Fly and Cruise to Antarctica

Why Join This Cruise:

• Access Antarctica in just over 1.5 hours by airplane, instead of 2 days by ship across the Drake Passage - ideal for those either short of time or poor sailors!


• Visits all the key points of interest on the Antarctic Peninsula in a unique 10 day door-to-door trip - the shortest Antarctica trip available


• Once you arrive in Antarctica, travel aboard a small (max 48) ice-strengthened vessel, which offers the distinct benefits of excellent guides, an expeditionary feel, ease of access to all areas of interest and a very personal overall experience

Trip Overview
This is a totally unique concept offering travellers the safe and fast option of flying to Antarctica from the toe of Chile in just under 2 hours in a specially designed plane, rather than the conventional approach by ship taking 2 days across the idiosyncratic waters of the Drake Passage.

Departing from Punta Arenas on the toe of Chile, you fly to King George Island in the South Shetland islands where your small expeditionary boat awaits you to begin your cruise of the stunning peninsula. Once aboard on boat, your exploration of the Antarctica peninsula will follow a similar programme to conventional cruises from Ushuaia and will cover all the main areas of interest, including Deception island, Lemaire Channel, Paradise Bay, Cuverville Island, Port Lockroy, Perterman island and Half Moon bay.

This trip will appeal particularly to travellers either short on time, who would like to spend the days saved by flying exploring the mainland, or those who aren't the most confident of sailors! IMPORTANT: Please note that departures are only in November and December.



Daily Itinerary

Day 1 London Heathrow/ Madrid/ Santiago
Depart UK for Santiago in Chile via Madrid, flying overnight.

Day 2 Santiago/ Punta Arenas
Arrive into Santiago and connect to the LAN flight down to Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia. Evening introductory pre-expedition dinner. Overnight in Punta Arenas.

Day 3 Punta Arenas/ South Shetlands (Antarctica)
Morning group transfer to Punta Arenas airport to board your charter flight to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. Estimated flying time is just over 1.5 hours. The plane, updated and faster for the forthcoming season, is a BAe 146-400 and was specially designed for operations in low temperatures

Upon arrival at Frei Base Antarctica you will be transferred by zodiac to your expeditionary ship, the M/V Gregoriy Mikheev, for the beginning of your peninsula cruise.

Afternoon to Hannah Point on Livingston Island, home to Antarctic and Gentoo Penguins, with the possibility of also seeing the Macaroni Penguin, Southern Elephant and Antarctic Fur Seal.

Overnight on board the Gregoriy Mikheev in a twin cabin on a full board basis.

Days 4 - 7 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.

Besides the magnificent scenery of mountains, snow and ice, you can expect to see a wide variety of the native wildlife, particularly Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins, which occur in rookeries ranging from a few pairs to thousands (Baily Head = 250,000 chinstraps!). Marine mammals that you are likely to see include Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, while orcas, humpback and Minke whales may be spotted at close range. This area is also of substantial historical interest.

Daily itinerary will be influenced by weather and local ice conditions but will include the following key places of interest amongst others:
Paradise bay, Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, Paulet Island, Port Lockroy, Cuverville & Petermann Islands.

Day 8 Antarctic Peninsula/ Punta Arenas
Return to Frei Base on King George Island for the flight back to Punta Arenas. Overnight in Punta Arenas.

Day 9 Punta Arenas/ Santiago/ Madrid
Depart Punta Arenas on the LAN flight back to Santiago to connect with the overnight flight back to the UK.

Please note: The above itinerary is a guide only as the exact route and programme will vary according to the weather conditions encountered.



The Boat
The following boat is available for this cruise, please refer to the 'Antarctic Boats' section for full details:

Grigoriy Mikheev

Cruise dates for 2008/09

25th Nov - 1st Dec
30th Nov - 6th Dec
5th Dec - 11th Dec
10th Dec - 16th Dec
15th Dec - 21st Dec
20th Dec - 26th Dec


Guide Price

	Prices from:
Sharing twin cabin without private facilities	£5,405pp*
Sharing twin cabin with private facilities	£5,975pp*
Sharing superior cabin with private facilities	£6,595pp*

Single Supplements on board

Single supplements are typically 1.8 times the cost of twin berth. Please ring for a quote.

To discuss this trip, for further details or to check boat availability, please either:

Call 01285 880981
Email voyages@steppestravel.co.uk

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