Classic Travel

19 Night - South Georgia and Antarctic Odyssey Package

Package Details

Overview

Accommodation Activities Cruise Fly Meals Package Transfers

From AU$31,675 per person*

Package Provider: Aurora Expeditions
Package Type: Package
Region:
Duration: 19 Nights


Description

 

 Your Fly, Stay & Cruise package includes: 

·      Business class flights from Sydney to Buenos Aires, returning from Santiago

·      1 night accommodation in Buenos Aires

·      Economy class flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

·      1 night accommodation in Ushuaia

·      17 night South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey onboard Polar Pioneer

-      Includes all meals and snacks, shore excursions & Zodiac cruises and much more

·      Transfers throughout

·      Port charges, fees, and airline taxes

 

 Departing 14 January 2019

Itinerary

 

Day 1 – Embark Ushuaia

In Ushuaia, you can independently explore the bustling community that lays claim to being the world’s

most southerly town. The town itself sits beneath the spectacular mountains of Tierra del Fuego on the

edge of the Beagle Channel. You may choose to enjoy a trip to the Lapataia National Park by train or

bus, or visit the small museum, which has informative displays about the original inhabitants and the

current population of Tierra del Fuego.

Ushuaia is a duty-free port with a reputation for its delicious Argentinian chocolates, cheap alcohol and

leather goods, and is a great place to buy souvenirs and presents. There are a host of excellent

restaurants available, so whether you are looking for a quick coffee, an excellent meal of king crab, or

an Argentine barbecue, you are spoiled for choice.

This morning, your luggage will be collected from your hotel and transferred directly to port for

clearance and loading onto the ship. You’ll have the day at leisure before making your own way to port in

the late afternoon to meet your expedition team and commence boarding at 16:00. (As Polar Pioneer

pulls away from port, we’ll gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over

Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego.

Transfer of your luggage from your Ushuaia hotel to the ship is included. Detailed instructions will be

available in your final documentation.

 

Days 2 to 3 – Drake Passage

As we commence our Drake Passage crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with

the motions of the sea. Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife

guidelines and biosecurity procedures, and start our lecture program to help you learn more about

Antarctica’s history, wildlife, and environment.

Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds including

majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following in our wake. They rise and fall skilfully, using air currents

created by the ship to gain momentum.

Nearing the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula towards the end of day three, the excitement is palpable with

everyone converging on the bridge watching for our first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new

perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence

of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a

lifetime.

 

Days 4-7 – Antarctic Peninsula

A peek out of the porthole very early this morning should confirm that we have reached Antarctica.

Once we arrive in the calmer waters of the Bransfield and Gerlache Straits, we will generally make

landings or Zodiac excursions two to three times a day. Days will be spent cruising along spectacular ice

cliffs, following whales that are feeding near the surface and landing on the continent and its off-shore

islands to visit penguin rookies, seal haul outs, historic huts and a few of our other favourite spots along

the peninsula. Our experienced leaders will use their expertise to design our voyage from day to day.

This allows us to make best use of the prevailing weather and ice

There are many exciting places we can choose to visit. A sample of some of the places where we may

land, hike, photograph or view spectacular wildlife follows:

Paradise Harbour

A protected bay surrounded by magnificent peaks and spectacular glaciers, the rocky cliffs of this

unforgettable piece of heaven provide perfect nesting sites for blue-eyed shags, terns and gulls. The

serenity of Paradise Harbour envelops us once the sound of the dropping anchor fades from our ears.

This is a haven for whales and we keep our eyes open for humpbacks, orcas and minkes, as well as

crabeater seals, as we explore the bay in Zodiacs. Imagine being so close to a whale that when it

surfaces to blow, the fishy spray of his exhalation momentarily blurs your vision – a truly rare experience.

Half Moon Island

This wildlife rich island is tucked into a neat bay at the eastern end of Livingston Island. On a clear day,

the glaciers and mountains of Livingston Island dominate the vista. There is a large chinstrap penguin

rookery tucked in between basaltic turrets coloured by yellow and orange lichens. Gulls nest on these

turrets and there are often fur seals and elephant seals hauled out on the pebble beaches. At one

extremity of the island there is a large colony of nesting blue-eyed shags. At the other end lies a small

Argentine station that is sometimes occupied by scientists conducting research on the penguin colony

and surrounding waterways.

Lemaire Channel

If ice conditions allow, standing on the bow of Polar Pioneer and quietly moving through the narrow

Lemaire Channel could be one of the highlights of our voyage. Cliffs tower 700 metres directly above the

ship. The water can be so still that perfect reflections are mirrored on the surface. Gigantic icebergs may

clog the channel, creating navigational challenges for our captain and crew; occasionally they may even

obstruct our passage.

Port Lockroy

Located on Goudier Island, British Port Lockroy is an important site for both scientific research and

visitors to the Antarctic continent. Designated a historic site in 1994 and opened to the Antarctic tourism

industry in 1996, it was discovered in 1904 and used by the whaling industry in the first half of the

1900’s, was part of the British Operation Tabarin during World War II, and was later used as a British

Research Station. Today, Pork Lockroy is manned by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and operates as a

museum and gift shop for visitors from passing Antarctic expeditions. You can even send a post card

home from the Penguin Post Office, the world’s most southern Post Office!

