Antarctic Travel - Penguins, Icebergs and Excitement
Antarctica has no power lines, billboards or highways. You won't find designer coffee shops or cellular networks. The only sounds you hear are natural - wildlife, water and the occasional boom of icebergs. Listen closely. You may hear your heart beating with excitement!
Antarctica Shouldn't be Last on Your Bucket List
Some people think that Antarctica cruises are the last thing to experience after traveling the world. The Antarctic continent maybe at the bottom of the world, but it shouldn't be at the bottom of your bucket list. To truly experience the 7th continent, you should take an Antarctic trip at least four times.
Why Four Antarctic Adventures?
Antarctica is so vast that only a small portion of it can be explored during a two-week period. Just as important is the fact that Antarctica changes dramatically from October through March. The sun shines continuously for 24 hours, warming the continent as wildlife return to breed and feed.
October to the beginning of December
The continent is covered in snow to the water's edge. Penguins build highways as they waddle the same path again and again, from the sea to their nests far from shore. During this period, penguins, shags, and seabirds court and lay their eggs.
December through February
The snow retreats, exposing rocky beachheads. Penguin chicks hatch and their parents spend endless hours feeding their hungry young.
Mid-February to March
The whales return to feed. Seals haul out on the beachheads and penguins begin to moult. Antarctica is preparing for long months of darkness. Highlights for travelers are whales, red snow and fledging Gentoo Penguins acting like miniature Charlie Chaplins.
The Fourth Antarctic Trip
Every traveler to the Antarctica should experience an Icebreaker Adventure. The polar-class Russian ice breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov sails to Antarctica's most remote regions. The onboard helicopters extend the vessel's ability to reach beyond the shoreline. When the vessel retires in March 2012, the era of icebreaker expeditions to Antarctica comes to an end. Don't miss it.
-
Epic Antarcticafrom $24,990
(December 3 - January 3, 2011) A 32-day vacation starting in Santiago, Chile, ending in Hobart, Australia. Embarkation is in Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). Emmy-winning wildlife cinematographer Doug Allan is the special guest. This Antarctic adventure and End of an Era semi-circumnavigation tour visits the historic huts of the Ross Sea. Fly in helicopters to the top of ice shelves. Cruise ultimate Antarctica.
-
Crossing the Circlefrom $6,490
A 15-day expedition for travelers seeking adventure tours and hankering to cruise south of the Antarctic Circle. Optional adventures - camping and kayaking - are available on selected departures. A photography-focussed vacation is delivered February 26, 2011, aboard Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein will be the special guest on that Antarctica cruise.
-
Antarctica’s Far Eastfrom $37,990
(December 6 - January 5, 2012) A 31-day End of an Era Antarctic expedition saluting Douglas Mawson, Australia's revered polar explorer. Visit research stations and Antarctica’s far eastern coast, plus hard-to-visit Pacific islands – Heard, Kerguelen and St. Paul. Only 112 people can join this Antarctica cruise, Khlebnikov’s final voyage as an expedition ship. The Special Guest will be Captain Petr Golikov.
-
Emperor Penguinsfrom $15,290
A 14-day dream cruise for Emperor Penguin lovers! Vacation, for 3 days, with adult Emperors as they tend chicks at the Snow Hill Island rookery. This End of an Era Antarctic adventure continues in the Peninsula. Visit rookeries of other penguin species to watch the adults select nesting sites and choose partners.
-
Explorers' Questfrom $7,890
A 20-day expedition cruise from Ushuaia, to the tussock covered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), then to the Antarctic Peninsula via the wildlife paradise of South Georgia. Landings and Zodiac excursions enable close encounters with whales, seals and six species of penguins. An environmentally responsible vacation. Kayaking is an optional Antarctic adventure.
-
Ross Sea Centennial Voyagefrom $35,390
(November 9 - December 7, 2011) A 29-day End of an Era cruise marking the centennial of Amundsen and Scott’s expeditions to the South Pole. Also visit Ross Sea Emperor Penguin rookeries. This Antarctic adventure includes far flung Pacific islands – The Snares, Auckland and Campbell. Travel with special guest, Nigel Watson, of New Zealand’s Antarctic Heritage Trust. Tour the historic huts built by Shackleton and Scott.
-
Weddell Sea & South Georgiafrom $21,990
(November 6 - December 5, 2010) Last chance to see Emperor Penguins in 2010. This 31-day expedition to the Weddell Sea and South Georgia marks the 94th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance exploration PLUS we plan to visit 3 of the most remote Emperor Penguin rookeries on the planet! Cruise the same seas as "The Boss". John Murray, of Crossing the Line Films, will be special guest and be shooting a documentary film during the voyage.
-
Antarctic Explorerfrom $4,390
Multiple departures and a choice of ships: 11 or 12-day vacation cruises for travelers seeking highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. Choose from optional adventure activities - sea-kayaking, camping, cross-country skiing and mountaineering. During the Antarctic adventure cruises presentations about wildlife, ice and the history of the seventh continent are made by our experienced Expedition Team.
-
Antarctica Fly and Cruisefrom $8,990
The Drake Passage crossing is reduced to two hours by flying from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in the South Shetlands. You save 100 hours of sailing time, when compared to traditional Antarctic Peninsula cruises. A quick crossing doesn't reduce the time you spend in Antarctica. The ship explores the Peninsula for 5-days, the same amount of time as any other expedition.
