Antarctic Polar Circle in the M/V Greg Mortimer

15 days - 14 nights

Day 1 - Departure from the port of Ushuaia

Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be received and transferred to your hotel. When you arrive at the hotel (included), remember to ask the hotel staff at check-in to provide you with the labels of your cabin, which must be completed with your name and cabin number.

Day 2 - Boarding day

This morning, make sure your baggage has cabin tags with your cabin name and number. Bring your luggage to the hotel reception before 8:00 Please note that this trip includes a charter flight at the end of the trip from Antarctica to Punta Arenas. The free baggage allowance is 20 kilograms of checked baggage plus one piece of hand baggage that weighs no more than seven kilos. Luggage will be removed from your hotel and transferred directly to the port for authorization and delivered to the cabin before arrival on board. Keep all your valuables or personal items with you during the day. Once you have left your hotel before 11am, you have free time before meeting in the hotel lobby at 2pm. to start a tour of Ushuaia. Alternatively, enjoy your free time and head to the Prison Museum parking lot before 3.45pm to meet the group and move to the dock to embark.

Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego, is located on the banks of the Beagle Channel and is surrounded by martial mountains, which give it a unique landscape in Argentina, which is the combination of mountains, sea, glaciers and forests. On this introductory tour, you will visit the "La Misión" neighborhood, the old government house and the upper part of the city, which offers stunning panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. During the excursion, you will see the old houses that belonged to the first families established in Ushuaia. The tour ends with a visit to the Old Prison Museum before moving to the pier to embark at around 4:00 pm.

After boarding, you will have time to settle in the cabin before our information meetings. As the ship moves away from the port, we will meet on the bridge to begin our adventure with spectacular views of Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. Tonight, meet your fellow travelers and the expedition crew at a welcome dinner. Breakfast and dinner included. Lunch is not included.

Day 3 - Crossing the Drake passage

When we start to cross the Drake Passage, we make the most of our time to feel comfortable with the movements of the sea. Our expedition team prepares you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and begins our conference program to help you learn more about Antarctica's history, wildlife and environment. Our experiences with wildlife begin as we enjoy viewing and photographing many seabirds, including the majestic albatrosses. They skillfully rise and fall, using the air currents created by the ship to gain momentum.

Day 4 - Drake Sea and South Shetland Islands

As you approach the tip of the South Shetland Islands on the fourth day, the excitement is palpable as everyone gathers on the bridge watching the first iceberg. The ocean takes on a new perspective once we are under the Antarctic Convergence and surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first sighting of large icebergs will likely remain with you for life. If the weather permits, we can try our first landing in Antarctica in the late afternoon.

Day 5 to 12 - Antarctic Peninsula & Antarctic Polar Circle

During the next few days, we have a large number of options available, and depending on the ice and weather conditions, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula is ours to explore. Our experienced expedition team, which has made countless trips to this area, will use their experience to design our day-to-day trip. This allows us to take full advantage of the climate, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18 to 20 hours of natural light and the days can be as busy as you want. Generally we will try two landings or excursions in zodiac boats. We will sail along spectacular ice cliffs, watching whales that feed near the surface and disembarking on the mainland and its islands on the coast to visit penguin colonies, historical ruins and some of our other favorite places along the peninsula.

There are many interesting places we can choose to visit and our itinerary is deliberately flexible to allow us to choose the best places of the day according to the ice and weather conditions. A sample of some of the types of places we can navigate, disembark, walk, photograph or see the spectacular wildlife include: Beautiful protected bays around the Antarctic Peninsula surrounded by magnificent peaks and spectacular glaciers, areas that are shelters for whales while we keep our eyes open to see humpback whales, killer whales, mink and crabeater seals, while we explore bays in Zodiacs.

Islands rich in wildlife where glaciers and mountains dominate the view and we can see large colonies of chinstrap penguins caught between basaltic turrets colored by yellow and orange lichens and where we often find sea lions and sea elephants on pebble beaches. It houses the home of Gentoo penguins and Weddell seals. The landscape is dramatic, the high mountains and glaciers looming around the harbor. The thundering crack of the glaciers as they open will surely stop you along the way.

Lemaire Channel: if the ice conditions allow it, stand on the observation platform of the M/V Greg Mortimer in silence while the ship sails along the narrow Lemaire Channel, could be one of the highlights of our trip. The cliffs rise to 700 meters / 2,296 feet that leave the ocean on both sides of the ship. The water can be so still that the mountain is reflected on the surface and it is clear why this channel is often called "Kodak Alley". Gigantic icebergs can clog the canal, creating navigation challenges for our Captain and crew, occasionally they may even obstruct our passage.

On this trip, we plan to cross the Antarctic Polar Circle, an imaginary line located in the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66 ° 33 'South. This is undoubtedly a special highlight for everyone, and the moment will be celebrated with a toast on the terrace. It is a privilege to join a small group of lucky adventurers who have come to this part of the world. As we approach and cross the Antarctic polar circle, you will notice subtle changes in the Antarctic landscape and also in the distribution of wildlife. The waters at this time of year are rich in krill and we look forward to seeing many whales, especially humpback and minkes, and enjoying the spectacle of penguins feeding their voracious chicks.

Day 13 to 14 - Crossing the Drake Passage

Today our landings end when we enter the Drake Passage for our return trip to South America. With lectures and movie presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and its wildlife. There is time to reflect and debate on what we have seen and experienced, and the impact this journey has had on our outlook on life. As we get closer to the tip of South America, our Captain can sail near the legendary Cape Horn, if time and weather permit.

Day 15 - Ushuaia

During the early morning, we sail along the Beagle Channel. We arrive at the dock of the port of Ushuaia, where we begin to disembark around 8:00 am. We say goodbye to the expedition team and fellow travelers while we all continue our future trips, hopefully with a new sense of the immense power of nature. The cost of the trip includes a transfer to the center of Ushuaia or to the airport.

Note: At the end of the trip, we do not recommend booking flights that leave Ushuaia before 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case of delays.

Sample itinerary: All the itineraries described are only presented for reference. Programs may vary depending on the weather and ice conditions in the area, as well as accessibility to landings and the opportunity to observe local wildlife. The final route will be determined by the leader of the Expedition. Flexibility is the fundamental principle to enjoy the cruise expedition.