8 Antarctic Itineraries Announced

Antarctic Adventures with Special Guests

[12.08 - NORWALK, CT] In its never-ending quest to provide unparalleled adventures to Antarctica, Quark Expeditions is offering eight itineraries showcasing the beauty, remoteness, history and natural wildlife of the great White Continent. Whether travelers seeks to observe the world's tallest penguins in the world; paddle a kayak in pristine waters dotted with icebergs; or meet award-winning cinematographers, Quark Expeditions has the expedition that will make their dreams come true.

Offering three styles of vessels – Icebreakers, Adventure Ships and Expedition Ships - Quark specializes exclusively in polar adventures. Quark's Icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov, will sail to the Snow Hill Island Emperor Penguin rookery with an award-winning film crew, and deliver the only expedition in 2009 that will visit an Emperor Penguin and a King Penguin rookery, with special guest Robert Bateman, internationally renowned wildlife artist. The icebreaker's Antarctic season finale will be a 31-day "Epic Antarctica" semi circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent via the Phantom Coast and the Ross Sea. For the active traveler, Quark will offer three distinct Adventure Ship itineraries, 30 departures in total, aboard the ice-strengthened Akademik Sergey Vavilov, Akademik Shokalskiy and Ocean Nova. The 12-day "Antarctic Adventure", the 15-day "Crossing the Circle" and the 20-day "Antarctic Quest" will feature adventure options such as sea-kayaking, camping, mountaineering and cross-country skiing. Quark's Expedition Ships, Clipper Adventurer and Lyubov Orlova, will provide classic comfort and an in-depth onboard education program. Two itineraries, 20 departures in total, including the 11 or 12-day "Classic Antarctica" and the 20-day "Explorers' Route".

EMPEROR PENGUINS

Observe the Largest Penguins in the World with Award-winning Cinematographers

The world was captivated by Emperor Penguins in the Oscar-winning documentary "March of the Penguins". The story of these 4-ft high flightless male birds that incubate an egg in subzero darkness, is one of nature's most intriguing stories. In 2004, Quark rediscovered the world's most northerly Emperor rookery in the Weddell Sea. This rookery, where 4,000 Emperors raise their chicks, is only accessible by a polar-class icebreaker equipped with helicopters. Once Kapitan Khlebnikov, which departs from Ushuaia, Argentina, is in the vicinity, passengers will be transported by helicopter to a landing zone, then walk about 1. 5 miles to the rookery. On board the first two "Emperor Penguin" departures will be a BBC crew filming a follow up to the award-winning documentary "Planet Earth" "Frozen Planet". Guests on these two departures will be able to view raw footage of each day's filming while the film crew provides commentary. The dailies will be filmed with the technology that enables the BBC's Natural History Unit to capture never-before-seen footage of wildlife in their natural habitat. The two 14-day trips will be offered October 10-October 23, 2009, October 22- November 4, 2009. A third voyage is offered November 3 – November 16, 2009. The 14-day trip starts at $13,890 per person.

Emperors & Kings

Discover the Antarctic's royalty with noted wildlife artist and conservationist, Robert Bateman

Penguins of all shape, sizes and heights will be celebrated on this exclusive 22-day icebreaker voyage that includes the rookeries of the two largest penguins in the world – the 3 foot-tall King Penguin and the 4 foot-tall Emperor Penguin. Sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina to Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), this voyage features internationally acclaimed wildlife artist and activist Robert Bateman and his wife Birgit Freybe Bateman, a nationally recognized wildlife photographer. Both will speak of their work in conservation and preservation. This ultimate penguin expedition will focus on the hard-to-reach Snow Hill rookery in the Antarctic Peninsula. Then the icebreaker will sail to South Georgia via the South Orkney Islands and the Southern Ocean. Landing on South Georgia, guests will be immersed in the life of King Penguins. Thought to be one of the greatest sights in Antarctica, the St. Andrew's Bay rookery of Kings and their chicks is home to more than 200,000 birds. The journey continues to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) where Rockhopper and Magellanic Penguins are found. Other penguin species that may be observed during this voyage include the Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie. The "Emperor & Kings" voyage departs on November 15, 2009 and returns December 6, 2009. Prices start at $21,890 per person.

Crossing the Circle: Journey to the land of the Southern Midnight Sun

Kayaking under the Midnight Sun is just one of the highlights of this 15-day active adventure to Antarctica that begins and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina. Crossing the Antarctic Circle which is at 66° 33'S brings passengers into the zone where there is 24-hours of daylight. This is a rare opportunity as most Antarctic expeditions rarely push south past this point. En route, guests will view magnificent icebergs and participate in Zodiac excursions to watch wildlife and to go ashore. This expedition to Cross the Circle will include daily presentations on the wildlife, geography and history of early Antarctic exploration. Five departure dates are available between December 29, 2009 and February 16, 2010. Prices start at $8,490 per person. Sea-kayaking and camping options will be offered on all voyages for an additional fee of $795 and $195 respectively