After exploring Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, we sail out along the Beagle Channel and across the Drake Passage. Icebergs become a familiar sight as the ship approaches Antarctica. The South Shetland Islands were discovered in 1819 and lie parallel to the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the deep-water Bransfield Strait, 150 km, (100mile) wide.  

From King George Island and Penguin Island we will sail down to the beautiful Paradise Bay, where you can go ashore on the Antarctic mainland. Sailing on south we hope to pass through the narrow and spectacular Lemaire Channel, surrounded by mountains and glaciers and a popular passage for several species of whales journeying up and down the sheltered Antarctic Peninsula waterways. Here Minke Whales, the smallest of the norqual whales, weighing 6000-7000 kilos (6-8 tons) and ferocious-looking Leopard Seals are common.

At Pleneau you can visit the penguin colonies, before turning north, through the Neumayer Channel, to the Melchior Islands, and on to volcanic Deception Island, in the South Shetlands Islands. Here the ship, weather permitting, will sail into the flooded crater through the narrow entrance known as Neptune’s Bellows. At Hannah Point you will see Elephant Seals, several different species of penguins and many other seabirds. Returning to Ushuaia across the Drake Passage, a multitude of seabirds follow the ship, including several species of albatross and petrel.

Note:  Please note that this itinerary is for guidance only. The exact program may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.  

Old Iceberg	Sunset on the Antarctic Peninsula
Cruising through Lemaire Channel	Weddell Seal

2008 & 2009 Departures
Ushuaia to Ushuaia, Argentina
Aboard the Grigoriy Mikheev* or Aleksey Maryshev

The Falkland Islands...

We will cross to South Georgia, 1300 kms (800 miles) east-south-east, first sighted in 1675 and later visited by Captain James Cook in 1775. South Georgia has more than 160 glaciers coming down to the sea and is home to millions of seabirds including the beautiful King Penguins and the enormous Wandering Albatrosses. Abandoned whaling stations bear testimony to a less environmentally conscious era, but now Elephant Seals and Fur Seals can be seen on many beaches. Sir Ernest Shackleton was buried at Grytviken in 1922. In the Antarctic Peninsula, you can land on Paulet Island where tens of thousands of Adelie Penguins nest. At Hope Bay or Brown Bluff you can set foot on the Antarctic mainland and, depending on ice and weather, as always, we will sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel, where large numbers of whales seek the shelter of the protected waterways. In the South Shetlands, we will land at some of the many famous sites including  Deception Island, Hannah Point and Half Moon Island, all of which have wonderful wildlife.

Note:  Please note that this itinerary is for guidance only. The exact program may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.

Macaroni Penguin

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