 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Antarctica Voyage
| |
|
SAILING DATES: 46-passenger ship Grigoriy Mikheev (GMK) , 46-passenger ship Aleksey Maryshev (AMR) and 52-passenger ship Professor Molchanov (MOL) Day 1: In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located in the shadow of the Andes and right at the Beagle Channel shore. We’ll sail through this scenic waterway during the afternoon. Day 2 (plus day 3 on MOL21): At sea, in the westerlies the ship is followed by several species of albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels. Day 3: In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) we plan to spend the whole day on the fascinating western side of the archipelago. On New Island we’ll witness how heavy Black-browed Albatrosses try to land and take off in a colony they share with the sturdy Rockhopper Penguins. A hike along the shore of Carcass Island will give us instead views of Magellanic and Gentoo-Penguins, as well as close encounters with water fowl and Night herons. Day 4: In Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, we can experience Falkland culture, which has some South- American characteristics as well as Victorian charm. In Stanley and surrounding area we can see a quite important number of stranded clippers from a century ago. Day 5 and 6: At sea, on our way to South Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship; several species of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, prions and Skuas. Day 7- 9: In South Georgia we shall visit the bay of Elsehul, with it´s very active fur seal breeding beach, and then take course to Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour and Cooper Bay to give you a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and wildlife, like the introduced Reindeer, Elephant seals, King and macaroni penguins. At Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the great British Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Stømness Bay. There and at Grytviken we´ll see and abandoned whaling village, where King Penguins now walk in the streets and seals have taken over the buildings. At Grytviken we´ll also offer a visit to the Whaling History Museum as well as to Shackleton´s grave near by. One of the highlights might be our visit to Prion Island, where we will witness the breeding efforts of the huge Wandering Albatross and enjoy watching their displays. Day 10: At sea, where the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At some point we might encounter sea-ice, and it is at the ice-edge where we might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the Maccormick skua, Snow Petrel and the elusive Emperor Penguin. Day 11: We are aiming for a visit at Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding glaciers. Day 12: At sea Day 13- 16: We will sail into the Weddell Sea through the ice-clogged Antarctic Sound. Huge tabular icebergs will announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. We plan to visit Paulet Island with a million pairs of Adelie Penguins and the remains of the Nordenskiöld expedition. At Brown Bluff we can put our feet on the continent. We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Pleneau and Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue- eyed Shags. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales. Sailing north through Neumayer Channel we may visit Hannah Point, where we will find a nice variety of Gentoo penguins, Chinstraps and southern giant petrels, as well as Elephant seals hauling out on the beach. At Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of ten thousands of Chinstrap Penguins. Deception itself is a sub ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape pigeons and many Dominican gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. Good walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune´s Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape and again possibilities for zodiac cruising among the icebergs, where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales. Day 17- 18: On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage. Day 19: We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark. |
Click here for a shorter Antarctic Peninsula voyage Click here for a shorter Falkland Island voyage Click here read about the vessels and view photos. Rates include: We offer the right Antarctica cruise at the right price. Call 1-800-334-6544 (U.S.) or +1-212-480-4521 (International) or go to How to Book
|
