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South Georgia & Antarctica: In the Footsteps of Shackleton
23 days - Prices $15,995 to $25,995
Departures:
11/21/2009
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Ship(s):
Clelia II
Trip
Highlights:
One of the more comfortable smaller vessels traveling to Antarctica; luxury accommodation, excellent guides, Elephant Island, optional 5-day South Georgia trek led by Peter Hillary & Dave Hahn.
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Rates:
$15,995 to $25,995
Summary:
Travel in the wake of the world?s greatest explorers, including Magellan, Darwin, Drake, de Gerlache and Shackleton, on this voyage to the far southern reaches of the world. While the itinerary in Antarctica is flexible to account for changing weather and ice conditions, planned destinations include King George Island, Paradise Bay, Deception Island and Lemaire Channel. You also call at Elephant Island, where Sir Ernest Shackleton?s men sought refuge; spectacularly scenic South Georgia, Shackleton?s final resting place; the South Orkney Islands, with their profusion of penguins and petrels; and the isolated Falkland Islands. Throughout your voyage, benefit from the insight and expertise of your onboard expedition leaders, reowned explorers and mountaineers,
Peter Hillary and Dave Hahn, along with Wildlife Photographer Art Wolfe.
Optional 5-day Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia, led by Hahn and Hillary. See end of page for details.
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Trip
Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Home City
Depart your home city on your flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Day 2: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina?s capital, and one of South America?s most beautiful cities, and transfer to the Palacio Duhau ? Park Hyatt Buenos Aires for the night. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax. Evening cocktail reception at the hotel.
Day 3: Buenos Aires / Ushuaia / Embark
Fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, a Patagonian city set on the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Darwin Cordillera, glaciers, and forests of southern beech. Upon arrival, transfer to the ship. Enjoy a spectacular vista of glaciers and green-misted mountains as Clelia II navigates the Beagle Channel.
Days 4-6: At Sea
Attend lectures by naturalists and study leaders as Clelia II sails to South Georgia. Albatross and cape petrels are among the birds that accompany the ship on its passage.
Days 7-11: South Georgia
Spend six days exploring the rugged, ice-bound islands of South Georgia. Once ravaged by the South Atlantic whaling industry, the waters of South Georgia are now strictly protected and harbor abundant numbers of elephant seals, fur seals, and king penguins. Visit the Bay of Isles, home to a massive rookery of king penguins; Albatross Island, a paradise for gray-headed, black-browed, light-mantled sooty, and wandering albatross; and the town of Grytviken, where Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried in the small cemetery beyond the abandoned whaling station.
Day 12: Sailing the Scotia Sea
Attend on-board lectures and watch for whales and seabirds as Clelia II cruises the Scotia Sea.
Day 13: South Orkney Islands
A vista of enormous grounded icebergs is visible as Clelia II approaches the South Orkney Islands to call at Coronation Island. In the company of British scientists from Signy Station, visit the rookeries of penguins and snow and cape petrels that populate the island.
Day 14: Elephant Island
Today explore Elephant Island, where in 1916 Sir Ernest Shackleton?s Endurance was stranded, forcing Shackleton and five of his men to undertake a thousand-mile rescue mission on a 20-foot whaleboat to secure help.
Days 15-19: Antarctic Peninsula and its Islands
Enjoy five days exploring the pristine wilderness of the Antarctic Peninsula, a narrow finger of land that separates the ice-choked waters of the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas. As Clelia II sails through scenic waterways, witness a breathtaking panorama of icebergs, blue glaciers, and jagged, snowcapped mountains. Aboard the ship?s fleet of Zodiacs, cruise among ice floes, land at penguin rookeries, and visit with scientists at research stations. Although the itinerary varies according to local ice and wind conditions, we hope to land at such places as Petermann Island, where humpback and minke whales are often sighted offshore; Paradise Bay, the habitat of gentoo and chinstrap penguins and the blubbery Weddell seal; Deception Island, whose waters are often warm enough for swimming; and King George Island, home to several research stations. Voyages through the magnificent Lemaire, Neumeyer, Errata, and other protected channels are also planned?and never to be forgotten.
Days 20-21: At Sea
As Clelia II sails northward across the Antarctic Convergence, where the cold waters of the Southern Ocean override the warmer waters to the north. Enjoy three days at sea attending lectures and relaxing aboard ship.
Day 22: Ushuaia / Disembark / Buenos Aires / U.S.
