Compare Antarctic Circle Expedition by Hurtigruten

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Trip	Antarctic Circle Expedition by Hurtigruten 3.5 \| Average 29 Reviews Trip Details Save Trip Customize

Duration	16 days
Price From	$ 8,031
Price Per Day	$ 502
Highlights	First class scientific lectures Come ashore on isolated beaches and spend the night in a tent Cross the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66° 33’ 39’’ See penguins, Leopard seals and whales
Trip Style	Small ship cruise
Lodging Level	Premium
Physical Level	2- Easy
Travel Themes	Cultural Nature & Wildlife National Parks Small Ship Cruise
Countries Visited	Antarctica Argentina
Cities and Attractions	Buenos Aires Shetland Islands Ushuaia
Flights & Transport	Ground transport included
Activities	Culture Hiking Kayaking Nature Whale watching Wildlife viewing
Meals Included	N/A
Description	Cross the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66° 33’ 39’’ and set foot where few have gone before you. Starting in Buenos Aires, you have the opportunity to discover the “Paris of South America” before embarking on MS Fram in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost town and setting course for the Southern Ocean. En route to Antarctica we sail through the notorious Drake Passage, where two oceans meet. Then we head through open sea towards a continent of endless white wilderness, with its overwhelming presence of nature and wildlife.

Itinerary: Antarctic Circle Expedition

Day 1: Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires’ mixture of elegant and bohemian neighbourhoods only adds to its charm and appeal. You start with an overnight stay here, in the birthplace of the tango.

Day 2: Buenos Aires/Ushuaia

Ushuaia is where the Andes meet the Southern Ocean. It is a busy port and adventure hub with steep streets and architectural diversity below the snow-capped Martial Range.

Day 3: Drake Passage

The Drake Passage is the stretch of ocean between the south tip of South America, also known as Cape Horn or Tierra del Fuego, part of Chile, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. On the way across the passage and towards “the ice” (as it’s often referred to by our expedition leaders) you can learn a great deal about Antarctica’s natural wonders and fascinating history.

Day 4: Drake Passage

The Drake Passage is famous for some of the roughest and most unforgiving waters of the world. This is where two oceans meet; sailors say that it’s either the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake.

Day 5: Antarctica

The Antarctic continent is an endless white wilderness full of overwhelming vistas of nature and wildlife. On this special trip, we plan to cross the Antarctic Circle at latitude 66° 33’ 39’’. We will go ashore several places and offer activities like hiking, kayak trips and snowshoeing. You might even have the chance to spend a night ashore in a tent. Witness what the winter-locked landscape of Antarctica looks like in summer and set foot where few have gone before you.

Visiting the South Shetland Islands is definitely worth looking forward to. Deception Island, Half Moon Island and Yankee Harbour all have a diverse landscape, amazing animal life and spectacular photo opportunities. The narrow Errera Channel offers a spectacular passage to and from Cuverville Island. Neko Harbour is feeding ground for shy minke whales. Paradise Harbour offers another rare opportunity for a mainland landing and some of the finest vistas of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Lemaire Channel is known as one of the most beautiful passages in Antarctica and Petermann Island is a great place for iceberg and whale spotting. On the British base Port Lockroy you get a peek into life on an Antarctic base in the 1950s. Wilhelmina Bay is feeding ground for whales and seals, and was a preferred hunting ground for whalers back in the days. Evidence of this is a partially submerged wreck of a Norwegian whaling ship. We might take a closer look at the wreck from our Polarcirkel boats. The 48 km (30 mi) Antarctic Sound is home to an estimated half million adélie penguins as well as gentoo penguins, leopard seals, and killer whales. On Brown Bluff we might land and take a walk along the beach admiring the lava “bombs” from the old volcano and all the penguins. There is also the chance to walk to the viewpoint above the landing site. On Detaille Island we find the former geology and meteorology "Base W" of the British Antarctic Survey. On Horseshoe Island we’ll see an important example of a relatively unaltered and completely equipped British scientific research station of the 1950s.

Day 6: Still in Antarctica