as a team on the streets. Pay particular attention to anyone who 'accidentally' spills anything on your clothes or belongings (mustard, etc.) and then apologizes and offers to help clean up. They will clean you out instead! Be safe and leave your passport, credit cards, travellers cheques and cash funds you won't be using immediately in the hotel's safety deposit box. Most Porteños are honest and genuinely helpful and friendly, but be safe and enjoy the city!

We fly south to Ushuaia (your flight to Ushuaia is included). The afternoon is free to visit the town and enjoy the world’s southernmost city. Overnight in Ushuaia.

Sitting on the shores of the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia actually means 'the bay facing westward' in the language of the original Yamna inhabitants. Once a penal colony (the presidio was disbanded in the 1940s) for political prisoners as well as hardened criminals, Ushuaia is now a major tourist attraction, particularly for people such as ourselves cruising to Antarctica. The town of 40,000 is also a major ski resort area for both alpine and cross-country skiers and offers magnificent hiking in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, the only coastal national park in Argentina.

Join a tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park before boarding the expedition ship. After settling into our cabins the ship sets sail along the sheltered waters of the Beagle Channel and then eastward towards open water and the wonders of the Southern Ocean.

As we make the passage east you have time to become acquainted with the ship and frequent the common areas that include the lounge, dining hall, library and lecture hall where we meet our guides, ship’s crew and lecturers. We also begin the lecture and information sessions to learn the extraordinary human and natural history of the Antarctic region.

The Falkland Islands provide a rare opportunity to witness the biological diversity and extraordinary scenery of the southern islands. Penguins, elephant seals and sea lions are abundant. Port Stanley provides an opportunity to meet the hardy local inhabitants whose colourful houses provide contrast to the long dark winters.

The islands consist of 700 small and mostly uninhabited islands and 2 main islands - East and West Falklands. Located 490 km east of Patagonia, the Falklands have always been a land of hot debate. Officially discovered on August 14, 1592 by John Davis they remained uninhabited until 1764 when the French built a garrison at Port Louis disregarding the Spanish claim to the islands. From that moment on there have been many disputes between Spain, France, Britain and Argentina over the next 200 plus years until the end of the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982 brought the islands firmly under Britain’s control. Now with a human population of only 2491, the islands are the first stop in our journey. Here we hope to catch our first glimpses of penguins, including the Magellanic, rockhopper, macaroni, gentoo, and king penguins. With a little luck we may also see the elephant seals, sea lions, king cormorants, black-browed albatross, skuas, night herons, giant petrels, striated caracaras and of course sheep.

Sailing east now we’ll set course for South Georgia Island. Our days at sea will be filled with lectures to prepare us for South Georgia and we will have plenty of time on deck to identify the abundant sea birds of the south ocean. We keep our eye peeled for the whales that inhabit these waters.

South Georgia Island is home to many marvels including Shackleton’s Grave, several former whaling stations, incredible scenery and prolific wildlife. Weather permitting we will have 5 full days to explore this island. A huge colony of King Penguins is the highlight of this part of the journey. On nearby islands we’ll hope to spot wandering albatross in their nesting grounds.

Known for its brutal whaling and exploratory history, this 170 km long and 40 km wide island is considered the first gateway to Antarctica and was the centre of the huge Southern Ocean whaling industry from 1904 to 1966. The famous captain James Cook was the first to land on South Georgia on January 17, 1775 and named the island after King George III. During the 62 years of whaling activities, any number between 183 whales the first year and the record 7825 whales in 1925-26 season were killed annually for their oil. Whales weren’t the only animals hunted for their oil at that time. A total of 498,870 seals - mostly giant elephant seals - were also slaughtered. Since the end of whaling activities 40 yeares ago wildlife has slowly returned to the island.

Today the Island’s wildlife is extraordinary, not only in its variety, but also for its sheer abundance. South Georgia is home to roughly 300,000 elephant seals, 3 million fur seals, and 25 species of breeding birds, including Wandering Albatrosses. The gravel beach at St. Andrews Bay has a King Penguin rookery of 100,000 and an estimated five million Macaroni Penguins. The British explorer Sir Ernest H Shackleton landed at King Haakon Bay on the southwest coast after the 800-mile journey in a 20-foot open boat from Elephant Island. They proceeded to hike the ice covered mountainous terrain, arriving to Stromness whaling station on May 20, 1916. Shackleton returned to South Georgia in 1922 for one last assault on Antarctica but passed away after suffering a major heart attack while in his cabin. He was buried at the whaler’s cemetery at Grytviken station at the request of his wife.

The Scotia Sea

Plotting a southwesterly course we make way towards legendary Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands. The waters are rich with nutrients and the long summer days provide the ingredient that is missing most of the year. The result is a complex food chain topped by several species of whales, seals, and seabirds.

This is what we’ve all been waiting for - a chance to step foot on the Great White Continent! Weather and ice and time permitting we’ll visit the South Shetland Islands, Paradise Harbour or nearby Neko Harbour, Wilhelmina Bay and the Lemaire Channel. We normally attempt 2 excursions per day.

