Enjoy the immersive thrills and enchanting scenery found on your luxurious Antarctica cruise. The White Continent is perhaps the ultimate escapade for thrill seekers and eager explorers interested in uncovering the marvels of the globe at their preferred pace. Wind around dramatic tabular icebergs that broke away from ancient glaciers, and then make camp on snow-drenched hills far from civilization’s reach before trekking over knolls and rocky points for unforgettable views of wildlife. Your Antarctica...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Ushuaia – Board your Luxury Cruise Ship to Set Sail
Ushuaia is a young city when compared to the capitals of South American countries. The settlement at the end of the South American continent dates back to the 1880s when an Argentine expedition arrived to establish a sub-prefecture. Along with the government envoy was 300 Anglican missionaries who built the first houses in the region and took to evangelizing the local native population. The city has grown leaps and bounds since its inception nearly 130 years ago, and colorful homes line the streets and weave between the snow-capped peaks of the Martial Range and the rippling cobalt waters of the Beagle Channel.
The greater region of Tierra del Fuego holds the secrets of the Patagonia region and remnants of the native population’s rich history that dates back nearly 10,000 years, long before the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan first sailed around the tip of the South American continent in the 16th century. Your flight will land at Malvinas Argentinas International Airport, where your private transfer will greet you upon arrival. You will soon reach the port to board your vessel bound for Antarctica, and likely stay on the deck of the ship to enjoy the view that encompasses the mountain slopes and sporadic pockets of lenga forest. The southern hemisphere summer averages a daytime warmth of 57 degrees, and your vessel offers luxurious accommodations and a hull protected and strengthened for travel through the icy channels.
What's Included:
Day 2
Drake Passage – Travel across the Drake Passage with Polar Experts
Day 3
Drake Passage – Cross Converging Seas to find Icebergs and Marine Life
Day 4
Antarctic Peninsula – Traverse the South Shetland Islands on a Zodiac Boat
Day 5
Antarctic Peninsula – Discover Wildlife in and around Petermann Island
Day 6
Antarctic Peninsula – Enjoy Iceberg Sculptures and Secluded Island Shores
Day 7
Antarctic Peninsula – Step onto the White Continent for a Camping Tour
Day 8
Antarctic Peninsula –Travel North through the South Shetland Islands
Day 9
Drake Passage – Enjoy a Series of Lectures at your Leisure
Day 10
Drake Passage – Relax in the Comforts of the Ship and Look for Wildlife
Day 11
Ushuaia – Depart for Home
Trip Highlights
- Experience the height of adventure and activity during a night spent camping on the Antarctic Peninsula near the Wordie House
- Hike across the rocky terrain and the pebbled beaches on Petermann Island to discover and observe the thriving Gentoo penguin colony
- Navigate channels that are teeming with tabular icebergs calved from the ancient ice shelf on a zodiac boat that will position you up close to the massive frozen features
- Find the rare occurrence of male elephant seals as they populate the shores of Half Moon Island and expand the colony to new horizons
- Indulge in the surprisingly warm thermal springs of Deception Island, famous for an intriguing history, giant watery caldera, and exceptional baths
- Engage in a series of lectures that will acquaint you with the captivating histories and mysteries of Antarctica and its wildlife
Detailed Description
Chart your course destined for the excitement of the Seventh Continent on your 11-day Antarctica cruise that will bring you into the splendor of untamed nature. Images of the continent reflect terrain awash with snow and ice captured in the freezing climate near the South Pole, but Antarctica teems with life, history, and adventure for an extraordinary experience for thrill-seekers, eager explorers, or first-time adventurers interested in a new destination. Your Antarctica tour will begin with your arrival in Ushuaia, Argentina as your private transfer will escort you from the airport to the port to board your ship and set sail across the Beagle Channel.
While traveling across the Drake Passage to reach the Southern Ocean, you can relax in your luxurious cabin, enjoy the gourmet cuisine, listen to fascinating lectures, and observe the wildlife from the ship’s top deck. Search the waters for minke, humpback, and orca whales, along with hourglass dolphins and five different species of seals. The skies fill with an extraordinary amount of sub-Antarctic and Antarctic sea birds, including albatross and skuas.
