19-day Schackleton’s Antarctica

Departure: Feb 25, 2011

Welcome to your ultimate vacation, a 19 day adventure that includes an Antarctica tour aboard the MS Fram, a cruise vessel specifically designed for cruising arctic waters and taking its passengers to remote places where only few people go. Your Antarctica tour includes breathtaking Falkland Islands travel, (Islas Malvinas is the Spanish name for the Islands) with unmatched sights and sounds. Get ready to be captivated by the magic of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas, and South Georgia, vital breeding grounds for seals, penguins, and albatrosses. All during the journey you will become familiar with the rich history and cultures of the wondrous lands you explore. Lectures on Antarctic history, biology, and geology, as well as PolarCirkel boat landings for close-up looks at penguin colonies, research facilities, and historical sites will create long-lasting memories few get to experience. Enjoy up-close and personal encounters all the way to the "White Continent." Your Antarctica tour includes an in-depth discovery of Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands), a bounty of once-in-a-lifetime experiences you'll never forget.

Your Antarctica Tour Includes:

Depart Buenos Aires on your charter flight to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia for your 5 p.m. embarkation aboard the MS Fram. An informative welcome meeting will be held followed by an evening departure for Antarctica.

During the crossing of the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, enjoy onboard lectures about Antarctica - its history, environment, wildlife and mystery.

The "White Continent," more than half the size of North America, is an endless wilderness. Weather, wind, and ice conditions will determine the program and schedule, but highlights of your Antarctica travel should include the following:

• Deception Island—a flooded volcanic caldera in the South Shetland Islands that's home to Whaler's Bay, an abandoned whaling station and former U.K. base.
• Cuverville Island, with the largest known colony of Gentoos in Antarctica.
• Neko Harbour, a favorite Minke whale feeding ground.
• Paradise Harbour, named for its beauty and home to Gentoos and Chinstraps as well as Argentine and Chilean bases.
• Lemaire Channel, considered one of the most beautiful passages in Antarctica-with Humpback and Killer whales, Elephant seals and all types of penguins are common sights.
• Petermann Island, favored by the southernmost Gentoo colony as well as Blue-eyed shags (Imperial cormorants) and Adelie penguins.
• Port Lockroy—where you can visit a museum run by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and mail postcards stamped and canceled with rare Antarctic stamps and frank.
• Wilhelmina Bay, scenic resting place of Norwegian whaling ship Guvernoren, which ran aground and burned here in 1915.
• The 30-mile-long Antarctic Sound—dubbed "Iceberg Alley," it's a startling assortment of floating ice, including mile-long tabular icebergs.
• Brown Bluff, a 2,450-foot-high cliff at the tip of the peninsula that draws Adelie and Gentoo penguins, Kelp gulls and Weddell seals.

Spend the day sailing toward the deserted South Orkney Islands, which lie in the South Scotia Sea about 372 miles northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They were discovered by American and British sealers in 1821 and have since served as a base for Scotch, French and Argentine sealing and scientific expeditions. You will cruise by the Washington Strait and Coronation Island before setting course towards South Georgia.

As you cruise farther south toward South Georgia, enjoy fascinating onboard presentations about this destination, including wildlife, the whaling industry and past expeditions.

Explore this beautiful island, which is ringed by ice-covered mountains and cool emerald green bays. Visit Grytviken whaling station, its museum, graveyard and whalers' church dating from 1913. The next day, the ship will attempt a visit to the old Norwegian whaling station at Strømsnes and Fortuna Bay. Then your cruise continues with a sail south and concludes your visit to South Georgia by sailing into the beautiful Drygalski Fjord with its majestic cliffs. The wildlife on South Georgia is different from what you saw in Antarctica. Be on the lookout for albatross, Cape petrel, Southern Giant petrel, Antarctic Whale bird, King penguin, Fur seal and Elephant seal, among others. Whalers introduced reindeer to South Georgia; today, just two herds remain, so keep your eye out for this unusual site.

Enjoy onboard lectures as you head across open sea bound for the Falklands/Malvinas, some 300 miles east of Argentina and 994 miles from Antarctica. The islands, comprised of two large islands and 700 smaller ones, are home to about 3,060 people. You will enjoy a lecture series with a focus on the dramatic history and diverse wildlife of the islands.

This unique sub-Antarctic environment is home to more than 70 animal and bird species. The Black-browed albatross, Brown-rumped karakara, Elephant seal, Sea lion and five different species of penguin, including King penguin, are just a few. There are also about 347 wild plant species in the area. The landscape is majestic, with cliffs and needle-like stones covered in green grass. Visit New Island and West Point Island with their fascinating landscape and wildlife. You will then continue to Stanley, the islands' capital where you can choose to take an optional excursion or explore the town on your own.

Bow pointed north and unforgettable images and experiences in your memory, we set sail for Buenos Aires. During the cruise, enjoy more lecture series recapping your experiences in Antarctica, the Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia, and the South Orkneys.

After your journey through incredible seas and remote latitudes, you can actually feel the lively rhythms of the tango as you approach the Argentine capital. You are scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires around noon.

Voyage price includes 1 night hotel pre and post cruise as well as a charter flight Buenos Aires-Ushuaia.

*Cabin category H is equipped for physically challenged guests.

*Cabin category H is equipped for physically challenged guests.

USD Air/Land/Sea Rates valid for North, Central and South American residents only. Early Booking Rates include air and hotel as noted, capacity controlled and subject to withdrawl without notice. Cruise fuel surcharge is additional and will be advised at time of booking.

Single supplement (cruise portion only). Separate single supplement appplies to land portion. 50%
Discount per person for 3 or 4 passengers in stateroom (cruise portion only) 15%
Child Discount (cruise portion only) 25%

Hurtigruten explorations, including an Antarctica tour and extraordinary Malvinas/ Falkland Islands travel await. Request a brochure or contact a travel agent. Embark on a journey of exploration, adventure and luxury with Hurtigruten, authentic voyages to pristine lands.