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Itinerary/Days
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1-4: Santiago, Chile/Ushuaia, Argentina/Embark
5-6: Falkland Islands
7-8: Scotia Sea
9-11: South Georgia Island
12-13: At Sea/South Orkneys
14: Elephant Island
15-18: Antarctic Peninsula
19-20: Drake Passage
21-22: Santiago/Depart
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Meeting / Departure Points
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Meeting Point: Santiago
Departure Point: Santiago
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Lodging
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21 nights aboard the World Discoverer
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Meals
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| all meals included |
Details
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- 20- or 22-day expedition cruise (length depends on departure date)
- Explore the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, South Orkneys, and Falkland Islands
- Spectacular bird and marine wildlife, massive icebergs, breathtaking scenery
- Expedition cruise with daily Zodiac excursions accompanied by expert naturalists
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The ultimate Antarctic voyage includes four legendary ports of call: the Falklands, with a stark beauty
all their own, and colonies of gentoo, rockhopper, and magellanic penguins; mountainous South Georgia,
where 100,000 king penguins inhabit the same shoreline where Shackleton finally made landfall at the end
of his epic crossing of Southern Ocean; the remote South Orkneys, ideal habitat for resurgent populations
of southern fur seals, whose loud barking can be heard above the cacophony of the penguin colonies; and, of
course, the spectacular and wildlife-rich Antarctic Peninsula. As we explore these four wildlife paradises,
our fleet of speedy Zodiacs allow us fantastic access to hidden bays full of drifting icebergs and shores
teeming with chattering penguins and their chicks.
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Departure Dates
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1: Jan 13 - Feb 3, 2003
2: Jan 31 - Feb 21, 2003
3: Feb 18 Mar 12, 2003
4: Nov 18 - Dec 9, 2003
5: Dec 16 - Jan 6, 2004
6: Jan 13 - Feb 3, 2004
7: Jan 31 - Feb 21, 2004
8: Feb 18 - Mar 11, 2004
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1 - 4: Santiago, Chile/Ushuaia, Argentina / Embark
After exploring Santiago, Chile's vibrant capital, we fly to Ushuaia, southernmost city in the world, board the World Discoverer, and set a course for the Falklands.
5 - 6: Falkland Islands
Sometimes called the Galápagos of the Southern Ocean, the Falklands are an oceanic
oasis with enormous concentrations of sub-Antartic wildlife, including literally millions
of macaroni and rockhopper penguins, along with huge numbers of fur seals and breeding petrels
and albatrosses. At West Point, a privately owned island, we see several wildlife colonies,
and our farm visit on Carcass island envelops us in country hospitality. We also tour Port
Stanley, a town with frontier spirit and Victorian charm, stopping at the British-style Upland
Goose Pub and at Christchurch Cathedral, with its archway made of whale bones.
7 - 8: At Sea
We set out across Scotia Sea towards remote South Georgia, looking for seabirds and marine
life along the way.
9 - 11: South Georgia Island
Supremely isolated South Georgia, with its spectacular setting of 10,000-foot mountains and
calving glaciers, brings us massive concentrations of sub-Antarctic wildlife, such as Antarctic
fur seals and huge breeding colonies of penguins, including the king penguin with its brilliant
yellow plumage. South Georgia's human history is intriguing as well--it was long a Norwegian
whaling outpost, and it is here that we find the simple grave of explorer Sir Ernest Shackelton,
with the inscription, "I hold that a man should strive to his uttermost for his life's set prize."
12 - 13: At Sea / South Orkneys
We journey through the iceberg-dotted Weddell Sea tot he South Orkneys. Conditions permitting, we
visit the oldest continuously manned research station in Antarctica.
14: Elephant Island
Fans of the legendary Shackleton need no introduction to this historic site. We take our Zodiacs to this island, where in 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked on one of the greatest rescue journeys of all time.
15 - 18: Antarctic Peninsula
We visit King George Island, with its elephant seals and multi-national research stations, and Deception
island, where we sail into its sea-flooded caldera and find boiling-hot geothermal springs. At Paradise
Bay, with its surrounding ice cliffs, we explore by Zodiacs amid a maze of "bergy bits." Conditions
permitting, we try for a landing on Elephant island, where Shackelton and his men were stranded.
Hundreds of adélie penguins greet us at Torgersen, and we find gentoo penguins as well as
sheathbills, shags, and skuas at Port Lockroy. Depending on ice conditions, we glide through the spectacular
glacier-lined fjord called Lemaire Channel to visit Petermann Island.
19 - 20: Drake Passage
We cross Drake Passage to land in Ushuaia and bid farewell to our expedition crew.
21 - 22: Santiago/Depart
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| COST |
| Land Cost / per person dbl occ |
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| Per person cruise cost from: |
| $9345 |
| Please call for cruise cost by cabin type |
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