Deception Island

Visiting Deception Island is like making a journey to the moon. We sail through the narrow opening of

Neptune's Bellows to enter the flooded volcanic crater. Inside is an unworldly scene, virtually devoid of

life. Glaciers flow down from the edge of the crater, littered by black volcanic ash.

We can explore the lifeless remains of a derelict whaling station and a vacant British base, or climb to

the rim of the crater. Steam rises from the shore indicating that the water is actually warm enough for a

swim, for those who dare. Outside the crater, if conditions allow, we might land at Bailey Head to explore

the enormous chinstrap penguin rookery that featured in David Attenborough's Life in the Freezer series.

Robert Point

A fine example of the South Shetland Islands – a tiny toe of land that is literally alive with wildlife. Here

we will find two species of penguins breeding - chinstrap and gentoo penguins. It is not uncommon to

find wallows of elephant seals that are 40 beasts strong. Giant petrels nest on the ridgeline. The

vegetation consists of mosses, lichens and a grass species that grows only in Antarctica -Descampia

Antarctica. All this is set against a stunning backdrop of mountains and glaciers of the surrounding

islands.

 

Day 8 – Elephant Island

Today, if weather permits, we set course for Elephant Island, a half-submerged mountain cloaked with

an ice sheet at the outer limits of the South Shetlands. We’ll learn the story of Shackleton and hear how

his ship, the Endurance, was crushed in pack ice in the Weddell Sea, before him and his men climbed

into three open boats, spending 16 months at sea, before finally making landfall on this tiny toe of rock

and ice in the vastness of the Southern Ocean on 14 April, 1916.

We plan to sail past Cape Valentine to see the beach where the men first put ashore over 100 years ago.

Weather permitting, we hope to follow the coastline six miles west to Point Wild, where the men

eventually set up camp under two of their upturned open boats and some old tents. If weather permits,

we’ll attempt to make at least one landing on historic Elephant Island.

 

Days 9-10 – Scotia Sea bound for South Georgia

On the journey for South Georgia we'll head across the Scotia Sea, following the route that Shackleton

and five of his men took in order to find help for the rest of their crew. On 24 April, 1916, they piled into

the James Caird, the most seaworthy of their open boats, to attempt this perilous journey to South

Georgia, some 1290 km distant. Shackleton hoped to reach South Georgia in two weeks. There he would

enlist the help of the whalers to return to Elephant Island and rescue the men who had been left behind.

As excitement builds for South Georgia, catch up with fellow expeditioners in the bar, keep watch for

wildlife alongside our naturalist from the open bridge, or learn more of the Shackleton story from our

historian.

“Nearly always there were gales. So small was our boat and so great were the seas that often

our sail flapped idly in the calm between the crests of two waves. Then we would climb the

next slope and catch the full fury of the gale where the wool-like whiteness of the breaking

water surged around us.” - Ernest Shackleton

 

Days 11-15 – South Georgia

South Georgia is one of the world’s most amazing natural environments. Just a speck in the vastness of

the South Atlantic Ocean, and lying wholly within the Antarctic Convergence, South Georgia and

the South Sandwich Islands are a life-sustaining haven to some of the world’s largest congregations of

wildlife. The surrounding sea is one of the most productive areas on Earth and supports the life of

millions of seals, whales, penguins and other seabirds.

A 3,000-metre mountain range forms the spine of this long, narrow island. Between the mountains,

shattered glaciers carve their way through tussock grass to the deeply indented coastline – a landscape

that is synonymous with the epic expedition of survival by Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean. Abandoned

rusting whaling stations and remnants of explorers reflect a time of long ago, while summer workers

conduct scientific and regeneration projects.

Politically speaking, South Georgia lies north of 60° South latitude and is therefore not part of the

Antarctic treaty. It is a wholly British possession, claimed and named for King George III on 16 January,

1775 by Captain James Cook.

Cook recorded in his journal:

"The wild rocks raised their lofty summits till they were lost in the clouds and the valleys lay

buried in everlasting snow. Not a tree or a shrub was to be seen, no, not even big enough to

make a toothpick. I landed in three different places, displayed our colours and took possession

of the country in His Majesty's name under a discharge of small arms."

On 20 May 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley stumbled into the busy whaling

station at Stromness; hungry, exhausted and covered in grime. They had just made the first ever

crossing of the mountains of South Georgia, from King Haakon Bay, to find help for their three

exhausted companions left at Cave Cove and to rescue the men they had left on Elephant Island. They

had sailed in the James Caird for 16 days under horrendous conditions and finally found safety in the

tiny entrance of Cave Cove. This epic story of survival began with the sinking of his ship, the

Endurance, in the Weddell Sea, six months earlier. As we explore South Georgia, we will have the

opportunity to reflect on Shackleton’s epic journey.

