Crossing the Antarctic Circle

Why Join This Cruise:

• This expedition offers the most actual time spent in Antarctica itself of all the different trips to the Antarctic Peninsula


• Be one of only a small handful of people per season to cross the Antarctic Circle


• Travel aboard an ice-strengthened vessel, renowned for their excellent guides and expeditionary feel


• Unique wildlife opportunities as well as optional adventure options (camping & kayaking) available on specific departures

Trip Overview
This trip is unique and a particular favourite of ours as it combines in a single expedition the distinct advantages of offering polar travellers the longest time to explore Antarctica with the rare chance to cross the intangible Antarctic Circle.

Travelling further south down the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, where very few boats have the time to venture on shorter itineraries, this is the perfect trip for those looking to maximise their time on the White Continent and travel where few others venture.



Itinerary

Day 1 Depart UK
Depart London Heathrow for Buenos Aires, flying overnight.

Day 2 Buenos Aires
Early morning arrival into Buenos Aires where you will be met and transferred to your hotel with the rest of the day at leisure. Buenos Aires is a stunning city, renowned not only as the birthplace of tango, but also for its excellent restaurants.

Day 3 Buenos Aires/ Ushuaia
Early transfer to the domestic airport for the flight down to Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), the southernmost city in the world. Afternoon to explore the historic and bustling town and harbour independently.

Day 4 Ushuaia/ Drake Passage
Optional morning excursion with a local guide on a group visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park, then enjoy a traditional Argentine BBQ asado lunch (additional costs apply) before embarking your ship in the afternoon. Plan to be on deck as you set sail on the scenic Beagle Channel heading east towards the Drake Passage and Antarctica!

Days 5 to 7 Drake Passage & South Shetland Islands
Journey across the famous Drake Passage, named after the 16th-century English navigator Sir Francis Drake. As the ship sails, our naturalists and historians offer presentations on the marvels ahead. If weather allows, you can spend time on deck spotting for albatrosses - including the magnificent Wandering Albatross - and other seabirds.

The South Shetland Islands, which lie to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, are usually sighted in the late afternoon on Day 4. Here you visit vast penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals, and observe wallowing southern elephant seals. You may also visit one of the many research bases in the archipelago and look for Antarctica's only two flowering plants, which thrive here during the short southern summer. Often the ship sails through Neptune Bellows, a narrow passage leading into the sunken caldera of Deception Island. Here, if the tide allows, you may dip your toes in the steaming waters of Pendulum Cove.

Days 8 to 14 Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the most easily accessible part of The White Continent, but it also has some of the most intimate and awe-inspiring scenery, as well as a rich variety of wildlife. This voyage offers travellers ample opportunity to experience all of the most interesting points along the north-western part of the peninsula, as well as venturing further south down the western side of the peninsula crossing the Antarctic circle itself, which very few travellers to this area ever reach.

Our exploration of the Antarctic continent may begin with a visit to the aptly named Paradise Bay, or to nearby Neko Harbour. Glaciers fill the calm waters with an amazing vista of icebergs as you set foot on the Antarctic continent itself.

During the voyage, expect to see enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins. You may also encounter Weddell, crab-eater and leopard seals, as well as orcas, humpback, and Minke whales.

If pack ice and icebergs allow, the ship navigates some of the most beautiful waterways in the world. Two in particular, the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, are impressive narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. Sailing south of the Lemaire Channel we may visit Petermann Island, where Adélie and Gentoo Penguins, skuas and Blue-eyed Shags nest close to the landing site.

We also plan to visit aptly named Paradise Harbor where glaciers fill the calm waters with a vista of sculptured icebergs. Here you may set foot on the White Continent itself at Almirante Brown, an Argentine research station. At Port Lockroy you will find thriving colonies of penguins and shags and a former British scientific station that has recently been renovated and serves as a fascinating museum as well as the only post office in Antarctica. Cuverville Island and Rongé Island with their dramatic location are home to a large colony of nearly 5,000 pairs of Gentoo Penguins and other breeding birds.

The quest for the Antarctic Circle continues as the expedition pushes farther south. You will be in the vicinity of historic Stonington Island, which served briefly as a base for the Byrd's Little America Expedition in 1940. The site also served as the base for Finn Ronne's 1947-48 Antarctic Research Expedition that mapped a great portion of the continent by air. We will mark our arrival at the southernmost location with a celebration on board.

Days 15 & 16 Drake Passage
You bid farewell to Antarctica as you set sail north across the Drake Passage.

Day 17 Ushuaia/ Buenos Aires
After breakfast disembark with the morning at leisure in Ushuaia before catching the early afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires for your final evening.

Day 18 Buenos Aires/ London
Depart Buenos Aires for Heathrow, flying overnight.

Day 19 London
Arrive back in the UK

Important: Please be aware that all expeditions carried out in the Antarctic territory are absolutely subject to weather conditions. Antarctic weather is highly unpredictable, with swift changes occurring from one minute to another and bears directly on travel in the Continent, despite the advantages of modern technology and advanced forecasting systems. As such, with your safety in mind, please be aware that schedules may have to be suddenly altered and without notice, potentially resulting in delays that may shorten your cruise.

Optional Adventure Activities

• Kayaking


• Camping on Antarctic Continent

**Please note that all add-on adventure activities except for the camping carry a supplementary cost



Cruise dates and boats for 2009/10

Polar Pioneer
5th - 16th Feb (12 Days)
16th - 27th Feb (12 Days)

Ocean Nova
9th Jan - 23rd Jan 2010 (14 days)
9th Feb - 23rd Feb 2010 (14 days)

Akademik Sergey Vavilov
6th Jan - 20th Jan 2010 (14 days)
16th Feb - 2nd Mar 2010 (14 days)

Please refer to the 'Antarctic Boats' section for full details of all these boats.

Guide Price for 2009/10

Cabin Type (from guide price quoted per person)	Vavilov		Ocean Nova
Triple Cabin (*with/ without private bathroom	£6,750		£7,995
Twin Cabin with shared bathroom	£7,740		N/A
Twin Cabin with semi-private bathroom	£8,090		N/A
Twin Cabin with private bathroom	£8,895		£10,595
Superior	£9,295		N/A
Suite	£9,835		N/A
Single Cabin	N/A		£14,495

Notes
Please note that these prices are a guide only and are subject to exchange rate fluctuations and fuel surcharges.

*All cabins on board the Ocean Nova have their own private en suite bathroom, including the Triple cabins

Single Supplement
For those solo travellers wishing their own cabin, typically a multiplier of 1.7 on a single berth is used to calculate the single supplement on the two ships without dedicated single cabins. Please contact the office for a quotation.

Includes

• All flights


• Accommodation in Argentina


• Airport/ hotel transfers in Buenos Aires


• Antarctic cruise based on full board


• All guided excursions, landings & lectures on board ship

Excludes

• Any additional accommodation, services or excursions not mentioned in the itinerary


• Travel insurance & vaccinations


• Visas & gratuities


• Items of a personal nature, including laundry & drinks


• Any additional Fuel Surcharge

For further details or to check availability, please either call one of our consultants on 01285 880981 or complete our enquiry form.


Steppes Travel cruise destinations include: Alaska, Amazon, Antarctica, Arctic, Baja Mexico, Galapagos.