Expedition To Antarctica- Glaciers + Penguins

Guests arrive in Ushuaia today and will be met at the airport and chauffeured to our resort.

After breakfast, guests have this entire day to enjoy the idyllic natural setting of our resort. If you wish, you can explore on your own in nearby Ushuaia, the lively port uniquely situated at the tip of the Continent. Our other travelers will be arriving today.

This morning's guided tour explores Tierra del Fuego National Park. Traveling all the way to Lapataia Bay, you'll have a chance to observe indigenous species as you learn about the region's unique geology, flora and fauna. Return to port and board the mv Ushuaia. Settle into your cabin, meet your expedition staff of leaders, guides and lecturers, and get acquainted with our intimate Polar vessel as you set sail along the Beagle Channel.

Named for Sir Francis Drake who explored these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage marks the Antarctic Convergence, where Polar waters sink beneath warmer currents, creating an upwelling of nutrients that sustains a diversity of marine life. As you sail across this passage, our naturalists are on deck to identify the many seabirds following in our wake. The ship's open bridge policy allows you to join officers to learn about navigation and watch for Minke, orca and humpback whales. Sightings of icebergs and snow-capped peaks indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands. With good sea conditions, you'll go ashore on Day 5 for your first landing!

A haven for wildlife, the South Shetlands offer the opportunity to encounter vast penguin rookeries, numerous seabirds and pristine beaches ruled by fur and elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island is amazing. On King George, you'll be greeted by Adélie and Chinstrap penguins, kelp gulls, blue-eyed cormorants, Antarctic terns and giant petrels. Here you'll also see the scientific bases of different nations. As we near the Antarctic Peninsula, you'll have ample time to explore its pristine scenery – a mountain wilderness of ice, snow and water home to a rich variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are likely to encounter Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals. Depending upon sea and ice conditions, we'll navigate some of the most beautiful waterways of the Southern Hemisphere: the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel and the Lemaire Channel – a narrow passage between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. With good conditions, you'll make at least two landings per day, always joined by our knowledgeable naturalists. Possible landing sites on the Continent itself include Paradise Bay, one of the most aptly named places on earth. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we visit Paulet Island, home to a bustling Adélie penguin colony of 100,000 pairs. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins. Further exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour and Pléneau Island. If conditions permit, we'll go to Petermann Island for a visit to the southern-most colony of Gentoo penguins.

The MV Ushuaia leaves Antarctica behind and heads across the Drake Passage. Join our naturalists on deck or head to the bridge with the officers; either way, keep your senses tuned for seabirds and whales. You can also enjoy our final lectures, a wonderful recap of all that you've encountered.

Step off in Ushuaia and transfer to the airport for your onward journey.