Epic Antarctica: Semi-Circumnavigation
One Departure in 2008 and in 2009
Start: Ushuaia, Argentina in 2008 and Santiago, Chile in 2009
Finish: Lyttelton, New Zealand
Day 1
In 2008, Ushuaia, in 2009, Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
If you choose to travel in 2008, you will spend the first night of the expedition in our host hotel in Ushuaia, Argentina.
If you choose to travel in 2009, you will spend the first night in Santiago, Chile, at our host hotel.
Day 2
Embarkation Day
For our 2008 departure, boarding is in the late afternoon in Ushuaia. We'll take care of your luggage so you can explore the city at the end of the Earth before embarkation.
In 2009, you will embark in Stanley, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) after a group flight from Santiago, Chile. We will transfer you as a group to the airport in Santiago, and from the airport in Stanley to the ship.
Day 3-5
Drake Passage and South Shetland Islands
Seabirds accompany the ship across the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands, our intended first landfall in Antarctica. Our Expedition Team is planning landings at penguin rookeries. They will deploy Zodiacs to cruise through ice floes where seals lounge in the Antarctic summer sun.
Day 6-8
Crossing the Antarctic Circle
Pushing every southward, we cross the Antarctic Circle to enter a world where daylight is continuous. There will be shore landings and Zodiac cruises in quiet bays where dozens of icebergs have run aground. From Marguerite Bay, the icebreaker will enter the Bellingshausen Sea.
Day 9-10
The Phantom Coast
Our route follows the Phantom Coast. Explorer Richard E. Byrd gave the coast that lies between Palmer Peninsula and Thurston Island its ghostly title. For two centuries, the ice-locked coastline defied the efforts of explorers to chart it. We also plan to visit Peter I Island. In 2006, the last time one of our expeditions successfully landed on the island, our historian noted that only 800 people in all human history had been known to visit the fog enshrouded island.
Day 11-16
Amundsen Sea
Look forward to several adventurous days of breaking through the Amundsen Sea pack ice. We'll deploy our helicopters so you can witness the power of the icebreaker from the air.
Day 17-18
Ross Ice Shelf
Excitement builds as you approach the immense Ross Ice Shelf. If conditions permit, we plan to land out helicopters atop the floating ice barrier. Be on the alert for adult Emperor Penguins. The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of the world's largest penguin species.
Day 19-20
Ross Island and McMurdo Sound
Ross Island is home to the US research base McMurdo Station and Scott Base, New Zealand's research station. Nearby is Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Hut (1901-04). The historic building is slowely deteriorating under the onslaught of a century of ice, snow and wind. Conservation efforts are underway. Our planned visit is carefully controlled to ensure that the impact of our exploration is negligible. Environmentally responsilbe tourism is the hallmark of a Quark Expeditions voyage.
Our exploration of McMurdo Sound may include visits to penguin rookeries, research stations and encounters with marine mammals. Although each voyage is painstakingly planned, it is impossible to provide prior to departure a definitive summary of the journey you will actually experience. The Expedition Leader in cooperation with the ship's Captain adjusts the route as the expedition unfolds to take advantage of the best weather and ice conditions. For this reason, no itinerary provided in advance of the voyage should be considered exact.
Day 21-24
Ross Sea and Cape Royds
At Cape Royds, we'll visit Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Hut (1907-09). A century after construction, the hut is now considered one of the ten most endangered monuments in the world. The Antarctic Heritage Trusts are raising funds for its restoration. Quark Expeditions supports the project through onboard charity auctions, and visitor admission fees.
Day 25-28
Southern Ocean and Campbell Island
Heading north, we plan to pause at Campbell Island, a nature preserve where Royal Albatross nest. You'll follow boardwalks through lush greenery to observation points, from which you can photograph the wildlife.
Day 29-31
Enderby Island to Lyttelton, New Zealand
Yellow-eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and New Zealand sea lions share Enderby Island with Red-crowned Parakeets. If the conditions are right, we'll go ashore to explore the protected environment, before disembarking our epic adventure in Lyttelton, New Zealand.
Bob Headland, Historian
Spend a moment with our senior historian.