Weddell Sea - Emperor Penguin Voyage

Code: OWE002
  • Duracion: 11 Days / 10 Nights
  • Start: Ushuaia
  • Departure: November 14, 2019 / November 19,2020
Description

Live an adventure in antarctic. An Emperor Penguin rookery is situated south of Snow Hill Island. The captain of the vessel will do his utmost to position the vessel close enough to the Emperor Penguin Rookeries.



Price includes
Accommodation
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee, tea.
On board lectures and exhibits.
Information of the region.
Transfer to Ushuaia airport after the trip.
Expedition in zodiac boats, excursions.
-Transfers to the coast by helicopter (minimum flight time not guaranteed)
Taxes and port taxes
Price does not include
Flights to and from the port
Fuel supply
Land services (pre and post cruise)
Transfer to the ship
Visa and passport expenses
Embarkation taxes
Meal out of the ship
Personal, cancellation and luggage Insurance
Personal Items on board such as lundry, bar, beverages
  • We highly recommend scheduling your arrival in Ushuaia with at least one day in advance in order to avoid any flight delays.
  • The itinerary is referential only. Excursions may change due to climate conditions.
  • 2019 Departure: November 14
Itinerary

Your unique chance to be part of a true expedition voyage! The Emperor Penguin rookery (ca. 4,000 breeding pairs) is situated south of Snow Hill Island. Although we will probably not be able to reach that far south through the ice, the idea is mainly to situate ourselves in or between the Antarctic Sound and James Ross Island, close to the ice-edge and observe the emperor penguins on their way to the open water. We will use our helicopters in our attempts to search for individual emperor penguins, to make scenic flights and to make helicopter landings in places otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.
 

Day 1: Ushuaia

In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

Day 2 & 3: At sea

During these two days we will sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area we may meet Wandering Albatrosses, Grey-headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels.

Day 4 - 7: The Weddell Sea 

We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

During these days we use the ship and the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages we have had a high success rate in locating emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us – possible helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season. 

Possible landing sites is for example Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls and tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above, beautiful volcanic creations and the scene is complete with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes. A few Gentoo’s is mixed in for fun.

Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice floes; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.

A beautiful helicopter flight over huge icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.

If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.

On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-floes. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

Day 8: Deception Island - Pendulum Cove

In the morning we will sail to Deception Island where we have the last landing of our voyage at Pendulum Cove or Whalers Bay. From there we depart into the Drake Passage around noon.

Day 9 & 10: At sea

In the Drake Passage we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds and to take advantage of the knowledge of our lecture team.

Day 11: Ushuaia

We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.

Accommodations
  • Double Superior Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

  • Quadruple Porthole Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

  • Triple Porthole Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

  • Twin Deluxe Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

  • Twin Porthole Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

  • Twin Window Cabin

    or similar category, depending on availability.

Important note: In the event that one of the hotels does not have availability, it will be exchanged for a hotel with similar characteristics.

Faq
All our tours and local suppliers are implementing and demanding all sanitary measures to make our tourist experiences as safe as possible. Face masks are mandatory for passengers in public areas. Hand sanitization available for passengers and staff during the tour, and regularly sanitized vehicles.
All tours can be canceled and rescheduled with 48 hours of anticipation.
First choose the date in the calendar on your right and tour options. Press Book me and then complete your personal data. Once we receive your reservation we will process your payment by paypal or credit card and send you vouchers and final instructions.
Our company has an assistance staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you will always be supported by us.
BOOK ONLINE
1 Date
2 Number of Passengers
In double or matrimonial room
(2 persons per room)
In simple room
(1 person per room)
Inquire
Why book with us?
Best price without complications
Best Quality Guaranteed
Passenger service available 24/7
Tours and Experiences selected by experts
Industry leader
18 years of experience
Places you will meet