Compare Antarctic Express: Cruise South, Fly North by Quark Expeditions vs Gourmet Patagonia with a boutique cruise in 12 days by Qwerty Travel Argentina
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 10 days | 12 days |
| Price From | $ 11,595 | $ 6,025 |
| Price Per Day | $ 1,160 | $ 502 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small ship cruise | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Luxury | Premium |
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| Countries Visited | ||
| Cities and Attractions | N/A |
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| Flights & Transport | Internal airfare and ground transport included | NA |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
Breakfast |
| Description |
The surreal silence in this vast wilderness may at first overwhelm, but playful, charismatic wildlife and your intrepid traveling companions keep you grounded. You’ll develop a new appreciation and understanding of Antarctica’s extreme contrasts - harsh, rugged mountain peaks and fragile ecosystems; stark, lonely icescapes and populous, gregarious penguins. |
This trip allows you to combine city, nature and navigation in Premium Cruise. We will begin in Buenos Aires as point of departure for the programme, visiting the most cosmopolitan city of Argentina. We continue to Calafate to board the cruise MarPatag and have an experience Premium and Gourmet sailing the waters of the Lakes of the Los Glaciares National Park. We will continue to visit the Torres del Paine National Park to observe its famous peaks |
Day 1 — Ushuaia, Argentina
This quaint city at the southernmost tip of South America is your gateway to Antarctica. The city itself provides a wide range of jewelry shops, cafés, gear shops and restaurants to explore before your voyage. Outside the city, snow-capped mountains and hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park offer ample adventure activities if you enjoy exploring nature.
Day 2 — Embarkation Day
You will embark in the afternoon, with a journey through the picturesque Beagle Channel. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled and be out on deck, as the channel is home to a wide variety of wildlife including seabirds and seals. Rainbows are common here too, creating a great photographic opportunity to kick off the start to your Antarctic adventure.
Days 3 and 4 — Crossing the Drake Passage
Legendary for its high winds and rolling seas, you may get lucky and have surprisingly calm seas. Spend your time in the lounge or chatting with your fellow travelers. As you develop your sea legs during the crossing, our Expedition Team will begin their series of presentations to help prepare you for your upcoming Zodiac and land excursions. You officially enter Antarctica when your ship crosses the Antarctic Convergence, a biological boundary that fluctuates around 60° south.
Days 5 to 8 — Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands
Icebergs are the first attractions that welcome you to Antarctica. Massive floating bergs become more common as you get closer to land and you catch your first glimpse of the Peninsula, with its grand snow-covered mountains. In addition to spotting icebergs, you’ll likely spot Adélie penguins chilling out on ice floes and minke or humpback whales feeding and swimming in the frigid waters.
As soon as possible, the Zodiacs will be readied for your first landing in the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. Experiencing this immense wilderness up close for the first time can be a numbing experience. The silence is great, the vastness is even greater. Thankfully the noisy locals – penguins and seals – are there to remind you that this wonderful landscape isn’t just a dream.
Your Expedition Team will monitor the ice and weather conditions to determine which landing sites can be visited. With many sites to choose from, each expedition presents new opportunities for exploring the white continent by Zodiac and land. Swimming in Antarctica is perhaps the most adventurous option to tempt you, by taking a Polar Plunge in the water at Neko Harbour!
A typical day in this wildlife wonderland will be spent listening to calving glaciers at Petermann Island, watching penguins waddle around a beach, or taking a hike atop a hill for a panoramic view of Port Lockroy. Whatever you prefer, the photographic opportunities are endless.
Day 9 — Disembarkation and Fly to Punta Arenas
As the ship turns north, you’ll say goodbye to the penguins, as well as many of your shipmates. With only the Drake Passage ahead, you’ll disembark and enjoy a bit of time on King George Island before flying off to Punta Arenas, Chile. Once you’re in Punta Arenas, we’ll transfer you from the airport to your hotel, where you’re free to explore and enjoy a final dinner out.
