Antarctica Cruise - The Peninsula (Active Adventure) 12 day Cruise - Prices from $3,995 Departures: 11/22/2007, 12/16/2007, 12/20/2007, 12/30/2007, 1/9/2008, 2/6/2008, 2/16/2008, 2/26/2008

See entire List of Trips Ship: Multanovskiy / Molchanov / Shokalskiy Trip Highlights: This voyage feels more like a private expedition than a cruise. Very casual and active. Sea kayaking and camping options on select dates.   Want more info about this trip or other Antarctic travel options?

Days 1-2: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Arrive in Ushuaia, a small city surrounded by rugged peaks and glaciers, and transfer independently to your conveniently located hotel. Join your fellow travelers the next morning for a guided tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park, with its diverse mammals and birds, then lunch on local specialties at an Argentine asado barbecue. Later in the afternoon, the Expedition Team gets you settled aboard your ice-strengthened ship as you sail into the Beagle Channel to start your Antarctic expedition.

Days 3-5: Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
Your journey across the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake, is an experience in itself. Your ship is accompanied most of the way by albatrosses - including the magnificent Wandering Albatross - along with an impressive variety of other seabirds. You have a good chance of spotting whales and dolphins and many different species have been encountered in these rich waters over the years. You also cross the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar waters sink beneath the warmer waters of the more temperate zones.

When land is sighted for the first time in two days (usually late afternoon on Day 4) you know you have reached the South Shetland Islands. This impressive group of islands, lying to the north and roughly parallel to the Antarctic Peninsula, is a haven for wildlife. You visit vast penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and observe wallowing southern elephant seals. You also hope to visit one of the many research bases in the archipelago and look for Antarctica's only two flowering plants which thrive here during the short southern summer. A highlight of our visit to the South Shetlands will be sailing through a narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island.

Days 6-9: Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the most easily accessible part of the ‘White Continent,’ but it also has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery and a rich variety of wildlife. This voyage offers ample time to experience the special magic of this wilderness region. Among the places you may visit are aptly named Paradise Harbor, where glaciers fill the calm waters with a vista of icebergs sculpted by wind and weather. Here, you may set foot on the ‘White Continent’ itself. At Port Lockroy, you will find thriving colonies of penguins and shags and a former British scientific station that has recently been renovated and serves as a fascinating museum. Cuverville Island and Rongé Island, with their dramatic location, are home to a large colony of nearly 5,000 pairs of gentoo penguins. Many visitors find the Antarctic scenery as rewarding as the wildlife, and you will be enchanted by such beautiful waterways as the Neumayer and Lemaire channels. Located south of the spectacular Lemaire Channel and separated from the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula by Penola Strait is Petermann Island, on which we plan to land. Adélie and gentoo penguins, skuas and blue-eyed shags nest close to the landing site.

Days 10-11: Drake Passage
Today, we leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Now is the chance to relax and review the adventures of the past week as well as enjoy some final lectures from the expedition staff as you return to Ushuaia.

Day 12: Ushuaia
After breakfast, you disembark and transfer by complimentary bus to the exit of the port, which is centrally located in town. Continue independently to the airport for your flight* home. *Airfare is not included in the program. Please note: Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition.

Notes:

Mandatory Travel Insurance: Passengers traveling on this expedition are required to be covered by a travel insurance policy that includes emergency evacuation coverage. As this voyage travels to remote regions of the world, we recommend that the policy’s emergency evacuation benefit be higher than minimum.

NOTE: There are two departures different departures on 2/22/2007.

Sea Kayaking: $595 per person (1/5/2007, 1/7/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/25/2007, 2/4/2007); $695 per person (12/16/2007, 12/20/2007, 12/30/2007, 1/9/2008, 2/6/2008, 2/16/2008, 2/26/2008)
Camping Adventure Option: No additional charge (same as sea kayaking dates) There will be a maximum of 10 campers allowed ashore. Weather and ice permitting, there will be one night of camping during each voyage. All meals will be taken onboard the vessel.)
Camping Only: 11/22/2007
Cross-country skiing and mountaineering options: $250 per person for each activity (1/15/2007, 1/25/2007, 12/6/2007, 12/16/2007)

Included:
Cabin accommodations; all meals aboard the vessel; glass of wine with each dinner; one night pre-cruise hotel accommodation with breakfast; all shore excursions; program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff; CD chronicle of the voyage in narrative, photography and video; A specially designed expedition parka that is yours to keep; A pair of rubber expedition boots on loan for shore landings; comprehensive pre-departure information package; All transfers between hotel, ship and departure airport; All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges.

Not Included:
Airfare; fuel surcharge (1/2007-2/2007: 7% of trip cost); fuel surcharge may apply to 11/22/2007-2/26/2008; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore; trip insurance; items of a personal nature and gratuity to the ship's crew is at your discretion.

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Deck Plan - Multanovskiy

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