Trip Summary: Antarctica | 10-12 Days

Travel Season:  March 4 - 14, 2023

Ship:  Ocean Endeavor / Adventurer | 132 to 189 Passengers

Price From: $9,450 / person (quad, triple, double, and single occupancy, price based on availability)

Trip Highlights

• Explore the Antarctic Peninsula on a trip that’s perfect for first-time visitors

• Travel safely and comfortably aboard any of our Expeditions’ three small, ice-strengthened expedition vessels

• Learn about the environment and ecosystem from on-board lecturers and specialists

• Get up close and personal with abundant wildlife, such as penguins, seals, and whales

• On select itineraries, arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina—the tango capital of the world

• Join renowned polar explorers, researchers, and photographers on each voyage

Expedition Dates & Prices

November - March

Price starting at $9,450 / person (triple room)

All inclusive package including Cabin accommodation on Ocean Endeavor, all meals, all port charges and fees, all ship taxes, all land taxes, all booking fees and ticketing fees, transfers from ship to activities, and small group guided tours at each port. *International Airfare, Passport, and Visa Fees are not included.

Ship Details: The Ocean Endeavour is a comfortable, well-appointed small expedition ship expertly engineered to explore the polar regions. It features an ice-strengthened hull, Zodiacs for exploration and remote landings, generous deck space, and advanced navigation equipment. The ship has many superb amenities, including a nautical lounge, two restaurants, plenty of deck space for observation of the polar landscapes, and lounges for learning and reflection. The ship’s interiors have a contemporary aesthetic that provides a bright and spacious feel to the cabins and common spaces.

Contact Us: 1-323-657-3496

Call to speak with one of our agents about this trip, or email us at: expeditions@acanela.com

This Acanela Expedition © is the perfect fusion between comfort & adventure. Embark on this small group exploration and have hands-on encounters with local peoples and cultures, while experiencing all the historical & culinary highlights along the way.

Itinerary Overview

Join Acanela on an amazing voyage to the 7th Continent! Antarctica has inspired explorers for centuries, and this expedition will show you why with an unforgettable trek through the spectacular wilderness of the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. You’ll encounter a world ruled by nature, her unpredictable temperament making each trip unique, exciting, and personal. Cruise aboard a Zodiac, navigating through a maze of icebergs—each one uniquely shaped by its journey through the sea. Sail among crackling ice floating atop the water like shattered glass, and watch as penguins build their nests. You’ll enjoy iconic Antarctic highlights, exhilarating adventures, and create memories to last a lifetime. 

Day 1: Ushuaia, Argentina: Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening. With a population of more than 63,000, Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Although the city has grown during the past few years, it retains an easygoing and accessible feel. Surrounded by the sea to the south and mountains to the north, Ushuaia is a spectacular departure point for your Antarctic cruise. If you arrive early, spend time in nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park, enjoy local wine and cuisine in the city, or visit the many boutiques and cafés before venturing off to Antarctica.

Day 2-3: Path of the polar explorers: Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

Days 3-4: Crossing the Drake Passage: Prepare yourself for potentially rough water, but hope for smooth sailing, as the Drake is unpredictable and always changing. You’ll spend these first days at sea getting to know your shipmates while the Expedition Team provides safety briefings and insight into what excitement lies ahead.

Days 4 - 8: Sights of late summer Antarctica: Options for Antarctic Peninsula activities are many, and no less great during the late summer. Humpback whales are prolific in this region, gorging themselves on krill before their migration north. The penguin chicks are also fledging, stirring up activity on the beaches while sleek leopard seals lie in wait, poised to attack the less fortunate ones.

Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Each day, we’ll embark on Zodiac excursions to explore local bays, channels, and landing sites. This icy region is full of diverse wildlife, and we’ll visit penguin rookeries, scout for humpback and minke whales, and search for numerous southern seal species, including the cunning leopard seal.

The majesty of the Antarctic Peninsula’s mountains will enchant us as we scramble up snowy pathways to vantage points offering 360° views. Amid the serene silence of Antarctica, noisy interludes become indelible memories, from penguins squabbling over prized pebbles to the boom and crack of a calving glacier.

The Expedition Team will carefully craft each day to be different, with the aim to entertain and educate the group about this breathtaking part of the world.

Sites for your Antarctic adventures may include: 

 Livingston Island – Here you find a wide variety of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Hannah Point, as well as southern giant petrels and elephant seals hauling out onto the beach. 

 Deception Island – Actually a subducted crater, this island opens into the sea and creates a natural harbor for the ship. Hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and multiple bird species – cape petrels, kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns – can be seen here. Wilson’s storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. 

 Cuverville Island – A small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Rongé Island, Cuverville houses a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas. 

 Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. You might also be able to set foot on the continent here. 

 Paradise Bay – You could take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where you have a good chance of seeing humpback and minke whales. 

 Pléneau & Petermann Islands – If the ice allows it, you may sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There’s also a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales as well as leopard seals. 

 Crystal Sound – Your journey takes you south along the Argentine Islands to this ice-packed body of water, and from here across the Polar Circle in the morning. 

 Detaille Island – You may make a landing at an abandoned British research station here, taking in the island’s lofty mountains and imposing glaciers. 

 Fish Islands – Further north you encounter one of the southernmost Adélie penguin and blue-eyed shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula. 

 Melchior Islands – These islands offer a beautiful landscape rich with icebergs. Leopard seals, crabeater seals, and whales are found here, and there are excellent opportunities for kayaking and diving. 

Danco Island - Trek to a penguin colony high up on a ridge. Have the choice between hiking to the island’s summit and spending time sitting quietly on the pebbled beach, enjoying the antics of curious penguins. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, participate in the Polar Plunge—which is as crazy as it gets!

Shetland Islands - The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels). Here you find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns.

Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

Days 9 - 10: Familiar seas, familiar friends: The journey back across the Drake Passage provides final opportunities to enjoy the crisp Antarctic air. Spend time on the deck watching for seabirds and scouting for whales, enjoy presentations by the Expedition Team, and simply relax and reminisce about the incomparable experiences of the past week. Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Day 11: There & Back Again: After an unforgettable Antarctic adventure, it’s sadly come to an end. Relish the mind-blowing memories you’ve made that are sure to last a lifetime. We’ll arrive in Ushuaia in the morning and depart on our flights home.