March of the Penguins

Why Join This Cruise:

• Unique expedition by ice breaker to a little known colony of 4,000 pairs of Emperor Penguins deep within Antarctica's Weddell Sea


• Rare opportunity to spend an extended amount of time with The Emperors. Well-suited to both wildlife enthusiasts and photographers


• Travel on board one of the world's few ice breakers to this mysterious frozen world, accessing the remote colony by on-board helicopter


• Special guest John Weller, author & photographer, will be acting as photographer-in-residence as well as undertaking filming The Emperors

Trip Overview
The opportunity to view an Emperor penguin up close is a truly special wildlife encounter. The expedition will access the legendary Emperor rookery at Snow Hill Island, only discovered in 2004, and takes place earlier than usual in the Antarctic season to ensure travellers encounter tiny downy chicks and chicks in the early fledge phase. In order to maximise this amazing opportunity, the cruise aims to spend up to 4 days at the rookery.

"Fantastic trip - we spent 2 wonderful days, up close and personal with the Emperor Penguins. On a 1-10 "cuteness scale", the penguin chicks are an 11! Also saw lots of other penguins (Adelies, Gentoos, Chinstraps), as well as seals, whales and many amazing iceberg.JD"



Daily Itinerary

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

Day 2 Buenos Aires
Arrival in Buenos Aires early morning where you will be met by a local guide. Rest of day to explore independently or simply relax.

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
Morning at leisure with option to explore the nearby Lapataia National Park before embarking on your expeditionary boat in the afternoon. Plan to be on deck as you set sail on the scenic Beagle Channel heading east towards Antarctica.

Days 5 and 6 Southern Ocean
Wandering Albatross, Storm Petrels and other seabirds accompany the ship as you sail south across this famous passage named after Sir Francis Drake, the 16th-century English navigator.
As you cross the Southern Ocean, the digital photography experts conduct workshops, while onboard ornithologists provide entertaining talks on the biology of Emperor penguins, their unique habitat, and remarkable adaptive behaviour.

Day 7 Antarctic Peninsula
Having reached the Antarctic peninsula, progress into the ice choked waters of the Weddell Sea. Your onboard historian recounts the exploits of Weddell, Nordenskjöld and Shackleton.

Days 8 to 11 Antarctic Peninsula
Unlike many Antarctic expeditions, this one offers photographers and nature lovers extended time at the rookery.

The icebreaker will moor in the ice as close as possible to the colony. The final few miles will be covered by a helicopter shuttle operation. The team takes painstaking care not to jeopardize the integrity of the colony. Expect to walk the last mile or so to the rookery.

You approach silently, pausing a short distance from the rookery. While you wait for the birds to adjust to your presence, watch and listen for noisy "feeding exchanges" accompanied by displaying.

Quietly the expedition team members point out "scrums": groups of adults - generally females - that try to steal a chick. Often a great commotion ensues. At a signal from the Expedition Leader you move closer to the colony.

The expedition team maximizes the long daylight hours, offering you and your fellow travellers the unique chance to visit the emperor penguin colony at night.

Days 12 and 13 Antarctic Peninsula
Visit to an Adélie and a Gentoo penguin colony where you will undertake your first actual landing on the white continent.

Days 14 and 15 Drake Passage
Re-crossing the Southern Ocean back to Ushuaia.

Day 16 Drake Passage/ Ushuaia/ Buenos Aires
After breakfast disembark with the morning at leisure in Ushuaia before catching the early afternoon flight back to Buenos Aires. Overnight in Buenos Aires.

Day 17 Buenos Aires/ Heathrow
Depart Buenos Aires for Heathrow, flying overnight.



The Boat
The following icebreaker ship, with one of the highest rankings of ice class available, operates this cruise, please refer to the 'Antarctic Boats' section for full details:

Expeditionary (Icebreaker):

Kapitan Khlebnikov

Cruise dates for 2008/09

8th Oct- 21st Oct
29th Oct - 2nd Nov
1st Nov- 14th Nov

Cruise dates for 2009/10

10th Oct - 23rd Oct
22nd Oct - 4th Nov
3rd Nov - 16th Nov


Guide Price

	Prices from:
Sharing triple cabin without private facilities	£7,565pp*
Sharing twin cabin with private facilities	£10,175pp*
Sharing a suite with private facilities	£11,950pp*
Sharing corner suite with private facilities	£12,475pp*

Single Supplements on board
Please ring for a quotation.

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.