Polar Circle Crossing

Sailing down towards the Antarctic Circle  14 days - starts at US$6,900

Antarctic Dream's extended classic program of 14 days and 13 nights departs and returns from Ushuaia, Argentina on January 6, 2012.

We will be visiting places seldom seen by human beings, a true first-hand experience with nature an its spectacular fauna.
 

Itinerary *

Day 1- Ushuaia, Argentina: Passengers board the M/V Antarctic Dream. There you will be greeted by our Expedition Leader and staff and shown to your cabin. Check-in will begin at 16:00 hours on departure day to start your Adventure to the Antarctic Circle.

Day 2 to 3 - Crossing the Drake Passage: Wandering albatrosses, storm petrels and other seabirds will escort the vessel as you sail south across this famous passage named after Sir Francis Drake, the 16th-century English navigator.
We will continue towards the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar waters sink beneath the warmer waters of the circumpolar ocean.
On our second day of navigation through the Drake Passage, we'll start seeing the first glimpse of the White Continent, icebergs on blue and green tones and penguins swimming in the frigid waters. At night we should be reaching the South Shetland Islands.

Day 4 - Discovering the Antarctic Peninsula: Our first day in Antarctica we will be visiting Aitcho, weather permitting. Our expedition leader will assess the conditions to make sure you have an unforgettable visit.
Aitcho Island will give us an early taste of what Antarctica is really like. In the afternoon we will continue southwards crossing the Bransfield Strait to reach the Peninsula and Gerlache Strait, which we´ll be sailing to reach next day´s destination.

Day 5 - Cuverville Island – Neko Harbour – Paradise Bay: Today we will have a busy day waking up early to visit Cuverville Island, Neko Bay, and Skontorp Cove in the Paradise Bay area.
The program includes your first landing on the White Continent at Neko Bay, discovered by Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian explorer. Later we´ll visit Port Lockroy, next to Wiencke Island in the Antarctic Peninsula, which was the main base of the British 1944 Tabarin Operation - the scientific research included the Antarctic's first ionosphere measurements and also the first recording of an atmospheric whistle.

Day 6 - Pleneau / Port Charcot – Goudier Island / Jougla Point: At Pleneau we should have the chance to take our zodiacs and visit impressive ice formations, with diverse shades, colors, forms with nesting colonies of Gentoo and Adèlie penguins. On these islands we will also find nesting Antarctic Cormorants, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns.

Day 7 - Petermann Island – Yalour Islands - Crossing the Antarctic Circle: If the ice conditions allow us to sail further South, we will go across the narrow Lemaire Channel whose high cliffs and narrow waterway make it one of the most beautiful passages in the world, and provided weather and ice conditions are good enough, we will be able to visit Petermann and Yalour islands.
We will celebrate our arrival within Antarctica's "inner circle" with a well-deserved glass of champagne, then continue exploring the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula.

Day 8 - Melchior Islands – Spigot Point: In the morning we plan to visit Melchior Islands where we will cruise in our zodiacs to have close views of the wildlife and ice. Early in the afternoon we will sail to Spigotpoint, where we will find a Chinstrap penguin colony.

Day 9 - Enterprise Island - Portal Point: Besides the magnificent scenery of mountains, snow and ice, in Antarctica you can expect to see a wide variety of the native wildlife. Other birds to look out for are Antarctic Cormorants, Kelp gulls, Cape petrels, Skuas, Snowy sheathbills and Antarctic terns. Marine mammals that you are likely to see include Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals while Killer whales, Humpback and Minke whales may be spotted at close range. At Enterprise island we may have a zodiac cruise to an old whaler wreckage.

Day 10 - Mikkelsen Harbour – Astrolabe Island: This is one of the best places in the Antarctic to see wildlife and we should see Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, Giant petrels, Wilson´s storm petrels, Skuas and Antarctic shags. With luck, we should also see Elephant seals.

Day 11 - Telefon Bay – Pendulum / at Sea: We continue sailing North to Deception Island which is the largest active volcano in the northwestern side of the Peninsula. During the morning we will try to disembark in Whaler's Bay and Pendulum Cove where you can live the unique experience of swimming in this waters.

Day 12 – 13 Crossing back the Drake Passage / at Sea: Today, we will leave the Antarctic and head north back across the Drake Passage. Now is the chance to compare and check notes and dwell on the adventures of the past week, to take in the final lectures and to enjoy the delicious cuisine on board as you return to Ushuaia.

Day 14 - Arrival in Ushuaia, Argentina: We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia. After an early breakfast we will land at roughly 9:00 am and bid farewell to our guests. Thus ends an incredible and unique expedition. Coach transfer to Airport for a flight back Home.

* Please note that you should regard this itinerary as a guide only. Our exact route and program varies according to the weather conditions we encounter. Flexibility is the key to success for all expeditions of the M/V Antarctic Dream.