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14-Day Antarctica Expedition Cruise

Buenos Aires → Ushuaia → Drake Passage → Antarctic Peninsula → South Shetlands → Ushuaia → Buenos Aires

16
Days
41
Places
$600
/day avg
✨ Customize This Route
Drake Passage crossingPenguin coloniesZodiac landingsLemaire ChannelWhale watching

Day 1 — Buenos Aires

09:00

🏛️ Recoleta Cemetery & MALBA

Visit the ornate mausoleum of Eva Perón at Recoleta Cemetery, then explore Latin American art at MALBA museum.

$15
13:00

🏛️ San Telmo Market & Tango

Sunday antiques market in San Telmo's cobblestone streets. Street tango dancers perform at Plaza Dorrego. Buy leather goods and vintage treasures.

$30
20:00

🍜 Steak Dinner at Don Julio

Argentina's best parrilla. Dry-aged beef grilled over wood coals, paired with Malbec from Mendoza. Book well ahead.

$80

Day 2 — Fly to Ushuaia & Embark

07:00

🚄 Flight to Ushuaia

Fly to the southernmost city in the world. Window seats offer views of Patagonian glaciers and the Beagle Channel.

$200
12:00

📍 Ushuaia Waterfront & End of the World Post Office

Explore the colorful waterfront, send a postcard from the southernmost post office, and visit the Maritime Museum in the old prison.

$15
17:00

🚄 Board Expedition Ship

Board your expedition vessel in Ushuaia harbor. Safety briefing, cabin assignment, and welcome dinner as the ship heads into the Beagle Channel.

$900

Day 3 — Drake Passage (Day 1)

08:00

🌿 Drake Passage Crossing Begins

Enter the Drake Passage — the most powerful convergence of seas on Earth. Wandering albatrosses follow the ship. Take seasickness meds proactively.

14:00

🏛️ Polar Lectures: Antarctic History

Onboard lectures by expedition team on Shackleton, Scott, and the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Fascinating preparation for what's ahead.

17:00

🌿 Seabird Watching from the Bridge

Open bridge policy lets you watch from the captain's deck. Giant petrels, Cape petrels, and albatrosses ride the winds alongside.

Day 4 — Drake Passage (Day 2)

10:00

🌿 Antarctic Convergence Zone

Cross the Antarctic Convergence where cold polar waters meet warmer sub-Antarctic seas. Water temperature drops 5°C — you've entered Antarctic waters.

14:00

🏛️ Zodiac & Gear Briefing

Learn zodiac landing procedures, biosecurity protocols (vacuum boots, check pockets), and wildlife approach distances. Essential for responsible visiting.

18:00

🌿 First Iceberg Sighting

The first tabular iceberg appears on the horizon — flat-topped, impossibly blue, and massive. The ship slows as Antarctica announces itself.

Day 5 — South Shetland Islands

08:00

🌿 Half Moon Island Zodiac Landing

First Antarctic landing! Walk among chinstrap penguins on a crescent-shaped volcanic island. Weddell seals laze on the beach.

14:00

🧗 Deception Island Volcanic Caldera

Sail through a narrow gap into the flooded caldera of an active volcano. Land at Whalers Bay among rusting whaling station ruins.

15:30

🧗 Polar Plunge!

Strip down and plunge into the Southern Ocean at Deception Island — where volcanic heat warms the beach slightly. Bragging rights for life.

Day 6 — Antarctic Peninsula: Neko Harbour

08:00

🌿 Neko Harbour — Continental Antarctica

Step onto the Antarctic continent itself. Gentoo penguins nest on the hillside, and a massive glacier calves icebergs into the harbor behind you.

14:00

🌿 Zodiac Cruise Among Icebergs

Zodiac boat cruise through a field of sculpted icebergs. Blue ice caves, leopard seals on floes, and the eerie silence of the Antarctic.

20:00

🌿 Whale Watching at Dusk

Humpback whales feed in the nutrient-rich waters. Watch from the ship's deck as they breach, blow, and dive — flukes silhouetted against the midnight sun.

Day 7 — Lemaire Channel & Petermann Island

07:00

🌿 Lemaire Channel Transit

Sail through the 'Kodak Gap' — an 11km channel between sheer ice cliffs. One of the most photographed waterways on Earth. Dead calm, mirror reflections.

10:30

🌿 Petermann Island Landing

Land among the southernmost gentoo penguin colony. Adélie penguins also nest here. Blue-eyed shags perch on rocky outcrops above.

15:00

🧗 Sea Kayaking Among Ice

Optional sea kayaking excursion through brash ice and past icebergs. Paddle in silence broken only by penguin calls and cracking ice.

$150

Day 8 — Paradise Harbour

08:00

🌿 Paradise Harbour Landing

Appropriately named — towering glaciers, perfect reflections, and penguins everywhere. Visit the Argentine research station Almirante Brown.

