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Dates & Prices | Special Offers | Contact Us
info@ice-tracks.com

Wild Antarctic Extended Air Cruise

0
12 Days / 11 Nights
Availability : February - March
Punta Arenas
Ushuaia
OverviewMap/ItineraryDates & PricesPhotosReviewsContact Us
Overview

Famed for its tremendous tabular icebergs, year-round sea ice, fascinating fossils and the pivotal role it played in Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, the Weddell Sea offers unsurpassed opportunities for exploration. Embark on a true Antarctic expedition as we not only explore the west Antarctic Peninsula, but also attempt to venture east towards the icy perimeter of the Weddell Sea, often guarded by impenetrable pack ice and home to awe-inspiring tabular icebergs.

 
Highlights
  • Be awed by the array of wildlife who play and hunt in the Antarctic Sound
  • Marvel at enormous tabular icebergs in the Weddell Sea
  • Learn about the incredible fossil-rich volcanic islands from our onboard palaeontologist
Map
Itinerary

Day 1Arrive in Punta Arenas

Arrive in Punta Arenas, where you will be transferred to our group hotel. Upon arrival at your included hotel, kindly remind hotel check-in staff to provide you  cabin tags. Please clearly label the tags with your name and ship cabin number. 

Overlooking the Straits of Magellan, the city sits astride one of the world’s most historic trade routes. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to Chile’s rich history.

At approximately 6.00 pm this evening, meet your fellow expeditioners at a voyage briefing. Afterwards, there’s free time to enjoy the local cuisine at one of Punta Arenas’s many restaurants. (Dinner not included). 

Accommodation: Hotel Cabo de Hornos (or similar)

Day 2Fly Punta Arenas to King George Island

This morning we will be transferred to Punta Arenas airport for our charter flight to King George Island, Antarctica (weather permitting). The flight will take approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes.

On arrival into King George Island our expedition team is on hand to greet you for your Zodiac transfer to board the vessel. You’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important briefings. 

Note: King George Island is located at the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands and is one of the most remote places on Earth. A clear sky with perfect visibility is required for safe take-off and landing. We apologise in advance for any delays. 

Day 3-9Weddell Sea & Antarctic Peninsula

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever. 

Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish. 

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You’ll want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula. 

While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you’ll have the option to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting!

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from summit to sea, and take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

Central to the story of where Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance became trapped in formidable sea ice, the Weddell Sea certainly is high on the list for many polar adventurers. A small set of islands standing off to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula collectively form the Antarctic Sound – the gateway to the Weddell Sea. With a well-deserved reputation as being an iceberg alley, many large tabular bergs escape the Weddell Sea through the Antarctic Sound, often making navigation difficult. However, the rewards can be great. Fossils are a reminder of a more temperate era – gastropods, large clams, and spiral-shaped ammonites, all turned to stone. 

Be spoiled for wildlife encounters as the Weddell boasts a large Adélie penguin colony just outside of the Antarctic Sound, some of which breed on the rocky slopes of a small volcanic island, where a large colony of Antarctic blue-eyed shags jostle for space with nest-building Wilson’s storm petrels. On thrilling Zodiac cruises or slicing a path through the maze of sea ice in your kayak, keep watch for chinstrap and gentoo penguins in and out of the water, as well as humpback, minke and orca whales. 

Day 10-11Drake Passage Crossing

Our landings come to an end as we enter the Drake Passage for our return journey to South America. With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced, and the impact this voyage has had on our attitude to life.

As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.

Day 12Disembark Ushuaia

During the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where we will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as we all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. A transfer to the airport or to your hotel is included in the cost of the voyage.  

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays. 

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Reviews
“

Wow, wow and wow! What an amazing experience we had with Ice Tracks. We have a smile on our faces from ear to ear.

Many thanks to the team! You informed us so completely, so honestly and shared your own experiences what made us feel assured. Your enthusiasm made us feel excited from the first moment we had contact, even till now when we share our voyage with friends and family. For us this trip was the closure of a backpacking voyage, which we started in Mexico. The vessel and expedition team made us feel like part of the family during 11 days. Our room was spacious and clean. Staff and food were great. The lectures during days at sea were nice. This once in a lifetime experience was mind blowing!

Monique and Steve from Belgium traveled with us to the Antarctic Peninsula

Steve & Monique
Sample Position
“

How do you describe it all to people that were not there? I’ve found it difficult, but very willing to try. Well, in retelling the (fairy) tale the last few days, the highlights are starting to cement in together with some new friendships!

· The hair-raising off-roading trip to the lake
· That amazing Argentinian braai in the woods & the beautiful snowy wonderland around us.
· To see how much Brian enjoys ships (although saying what a lovely cruise it was coming back, while some were dreadfully sick – he was perhaps living dangerously!)
· The first sighting of that whiter than white …
· The crystal, crystal clear waters
· My excitement at the first landing on the iced, uninhabited continent
· The colours & the moods & the vastness!
· Our South Africans taking the first dive in that colder than cold water!!!
· The amazing strength & stamina of those penguins. I do tell the tale of the solitary soul waiting to greet those mountaineers at the top of Spiget!
· The comraderie in our group
· Our “tea break” on the zodiac with irish coffee & green tea – where Caro asked Chicken to “duck”!
· The photo of the campers sitting around the “campfire” was an absolute winner …
· The soft snow on our last landing & trying to walk in that!

We reiterate our thanks to Mandy, Guts & Caro – you put a huge amount of work into making it a dream holiday for us – and it was, & we are truly grateful.

Denise and Brian Sutherland – Pretoria South Africa
Sample Position
“

We are now back indeed, and slowly coming to grips with the ‘real’ world. As you may imagine, there is little one can really say about Antarctica of which you are not fully aware. If it were in any way possible I for one would never go anywhere else on this planet. Ute had reservations about going South as she does not like the cold, but after our experience in Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina, she also wanted to be in the pure untainted and pristine world of Antarctica. Now Ute even says she could happily go back. Unfortunately, we can only be very thankful that we even once had the opportunity to make this dream come true. Thank you very much for your part in making that happen. We were cared for graciously by Ice Tracks and without their expert and very able assistance our trip might never have taken place. I warmly recommend Ice Tracks guidance to anyone wishing to go South. The whole experience we had was more akin to friendship than business, and we do hope that we may one day meet again on the high seas!

Raymond & Ute – South Africa
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