Antarctic Small Ship Cruise

Day 1 To Buenos Aires
Take an overnight flight to Buenos Aires.

Day 2 Buenos Aires
Morning arrival in Buenos Aires and transfer to your city centre hotel. Afternoon guided tour of Buenos Aires, including Recoleta Cemetery, the Casa Rosada and Cathedral and the colourful La Boca district with its market and street entertainers. You may want to spend an extra night in Buenos Aires before heading south.

Day 3 Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
Fly to the southernmost town in the world, Ushuaia on the tip of Tierra del Fuego. Transfer to your hotel and explore this picturesque frontier town set between the Beagle channel and the mountains.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4 Embarkation of the Sea Explorer to the Antarctic Peninsula
Arriving at the ship in the afternoon, you will be greeted by our Expedition Team and ship’s officers at a safety and orientation briefing followed by the Captain’s welcome dinner. After dinner, relax and take in the mountainous scenery on the early evening sail down the Beagle Channel past Magellanic penguin, rock cormorant, and sea lion colonies.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5-6 Sailing on the Drake Passage
Among the wildlife spotting opportunities as you sail south are the albatrosses, prions, and petrels that frequently follow the ship. Your Expedition Team will be out on deck as well, looking for the whales and dolphins that may also be seen in the area. The ships’ experts provide presentations with informative and entertaining lectures on the wildlife, history, and geology of Antarctica. Helpful briefings on environmental regulations and expedition safety will also be held in the comfortable lecture hall. The length of our journey depends on sea conditions but we should approach the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula, with perhaps a first view of the Antarctic icebergs in the evening of Day 5.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5-9 Antarctica
Arrive in the great Southern continent, the land of superlatives, Antarctica. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will create a flexible itinerary based on weather, ice, and opportunity. The route will stress the most scenic bays and channels of the Peninsula with stops at penguin rookeries, seal wallows, bird colonies and whale feeding areas as well as sites of historic and scientific interest. The trip may include picturesque Neko Harbor, sheltered Paradise Harbor, the Humpback Whale favored Wilhelmina Bay, the striking Lemaire Channel, the wildlife-filled Penola Channel, or the majestic Neumayer Channel. You may stop at an active scientific base such as Poland’s Arctowksi or Ukraine’s Vernadskiy as well as an historic base such as U.K.’s Port Lockroy or Wordie House. Adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins abound, and weddell, crabeater and elephant Seals are often found hauled out to rest along with predatory leopard seals and the aggressive Antarctic fur seal. Minke and humpback whales are frequent visitors in the late season and Orca sightings are also common. The days are long during the Antarctic summer, with the sun barely setting, and you will be able to enjoy thrilling views all day long.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10-11 Drake Passage
We will continue our lecture series and wildlife spotting as we sail back to Ushuaia, keeping an eye out for Cape Horn as you sail towards the tip of the American continent.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 Ushuaia disembarkation to Buenos Aires
Arrive in Ushuaia early this morning, and disembark from the Sea Explorer after your unforgettable voyage to the fragile Antarctic continent. Transfer to the airport and fly to Buenos Aires.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13 Buenos Aires to London
Transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to London. You may wish to spend an extra few nights in Argentina’s exciting capital, or fly to Iguazu and see the spectacular falls.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 14 London
Morning arrival.

Tour includes:

All flights specified
Private transfers
Local expert guides in resort
Inspirational sightseeing programme
14 breakfasts, 9 lunches and 10 dinners

On a Journey of Distinction, you are not merely a bystander. They believe that the wonders, customs and cultures you experience will live on in the core of your being. They even go so far as to say that one of their holidays will change your life forever.

Their combination of Tour Managers and Local Guides is what makes Journey of Distinction so distinctive. When you’re embarking on a voyage of discovery, it’s reassuring to know that a seasoned traveller is with you every step of the way; planning, organising, checking details and offering their advice and support. Their groups all depart from the UK, and no one joins us along the way, so you have the reassuring constancy of always knowing your travelling companions.

Our Opinion
“Limited to just 25 travellers per departure, every Journeys of Distinction escorted tour has an intimate, personal feel that makes for a more enjoyable experience.”