Antarctica New Year Air Cruise

Categories Winter & Spring Cruises Small Ship Cruises Antarctica Cruises Adventure & Eco Travel Cruises

After a restful night in Punta Arenas, you will board our new BAe 146-200 aircraft for a flight to King George Island. Here you will meet our ship and begin this amazing journey. Jumping over Cape Horn and the mythical waters of the Drake Passage, we invite you to a unique experience that will take you to one of the most remote places on earth, the coldest, highest, windiest, driest, and most inhospitable continent - Antarctica.

Please note that the 2009 - 2010 departure of this tour is 8 days/7 nights. Full itinerary to be published at a later date.

Itinerary

Arrival at the city of Punta Arenas where you will be met by your tour staff, to be transferred to the selected hotel. During the afternoon, you will meet your expedition mates and you will receive instructions concerning the guidelines that should be followed in Antarctica and the procedures for Zodiac boat embarkation. Later, you will enjoy our welcome dinner at the José Nogueira Hotel, a French-style mansion that is over one hundred years old.

PLEASE NOTE: Passengers should be in Punta Arenas by 15:00 hours at the latest.

Our Antarctic adventure will begin with the flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island (South Shetland Islands). The flight takes about one and a half hours. Upon arrival, we will be able to tour around the area where the Frei Chilean Base and Russian Base Bellingshausen are located. We will gather on Fildes Bay for embarkation by Zodiac boats on board the Grigory Mikheev.

While cruising between the South Shetland Islands and the western coat of the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing along ice-filled fjords and between spectacular icebergs, we will enjoy the company of sea birds, penguins, seals and whales. Our journey southwards will include visits to some of the most magnificent spots in the white continent such as: Livingston Island, Port Lockroy, Petermann Island, Paradise Bay, Cuverville and Deception Islands amongst others. Our target will be the crossing of the Lemaire Channel and latitude 65° South. Our adventure will be very active, with several daily landings and cruises in Zodiac boats, lectures and a very enjoyable time on board.

After a last visit in the South Shetland Islands region, in the afternoon the Grigory Mikheev will set sail northwards across the Drake Passage en route to Ushuaia. We will celebrate our outstanding experience with a memorable New Years Eve on board our ship in one of the most suggestive environments ever seen.

The New Year welcomes us while sailing through the Drake Passage. We invite you to relax and enjoy life on board and to take the time to watch wildlife from the bridge or outside decks. We may spot magnificent birds such as albatrosses and petrels, as well as Humpback and Minke whalescswimming on their way down to Antarctica.

After spending the last hours sailing through the Drake Passage, we will finally have Cape Horn and the American continent in sight. The Grigoriy Mikheev will sail along the calm waters of the Beagle Channel towards the southernmost Chilean settlement of Puerto Williams, located on Navarino Island. Here, we will have the time to tour around before sailing during the in the night towards Ushuaia.

In the morning, arrival at the port of Ushuaia and disembarkation.

Notes