Disembark in Ushuaia and transfer to the airport for the flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires connect with flights to the U.S.
Day 23: Arrive Home
Today, you arrive back home.
Notes:
Included:
Round-trip group flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; 1-night stay in Buenos Aires at the Palacio Duhau ? Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, with welcome cocktail reception and breakfast; 19-night cruise aboard the 100-guest expedition cruise ship, Clelia II; Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship; All meals aboard ship, including house wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; Open bar aboard ship throughout the cruise; Complete program of excursions; Physician aboard ship Educational program of lectures and discussions by accompanying guest lecturersp; Expedition parka, complete pre-departure materials and detailed cruise log; expedition leader and tour staff; Baggage handling and transfers abroad on the designated program departure and arrival dates; Port and embarkation taxes; Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers.
Not Included:
Airfare (other than the designated group flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia); visas; passports; luggage, cancellation and accident insurance; personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls, faxes, and email/Internet service; and gratuities to shipboard personnel.
The Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia
A small group will attempt to recreate Shackleton?s historic crossing of South Georgia from King Haakon Bay to Stromness Bay on an optional trek. The group will be led by Expedition Leaders Peter Hillary and Dave Hahn, an experienced trekking assistant, and a qualified medical doctor. This 24 mile-journey is expected to take up to 5 days?even though Shackleton covered the disctance in 36 almost non-stop hours. The group?s retracing of their route across the island will depend on weather conditions. The first day, at King Haakon Bay, will be spent preparing equipment prior to departure. Once the trek is complete, the crossing party will rejoin the ship at Stromness Bay, and continue on with the cruise itinerary.
Crossing Supplement: $6,800 per person
Included: Crossing party expert guides; tents, stoves, fuel, meals, and other specialized equipment required; permit fees for crossing South Georgia.
Maximum Crossing Group Size: 15 participants
About the Expedition Leaders:
Peter Hillary made history in 1990 when he and his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first father-and-son team to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. On another expedition, Peter blazed a new overland route to the South Pole. For more than 25 years Peter has challenged some of the most demanding, most dangerous environments on Earth: he is the first man to traverse the 3000-mile length of the Himalayas; he made the first ski descent of Mount Aspiring, known as ?the Matterhorn of the Southern Hemisphere;? and he has participated in more than 38 mountaineering expeditions, including ascents of Mount Everest, K2, Makali West Pillar, and Mount Vinson, Antarctica?s highest peak. Peter holds a commercial pilot?s license, is a much-sought-after speaker, and is the author of eight books, most recently In the Ghost Country: A Lifetime Spent on the Edge.
Dave Hahn holds the record for reaching the summit of Mount Everest?ten times (out of 14 tries), more than any other non-Sherpa climber. He has guided climbers to the summit of Mount Rainier 245 times, and led 25 attempts on Denali, reaching the summit 18 times. Dave also holds the world record for the Vinson Massif in Antarctica?he has reached the summit 25 times. In 2006 Dave led a team of professional athletes on an expedition to ski Mount Everest. In 1999 Dave participated in the expedition that recovered and identified the remains of explorer George Mallory, who died trying to scale Everest in 1924. A renowned expert on Ernest Shackleton, Dave has led seven expeditions to South Georgia Island and led trekkers overland on the ?Shackleton Traverse,? which in 2004 won Outside magazine?s Trip of the Year Award. Dave shot high-altitude video for the PBS NOVA program Lost on Everest, and led the film crew into the mountains of Antarctica on a journey of discovery that resulted in the Emmy-Award-winning film, Mountains of Ice.
Art Wolfe is the host for public television?s Art Wolfe?s Travels to the Edge, an inspiring adventure travel and photography series. The thirteen episode series has garnered American Public Television?s 2007 Programming Excellence Award?unprecedented for a first season show?and the second season is currently airing nationwide and licensed internationally to over 30 countries. Wolfe?s photography is recognized throughout the world for his masterful images of the wild and his passionate conservation advocacy. During his 30-year career, he has worked on every continent and released over 60 books. On this voyage, Art will share the techniques for his unique approach to nature photography, using both his artistic and journalistic styles. In workshops, discussions, and multimedia presentations, Wolfe will cover how to compose a picture and work a location as well as topics including light, color, texture, angle, line, and the importance of movement.
Also joining this voyage will be guest lecturers Daniel A. Bennett, immediate past President of The Explorers Club, and Ross MacPhee, a curator in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.
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