EMBLEMATIC ANTARCTICA

Day 1 Embarkation, Ushuaia

Arrive into Ushuaia, the capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, located at the country's southernmost tip. Known as the 'End of the World', Ushuaia is a depictive scene; a mass of colourful and simple buildings which sit at the foot of the Martial mountains. After boarding your ship Le Boreal or Le Lyrial and listening to the all-important safety briefing it's time to relax and explore your base for the next 11 days. With space for only 200 passengers on polar departures, this is an elegant, cosy and supremely comfortable cruising journey.

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 2 - 3 Drake Passage

These two days are spent at sea.  Time to wrap up and head out on deck to admire the multitude of wildlife surrounding you; from waved albatross, also known as Galapagos albatross, foraging for food just below the surface, to whales slowly drifting by. When it’s time to sit down with a warm drink, head to the ship’s theatre for one of many exciting and informative lectures from one of the world’s top naturalist guides. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 4 Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay

Neko Harbour is without doubt one of the most beautiful sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, discovered by Belgian navigator Adrien de Gerlache during his 1897-1899 expedition.  A sublime 360˚ panoramic scene of colossal ice mountains and reflective waters - motionless bar the odd splinter of ice; and a host of wildlife including Weddell and fur seals often seen on the beach to the gentoo penguins nesting in the hill above. From Paradise Bay, a detour to discover the old Argentine base Almirante Brown is highly recommended. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 5 Pléneau Island and Port Charcot

Measuring 1 1/2 km long by 500m wide, Pléneau Island is home to thousands of gentoo penguins, elephant seals and fur seals. A chance to explore the island on foot (crouch down low as the gentoo are not intimated by height and will often come quite close to say hello) or surrounding waters in a zodiac.  Continue to Port Charcot, a natural harbour located in Salpêtrière Bay, discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot, where you will find another colony of gentoo penguins. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 6 Port Lockroy

Also discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1903, Port Lockroy is a spectacular natural harbour and currently one of the most frequented in Antarctica.  For many years it provided a stopover for whaling ships, a British military base and later a research station. While you’re here, a visit to the pocket-size museum to experience life on the island in the 1950s and the chance to send a post card home from the southernmost post office in the world, is a must. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 7 Deception Island

Easily recognisable by its almost-enclosed horse-shoe shape, Deception Island sits just above the northern tip of the Antarctica peninsula.  Accessed via a tricky 230m wide gap in the volcano’s wall, the island still bears traces of its past as a long-time hub of the whaling industry, with relics of abandoned sheds lining the black sand of its volcanic beaches.  It is also home to some spectacular wildlife, including the Antarctic Peninsula’s largest colony of chinstrap penguins, as well as elephant seals and fur seals.

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 8 Weddell Sea

Amid the bewildering stillness of the Weddell Sea, enjoy a day snaking through a maze of table icebergs; vast ice platforms sculpting the landscape like no other.  The primary home to the formidable Weddell seal (who can swim under the water without a breath for up to an hour), as well as orcas, minke whales, fur seals, penguins, wandering albatross and other magnificent seabirds. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 9 - 10 Drake Passage

Set sail across the Drake Passage, back to Ushuaia, in the comfort aboard this superb expedition vessel.  With a ratio of less than 2 guests to 1 member of staff, delicious French-inspired food and indulgent spa; these last two days are designed to sit back, relax and be spoilt.  Spend time on deck observing and enjoying the various seabirds; elegant albatross dive bombing alongside and sooty shearwaters and white-chinned petrels soaring above the ship's rooftop. 

Overnight: PONANT Le Boreal or Le Lyrial

Day 11 Disembark, Ushuaia

Arrive into port in Ushuaia, Argentina and disembark.