Antarctic Adventure

• Rates Include

• Inclusions for departures between November 2008 and March 2009:
• Hotel accommodation, with continental breakfast, the night prior to embarkation
• Shipboard accommodation from day of embarkation to disembarkation
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage
• Zodiac transfers and sightseeing while aboard
• Education program
• Group transfer between hotel and vessel upon embarkation
• Group transfer between vessel and airport following disembarkation
• Rubber boots loan service
• Complimentary parka on Akademik Shokalskiy and Ocean Nova
• Photographic Journal on DVD
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
• Inclusions for departures between November 2009 and March 2010:
•  One night pre-expedition hotel accommodation with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. (The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel.)
•  Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.
•  All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage. (Please inform us of any dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. Unfortunately, the ships’ galleys cannot prepare kosher meals.).
•  All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program.
•  Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities.
•  Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled.
•  Photographic Album on DVD.
•  A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore landings
•  Hair dryer in every cabin.
•  A Quark Expeditions parka
•  Coffee, tea, cocoa and bottled water available around the clock.
•  Comprehensive pre-departure materials, including a map and an informative Antarctic Reader.
•  Group transfers from the hotel to the ship at the embarkation port, and from the ship to the local airport on disembarkation – plus all baggage handling aboard ship.
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
• Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all passengers to a maximum of $100,000 per person.

Day-By-Day Itinerary.

Day   1

Ushuaia, Argentina

This expedition is perfect for travelers eager to push the envelope while acquainting themselves with the Antarctic Peninsula. Overnight in Ushuaia.

Day   2

Embarkation Day

After embarkation in the late afternoon, you will sail down the Beagle Channel. Keep watch on deck for seabirds, penguins and rainbows.

Day   3-4

Crossing the Drake Passage

Prepare for rough water, but do not be disappointed if your crossing is smooth sailing. The Drake is always changing.

Day   5-9

South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula

Many factors play a role in shaping the expedition's progress. We attempt to leave the ship to explore at least twice a day. Perhaps, you'll feel salt spray on your face as the Zodiac weaves in and around grounded icebergs in Pleneau Bay. You could scramble to the top of a craggy hill for an unforgettable view of an icy chasm near Port Lockroy. Strap on a harness for a polar plunge into the frigid waters of Neko Harbour.

Over the course of the austral spring and summer, the sun lingers longer and longer, melting snow and ice. Wildlife abounds: chicks hatch and fledge, and pods of whales breach in a deep bay where a calving iceberg has churned up krill, the local delicacy. The natural cycle of life ensures that every expedition is different. And that every expedition is different. And that every expedition is full of surprises!

In Antarctica, silence is so complete that interruptions become indelible memories: noisy penguins squabbling over prized pebbles, the boom and crack of a calving glacier near Petermann Island. Then there is the sound of breathing as your arms pump and your legs power you up an incline on cross-country skis. As you sail from island to shore to bay during four days in the Peninsula, the Expedition Team provides opportunities to test your endurance and engage your curiosity.

Day   10-12

Drake Passage to Ushuaia

Activities during the return voyage depend on the conditions of the Drake. A smooth crossing is a busy crossing.