Day 10 — Depart for Home
Say goodbye and depart for home.
Day 1: Buenos Aires
Arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
Day 2: Buenos Aires – City tour
During the morning visit the city of Buenos Aires. This tour gives you the emotion of a multiple Buenos Aires. We will see the symbol of our city: the obelisk. We will visit different squares such as Plaza de Mayo, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Congreso. Avenues like Corrientes, Mayo, 9 de Julio, among others. Historical neighbourhoods: La Boca, San Telmo, Montserrat. Elegant neighbourhoods such as Palermo and Recoleta, and the most modern: Puerto Madero. Parks such as Lezama and Tres de Febrero. We will also visit financial and commercial areas and a Football Stadium.
Day 3: Buenos Aires – Calafate
Transfer to the airport. Flight to Calafate. Transfer to your hotel.
Day 4: Cruise over the Glaciers
Transfer to the pier. At 18hs boarding at the company’s own dock “La Soledad” (Bahía Tranquila, Paraje Punta Bandera). Check in on board after the introduction of all the staff. Navigation to Puesto de lasVacas |with onboard activities. Dinner and night in Puesto de lasVacas.
Day 5: Boutique Cruise
After a delicious breakfast Visit to Puesto Vacas with landing to make an interesting walking. Then againob board visit to the Spegazzini. Lunch and visit Upsala Glacier (barrier of ice floes). Navigation to Brazo Norte and Canal de los Témpanos up to Bahía Toro (Seno Mayo). Dinner and night in Bahía Toro.
Day 6: Boutique Cruise - Calafate
Navigation to Seno Mayo with landing and you will have the opportunity to Visit the Mayo glacier . Again navigation to Canal de los Témpanos and visit the Perito Moreno glacier, Unforgettable lunch in front of Perito Moreno glacier and return to the company’s own dock La Soledad and landing at 4 p.m. Come back to Calafate and transfer to the hotel.
Day 7: Calafate
Day at leisure
Day 8: Calafate–Puerto Natales
Transfer on regular bus to Puerto Natales. Arrival and transfer to the hotel
Day 9: Torres del Paine
The excursion begins visiting the Milodon Cave, a natural monument located on Benitez Hill,25 kilometresfrom Puerto Natales, where in 1895 were found remains of extinct animals like Sabre Toothed Tiger, American Horse and a large mammal known as Milodon. It is necessary to walk for half an hour to go into the cave and observe the stalactites, places where the remains were found and a replica of Milodon.
Afterward a technical stop is held in the village of Cerro Castillo, where there are possibilities for shopping, enjoy the coffee service or just for a break.
Continuing the trip toward Torres del Paine National Park, visitors will be able to enjoy the most diverse landscapes, such as, the Magellanic deciduous forest and the vast Patagonian steppe dominated by the wind and aridity. On the way is possible to find two species members of the local fauna: the Patagonian guanaco, South American camel and relative of Llama, and the endemic lesser Rhea (Ñandu), relative of the African Ostrich. Once we get to the park, which is a biosphere reserve with a surface over242.000 hectares, the landscape changes drastically becoming unforgettable due its dozen lakes populated by marine birds, and in the background granite picks dominating the area. Turquoise lakes, waterfalls and mountains covered by ice are the predominant landscape inside the park.
A walk for 15 minutes into the park is necessary toward the Waterfall (Salto Grande), which is communicating two big lakes inside the park; Nordenskjold and Pehoe Lakes. After lunch the trip continues with a walk on the shores of Grey Lake, where blue icebergs can be seen, and in the background the vast Grey glacier. Depending on the requirements, the return is done by the same road, or by the new road bordering lakes Toro, Porteño and Sofía.
Day 10: Puerto Natales– Calafate
Transfer to Calafate on regular bus. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Day 11: Calafate - Buenos Aires
Transfer to the airport. Flight to Buenos Aires. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
Day 12: Buenos Aires
Transfer to the airport
End of our services.
