Classic Antarctica & South Shetland Islands

Embark in the afternoon and meet your expedition and lecture staff. After you have settled into your cabins we sail along the famous Beagle Channel.

Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Francis Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds. As we sail across the passage, lecturers will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake.  
 

The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur and elephant seals and myriad birdlife.  Scenic islands of Deception, Livingston and King George are, amongst them, home to colonies of nesting Adélie and chinstrap penguins, kelp gulls, blue-eyed shags, Antarctic Terns and southern giant petrels.  

As we sail down the Peninsula, we will take Zodiac excursions and landings and marvel at the magnificent scenery and wildlife. Our route is dependent on weather and sea conditions, but we hope to sail the Lemaire and Neumayer Channells, Gerlache Strait and Paradise Bay with possible landings at  Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.

We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Look for seabirds and whales and take the chance to relax exchange images with fellow travellers.

Arrive and disembark