South of the Antarctic Circle
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- Itinerary
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By including optional kayaking and diving, these late season voyages offer the chance to maximise your polar crossing experience by exploring Antarctica both on and under the water. Travelling at that time provides excellent photographic and whale watching conditions, alongside the normal zodiac and land-based excursions.
Trip Summary
- From albatrosses and petrels to penguins and seals, you'll make plenty of new Antarctic friends
- 6, 7 or 8 full days in Antarctica, depending on which departure date you choose
- Antarctic operational experience since 1996
- Expedition staff to guest ratio of 1:10
- February and March voyage dates only when conditions are optimal for reaching the Polar Circle
- Optional scuba diving on most departures; kayaking and camping on selected departures (additional cost)
- Soak up even more regional knowledge with wildlife, nature and history lectures on board
Trip Overview
Antarctica
South of the Polar Circle
From
$8,200 - $17,300
The flukes of a diving humpback whale
Your vessel amid the ice
Witness icebergs the size of apartment blocks
Orca whale trio
Mirrored landscapes
Gravitating towards the water again
Gathering as a group at Pleneau Island
Hikers trek along the coast, Antarctic Peninsula
Adelie penguins at sunset, Antarctica
Operator's Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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.
Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
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..
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
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Ship Overview
- A 3-4* expedition vessel for 108 guests
- All cabins have been recently updated
- A broad, heavy design = great stability
- High 1A ice class rating
- Camping, kayaking and snowshoeing available on select departures
- Rubber boots are provided on loan
What our customers think of South of the Antarctic Circle
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Optional Adventure Activities
Limited spaces available. Cold water and dry suit experience required. Additional charge of between USD $900 to $1600, depending on voyage and season.
$1,075
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Equipment provided. Select departures. USD $225 for 2024/25 season, USD $250 for 2025/26 season and USD $280 for 2026/27 season.
$225
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