If conditions permit, we plan to follow in Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean’s footsteps and complete the

final leg of their walk from Fortuna Bay to Stromness.

Some of the destinations we may visit in South Georgia are:

Grytviken

Originally a Norwegian sealing and whaling station, it was finally closed in 1965. Now it is the

administrative centre and a hub of activity in South Georgia. The former whaling station stands as a

solemn testament of the whaling days, but the museum offers much more than a whaling past. It has

many of the local animals on display as well as the island’s history of exploration.

As we wander around the site, skirting the ruins of factory buildings, peering into the past, we must be

careful to avoid sleeping Elephant Seals or disturbing small groups of King Penguins as we imagine what

it was like when whale processing was in full swing. Abandoned ships lie sunken alongside hundred-yearold

wharves, while pitted concrete walls remind us of the more recent Falkland's War, which started

here.

Sir Ernest Shackleton died from a heart attack during his final expedition on board the Quest on 6 May,

1922. His body was laid to rest at Grytviken. We pay our respects at his grave and possibly visit the cross

his men erected in his memory looking out across beautiful Cumberland Bay.

St Andrews Bay

The long black sandy beach fronts a broad valley that stretches well back from the sea. This valley

shelters the largest king penguin colony on South Georgia. Toward the landing beach on the north end of

the bay, the beach is a resting place for hundreds of elephant seals that haul out on the shore to moult.

Behind the beach and as you move along to the south, the sight and sound (and smell) of over 200,000

pairs of king penguins at different stages of their breeding cycle will be overwhelming.

Eventually the colony is so dense that the penguins prevent even the seals from using the beach! The

glacial river that runs into the sea here will be alive with penguin chicks and elephant seal pups testing

their skills. If we lift our gaze from the wildlife for a moment, we will glimpse the snow-capped peaks of

some of the world's most spectacular mountains.

Godthul

Imagine indented bays lined with bleached whalebones, teeming with fur seals and penguins just

‘hanging about’. In Godthul, you have the opportunity to clamber through the tussock to a spectacular

plateau offering magnificent views across the island and the waters beyond. A careful descent leads us

to a magnificent Macaroni Penguin rookery.

Prion Island

Prion Island is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to visit wandering albatross sitting

on their nest – and if we are lucky, witness the magnificent courting rituals of the younger birds forming

life-long pairings. We must take great care with the albatross on the island and remain on a boardwalk.

Despite these restrictions, the photographic opportunities are excellent. Prion Island is also one of the

best places to find the unique endemic, the South Georgia Pipit.

Salisbury Plains

Salisbury Plain has one of the largest King Penguin colonies on South Georgia. With about 100,000 pairs,

the shore and beach are simply covered with penguins. Along the beach you will also find fur seals and

elephant seals amongst the mix of penguins. There is a tremendous scope for walking and exploring on

your own during this landing, allowing you to enjoy some personal time amongst the kings.

Fortuna Bay & Stromness

Fortuna Bay is surrounded by high mountains with glaciers dropping out of the high country to terminate

in the open valley that is home to a small king penguin colony. This is where Shackleton, Worsley, and

Crean came down off the treacherous glaciers of the interior on their way to Stromness whaling station.

If conditions allow, we can walk in the footsteps of Shackleton and follow their track over the last

mountain pass. It’s a moderately difficult 6km walk over a 300-metre pass, and is well worth the

experience for those that are fit and able. The Polar Pioneer will meet us as we stagger into Stromness

Bay just as Shackleton and his men did 100 years ago.

 

Days 16-17 – Scotia Sea

Between South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, you will be entranced by the ceaseless flight of the

many seabirds that follow our wake, skilfully using the air currents created by the ship to gain

momentum. On this leg, we are usually travelling into the prevailing weather so it is difficult to estimate

our arrival time in the Falklands. Our lecture program will continue and highlight all of the amazing sights

we have witnessed over the past few days. You’ll have ample time to enjoy observing the sea birds,

whale watching from the bridge, or simply relaxing in the bar with a book.

If time and weather conditions permit, we could pass close to Shag Rocks, a fascinating group of jagged

rocky islets protruding from the sea.

 

Day 18 – Flight Stanley, Falkland Islands to Santiago, Chile (or Punta Arenas, Chile)

Polar Pioneer will glide into Port Stanley for an early morning arrival. You have the choice of finishing

your voyage here and extending your stay in this very British outpost, or board the once-per-week

scheduled flight back to Santiago or Punta Arenas. Should you choose to fly today, you will be greeted

by our local Falkland Islands guide who will assist you with the transfer to Mount Pleasant airport for the

afternoon flight.

Terms & Conditions

Conditions apply. Subject to availability and change without notice. Full supplier conditions apply. Valid for new bookings only. Prices valid at the time of publication. Prices are per person based on twin share occupancy unless otherwise stated and displayed in AU$. Member savings are calculated using the original advertised price.

Enquire Now

1300 765 305 (AUST) 0800 956 363 (NZ)

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