14:00

🌿 Glacier Face Zodiac Cruise

Cruise the zodiac right up to an active glacier face. Listen to the ice crack and pop, then watch for calving events. Keep your distance.

18:00

🏛️ Photography Workshop: Antarctic Light

Expedition photographer leads a workshop on capturing Antarctic light — the golden hours last for hours here. Review and improve your shots.

Day 9 — Cuverville Island & Errera Channel

08:00

🌿 Cuverville Island Gentoo Colony

Home to the largest gentoo penguin colony on the Antarctic Peninsula. Thousands of penguins waddle, feed chicks, and steal rocks from each other.

14:00

🌿 Errera Channel Whale Watch

The channel is a feeding ground for humpback whales. Multiple pods often visible simultaneously — bubble-net feeding if you're lucky.

Day 10 — Port Lockroy & Jougla Point

09:00

🏛️ Port Lockroy — Antarctic Post Office

Visit the restored British base turned museum and post office. Send postcards from Antarctica — they'll arrive in 2-3 months via the Royal Mail.

$15
13:00

🌿 Jougla Point Whale Bones & Penguins

Walk among historic whale bones from the whaling era while gentoo penguins nest between them. Skuas patrol overhead looking for unguarded eggs.

20:00

🍜 Captain's Farewell Cocktails

The captain hosts farewell drinks as the ship turns north. Toast to Antarctica as icebergs float past in the midnight sun.

Day 11 — Drake Passage Return (Day 1)

08:00

🌿 Drake Passage Return Crossing

Head north across the Drake. Use the sea days for photo editing, lectures on climate science, and reflecting on what you've seen.

15:00

🏛️ Citizen Science: Whale Census

Participate in real scientific research — log whale sightings for the International Whaling Commission's population census from the ship's decks.

Day 12 — Drake Passage Return (Day 2)

10:00

🏛️ Photo Show & Trip Recap

Expedition team presents the voyage highlights slideshow. Share your best shots and vote for the photo competition winner.

16:00

🌿 Beagle Channel Approach

Enter the Beagle Channel with Tierra del Fuego's snow-capped peaks on both sides. Dolphins often ride the bow wave.

Day 13 — Disembark Ushuaia

08:00

🚄 Disembark in Ushuaia

Say goodbye to the expedition team and fellow travelers. You've been to the bottom of the world — nothing will ever be quite the same.

10:00

🌿 Tierra del Fuego National Park

Visit the national park at the end of the world. Hike to Lapataia Bay — the official end of Route 3 and the Pan-American Highway.

$20
19:00

🍜 King Crab Dinner in Ushuaia

Celebratory centolla (king crab) dinner overlooking the Beagle Channel. Patagonian lamb and Malbec complete the feast.

$60

Day 14 — Fly to Buenos Aires

08:00

🚄 Flight Ushuaia to Buenos Aires

Morning flight back to Buenos Aires. The Patagonian landscape from above is a final gift — glaciers, lakes, and endless steppe.

$200
14:00

🏛️ La Boca & Caminito

Colorful neighborhood with painted houses, tango on the streets, and the famous Boca Juniors stadium. Vibrant and chaotic.

19:00

🍜 Farewell Empanadas & Malbec

Final Argentine meal — handmade empanadas and a bottle of Malbec at a Palermo wine bar. Toast to the bottom of the world.

$40

Days 15-16 — Buffer Days

10:00

📍 Buffer Day for Weather Delays

Antarctica expeditions sometimes face weather delays. These buffer days ensure you don't miss flights. Explore more of Buenos Aires if not needed.

$50

Day 16 — Departure

10:00

🚄 Departure from Buenos Aires

Head to Ezeiza International Airport. You've been to all seven continents — or at least the most extraordinary one.

$30
An expedition cruise to Antarctica is the ultimate travel experience — a journey to the last truly wild continent on Earth. This 16-day itinerary takes you from the cosmopolitan streets of Buenos Aires to the end of the world at Ushuaia, across the legendary Drake Passage, and into the frozen wonderland of the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is unlike anywhere else: tabular icebergs the size of cities, colonies of thousands of penguins, humpback whales surfacing beside your zodiac, and a silence so profound it changes your perception of the world. The expedition ship carries around 200 passengers with a team of naturalists, marine biologists, and polar historians who lead zodiac landings, kayaking excursions, and lectures that bring the continent to life. You'll make multiple zodiac landings on the Antarctic Peninsula, walking among gentoo and chinstrap penguin colonies, visiting historic research stations, and kayaking through channels lined with blue-white glaciers. The Lemaire Channel — nicknamed 'Kodak Gap' — is a narrow passage between towering ice cliffs that ranks among the most beautiful waterways on Earth. The Drake Passage crossing is two days each way and can be rough, but it's a rite of passage that makes the arrival in Antarctic waters all the more rewarding. Back in Ushuaia, you'll return with memories that redefine what travel can be. This is not a beach holiday — it's an expedition that will change how you see the planet.

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