Antarctica: Penguins, icebergs and the adventure of a lifetime

• Rates Include

• Hotel accommodation: one night pre-expedition with breakfast.
• Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage.
• All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program.
• All helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing according to each day’s 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 Journal on DVD.
• Polar Arts program with interactive workshops.
• A pair of expedition boots on loan for shore landings.
• A Quark Expeditions parka to keep.
• Coffee, tea, cocoa, and bottled water available around the clock.
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials.
• 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.

Day-By-Day Itinerary.

Day   1

Ushuaia, Argentina

Ushuaia is a picturesque community with excellent restaurants and intriguing museums. You'll spend the night at our host hotel.

Day   2

Embarkation Day

You'll have time to explore before boarding in the afternoon. The icebreaker follows the Beagle Channel into the open waters of the Drake Passage.

Day   3-4

Crossing the Drake Passage

Emperor Penguins will be on your mind while you cross the Drake Passage. En route, our ornithologist will make presentations on the biology, habitat and behavior of Emperors.

Day   5-7

Unparalled Wildlife Viewing

Reaching the Snow Hill rookery under the best possible conditions is the goal of the expedition. The Captain and Expedition Leader consult charts, weather bulletins and satellite images to determine where to park the icebreaker for efficient helicopter flights to the rookery. Our plan is to spend three days at the rookery.

Day   8-11

The Peninsula

While the Emperors are our priority, we also plan to visit the Antarctic Peninsula. Our exact route will be determined by local conditions. We plan to sail Iceberg Alley. Use your newly acquired photographic skills to snap pictures of massive tabular icebergs until your camera beeps a warning that the memory is full.

While passing through Antarctic Sound, you will see more fantastic ice sculptures, from pure white to deep blue.

A soulful silence may engulf you, unless a glacier calves or an iceberg overturns - then suddenly, everything is noise and waves.

While visiting the Peninsula, we hope to explore penguin rookeries under construction. Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins court, lay eggs and raise their young during the austral summer. Your voyage takes place at a time when these smaller penguins are selecting nesting sites and choosing partners.

Day   12-14

The Triumph of Life

You'll be recalling the details of the voyage, as you cross the Drake Passage once again. These memories will stay with you, as clear and powerful as the day they were formed. The existence of the Emperor Penguin is more that a story of survival and endurance. It is the triumph of life itself.