Located just north of the Antarctic Peninsula, we hope to disembark on a number of the islands in the South Shetlands chain on our “go anywhere” Zodiac landing crafts. This is prime penguin spotting and whale watching country, and we hope to visit one of the science research stations either here or on the peninsula later on in the journey. Some of the exciting islands possible to visit in this area, weather permitting, include Half Moon Island and its rookery of Chinstrap penguins, the collapsed volcanic cone of Deception Island for a chance to visit Whalers Bay and the rusted remains of boilers and tanks that once processed and held the whale oil. Livingston and Deception Islands are good locations for observing Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins in large numbers.

The most readily accessible part of the Antarctic Continent, the Peninsula is known for its wildlife and spectacular scenery. We visit as many of the bays and channels as time and weather permits. The Peninsula contains enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie Penguins, as well as large numbers of Blue-eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snowy Sheathbills and Antarctic Terns. In the waters we may see Leopard, Crabeater, and Weddell seals, Minke whales, Humpback whales and Orcas, either at close range while cruising around in our Zodiacs or from the decks of the ship. We hope to sail through the breathtaking Antarctic Sound, also known as “iceberg alley”, where massive bergs drift north from the continent. Other popular stops on the Peninsula include Neko Harbour, Paradise Harbour, and Petermann Island.

Antarctica is the fifth largest of the seven continents on earth, located almost completely south of latitude 66°30’ south and has a total area of roughly 5.5 million square miles in summer, doubling in size during winter due to the sea ice that forms around the continent. Ninety-five percent of the continent of Antarctica is ice covered and contains the freshest water on earth - about 70 percent of all fresh water on earth in fact. The highest point in Antarctica is Vinson Massif, with an altitude of 16,864 feet above sea level; the lowest point is the Bentley Subglacial Trench at 8,200 feet below sea level, located in West Antarctica. Antarctica has the highest average elevation of all the continents at about 7,500 feet about sea level.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and one of the driest continent on earth. The lowest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth, -89.2°C, was recorded on July 21, 1983, at Vostok Station. Winds have been recorded at 200 mph in the interior of the continent and the average annual water precipitation in the interior is only about 50 mm.

Only a small number of plants survive in Antarctica, mostly lichens, mosses and algae, which are limited to the few areas that are free of ice. Although there are no land-based animals inhabiting Antarctica, the surrounding oceans abound in living creatures. Large numbers of whales, seals, and penguins call these rich southern waters home.

Whales

Thanks to the abundance of the small, shrimp like krill as the basis of the food chain, many species of whales make the water south of the Antarctic Convergence their summer home. Some of the species found in the frigid southern waters include: the Humpback Whale who consumes over a ton of krill each day; the Southern Right Whales easily identified by the whitish callosities on the jaws and forehead; the Sperm Whales made famous in Moby Dick; the Killer Whale which is actually not a whale at all but the largest of the dolphin family; the Sei Whale which can achieve speeds up to 55 km/h over short distances; the playful Minke Whales very common in the peninsula area; the Fin Whale who can attain a length of 25 to 27 meters making them the second largest whales; and the Blue Whale which is not only the largest whale in the oceans but also the largest animal that has ever lived.

Penguins

The common name for all flightless, aquatic birds, penguins are only found south of the equator. Penguins have been grouped into 18 species and 6 genera, with most making their homes in Antarctica and the sub Antarctic islands, though others are native to the coasts of Australia, South Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands. Penguins are speedy and agile swimmers, but extremely slow on land. The regions we visit aboard the ship are inhabited by 6 different species including the giant King Penguin who can grow up to 1 metre in height; the Adelie Penguin named after French explorer Dumont d’Urville’s wife; the Chinstrap Penguin identified by the distinctive black line connecting the black cap to below the chin; the Gentoo Penguin with its orange bill and white flash above and behind its eyes; the Macaroni Penguin who number roughly 12 million and are easily identified by the orange tassels meeting between the eyes; and the Rockhopper Penguin who are similar to the Macaroni in appearance but slightly smaller and have yellow tassels.

HISTORICAL FIGURES

Some of the bravest and best known explorers have sailed south in search of adventure and recognition. James Cook, the most travelled explorer of his time, was the first to circumnavigate Antarctica and the first to cross the Antarctic Circle. Roald Engebreth Gravning Amundsen, who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole, reached the pole on December 14, 1911. Captain Robert Scott, famous for being 35 days late, arriving at the South Pole on January 17, 1912 only to find the dark green tent and a note left by Amundsen. All 5 men in the Scott expedition perished on their way back from the pole. The best-known adventurer would have to be Sir Ernest Shackleton. On his attempt at the South Pole his ship, Endurance, was captured by pack ice in the Weddell Sea on January 19, 1915. The ship was destroyed by heavy ice, forcing he and his men to travel over the ice and sea to Elephant Island. However, because the island was uninhabited, Shackleton and 5 others made the 1300 km voyage for help to South Georgia, arriving at Stromness Harbour whaling station on May 20, 1916.

Heading north across the Drake Passage, spend 2 days enjoying the beauty of the sea as we sail for Ushuaia.

Have a final breakfast on the expedition ship before heading to the airport and flying to Buenos Aires.

Today is a free day for you to explore Buenos Aires, known as the Paris of the Americas. Spend the day wandering the plazas and museums before our farewell dinner and traditional tango show to mark the end of our Antarctic dream.

No activities planned today. You may depart at any time.

Notes