Sunday 21st & Monday 22nd November: Flight to Argentina & Buenos Aires
Check in for our flight to Argentina, landing in Buenos Aires the following day and transferring to our overnight hotel.
In the afternoon we enjoy a guided city tour of Buenos Aires. Known as the ‘Paris of South America’ with its wide boulevards, cafés and shops, the capital of Argentina is a lively city that boasts beautiful architecture, colourful murals, a fascinating culture and rich history.
Meals: None
Tuesday 23rd November: Flight to Ushuaia
After breakfast at the hotel we head to the airport for our flight to Ushuaia, regarded as the world’s southernmost city and the capital of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago at the tip of South American mainland. Upon arrival we meet our Aurora Expeditions representative and transfer to our overnight hotel.
Meals: Breakfast
Wednesday 24th November: Ushuaia & Cruise Embarkation
This morning, your luggage is collected from the hotel and transferred to the Sylvia Earle ahead of embarkation. We then have free time at leisure before meeting back in the hotel lobby in the early afternoon for our tour of Ushuaia.
Ushuaia is located on the shores of the Beagle Channel and is surrounded by the Martial Mountains, providing a unique landscape which combines mountains, sea, glaciers and forests. On our guided tour we visit La Mision neighbourhood, the old Government House and the upper area of the city, which offers beautiful panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. We also see the historic houses that belonged to the first families settled in Ushuaia. Our tour ends with a visit to the Old Prison Museum before transferring to the pier for embarkation.
After embarkation, there’s time to settle into your cabin before our mandatory briefings. As the Sylvia Earle pulls away from port, we gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Thursday 25th November: Drake Passage crossing
As we commence the Drake Passage crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures, and start our lecture programme to learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment. Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following in our wake.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Friday 26th November: Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
As we near the spectacular South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks, watching for our first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. Weather permitting, we may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Saturday 27th November - Thursday 2nd December: Antarctic Peninsula
It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever. Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore. Because we are so far south, we experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish. Your experienced expedition team use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities. We generally make landings or enjoy excursions with Zodiac boats twice a day, along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiac boats also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.
While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you have the chance to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting! In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge and marvel at this incredible white continent.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Friday 3rd - Sunday 5th December: South Orkney Islands & Solar Eclipse
We continue to the South Orkney Islands, a group of islands lying between the Scotia Sea to the north and the Weddell Sea to the south. Be spoiled for wildlife encounters as the Weddell boasts a large Adélie penguin colony just outside of the Antarctic Sound, some of which breed on the rocky slopes of a small volcanic island. On thrilling Zodiac cruises or slicing a path through the maze of sea ice in your kayak, keep watch for chinstrap and gentoo penguins in and out of the water, where you may spot humpback, minke and orca whales. With good ice and plenty of luck, you may even get close to a well-known emperor penguin colony.
The full glory of this eclipse is only visible in Antarctica and the optimum position to experience the solar eclipse is well into the Weddell Sea. We try and get as close to the centre line of the eclipse shadow track as possible, where we can enjoy the total solar eclipse for the maximum duration.
Central to the story of where Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, became trapped in formidable sea ice, the Weddell Sea certainly is high on the list for most polar adventurers. With this area having a well-deserved reputation as being an iceberg alley, many large tabular bergs escape the Weddell Sea through the Antarctic Sound, often making navigation difficult, but the rewards can be great. Historically, early December would be considered too early to visit South Orkney Islands because of extensive sea ice. However, conditions have been changing every year and it may be possible to get into the South Orkneys on 4th December 2021 for the eclipse – the unknown is part of what makes the experience even more thrilling.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Monday 6th & Tuesday 7th December: Drake Passage crossing
Our landings come to an end as we enter the Drake Passage for our return journey to South America. With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is also time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego, weather and time permitting.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Wednesday 8th December: Disembarkation & flight to Buenos Aires
During the early morning we cruise up the Beagle Channel before docking in Ushuaia, where we disembark. We enjoy some free time here before transferring to the airport for our flight back to Buenos Aires, where we stay overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th December: Departure
After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to Buenos Aires airport for our flight home, arriving back in the UK the following day.
Meals: Breakfast (Thursday)
Please note: as the tour has been planned far in advance, the itinerary and price are subject to change. Changes may also occur while on the cruise due to unpredictable sea and weather conditions.