As you travel over the Antarctic Convergence to reach the South Shetland Islands en route to the Antarctic Peninsula, you will relish the feeling of adventure as you venture out on your zodiac boat to explore the iceberg-laden waterways. Search for elephant seals on Half Moon Island before reaching the protected cove at the Port of Circumcision on Petermann Island. Delight as you get close to colossal icebergs, trek the landscape over a variety of islands and along the beaches of the Antarctic Peninsula in search of different species of penguins. Visit the Wordie House and camp on the blanketing snow of the White Continent before venturing back towards Argentina by way of the Drake Passage.
Starting Price
$14,300 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.86 stars based on 830 reviews.
I have already mentioned Zicasso to many others for planning their future trips.
Reviewed By Mark L.
We are basking in the memory of a simply amazing trip to Argentina with Zicasso... it was awesome. The responsiveness of our specialist and guides, and the attentiveness of service overall, was very noticeable throughout. In particular, there was a storm that hit in the days prior to our arrival in Bariloche (Argentine Patagonia Lake District) which impacted boat schedules, and behind the scenes, without us knowing, we were rebooked and rescheduled for various activities in a seamless fashion to ensure we got the hiking and other experiences we were hoping for. Great service!
Reviewed By Keith M.
Zicasso's travel specialist helped by booking and planning every aspect of our trip (flights, hotels, transfers, tours, etc), all based on my wishes, along with his suggestions. He also ensured we had time to relax between activities (so often, an agent books so many activities you don't get a chance to stop and sit, but we had a few hours each day to do so). From meeting us upon arrival to the constant communication during the trip, he made sure everything ran smoothly. We had to adjust a tour due to weather, but he was on top of it, ensuring we had other options for that day.
Our agent and his team made everything run smoothly and ensured we had a great trip to an area we were not familiar with.
Reviewed By Michelle J.
Zicasso's trip planner is perhaps the best travel consultant I have ever engaged. As a point of context, I am a retired corporate executive who traveled 250K to 500K miles per year over the last 15 years of my career. I had the advantages of executive assistants, a corporate travel department, and extensive administrative support. Even with all those advantages, this trip planner and his team set a new standard of excellence. My trip planning covered Antarctica, Argentina, and Brazil destinations over a five-week trip. The full trip was for my wife and me, with an additional two-week block for my two children to join us partway through the vacation. He also helped to arrange the holiday for another couple who were supposed to accompany us, but they had a medical emergency occur before the departed. This necessitated a great number of changes and cancelations, which he handled, seemingly without any problems and without any complaints.
I had only traveled to that part of the world in a business capacity before, so I was entirely reliant on our travel agent, not just for the physical arrangements, but to also take the time to understand our interests, curiosities, and desired outcomes. He brilliantly translated that into choices and recommendations that I truly cannot complain about. He is so wired into the hotels, travel options, restaurants, sites, and culture of Argentina, Brazil, and Antarctica that we were blown away by his skills and knowledge. He arranged boutique experiences, personal guides, and superior transportation at all stops. There were no gaps in our travel coverage and I was 100% confident in all of our day-to-day experiences. He knew of things that I never would have discovered on my own. The ease of communicating with him was superior. He always responded to our queries within hours and even had a direct U.S. telephone number so I did not even have to pay for long-distance phone calls.
Our experience so far exceeded my already high expectations that we want to return to Argentina again, and we want to find a way to employ his services again to plan future trips to South America and Africa. Also, each person he had us interact with (drivers, guides, and support staff) was unbelievably capable, but also displayed exuberance and superior customer-service attitudes. Potential problems were non-existent.
I would be personally willing to speak directly to anyone who is considering using this tour company as their travel provider if that would sway them to choose him and his team. I have run out of superlatives, but trust me, I have very high standards. I have been to over 50 countries in my life. I have lived on three continents and (thanks to him) I can finally say I have set foot on all seven continents. With that said, this travel agent earned my admiration as a professional in his field. I believe if you engaged anyone other than him, you would likely receive a fantastic experience, but not as good as it could have been.
Reviewed By Paul N.
Zicasso's travel agency surpassed everything we could have hoped and expected for our first trip to Argentina.
We had a perfect selection, based on our wishes, of small and quiet boutique hotels, punctual transport, knowledgeable guides, and immediate help via WhatsApp in the few instances we needed some guidance on unfamiliar cases.
Reviewed By Henri V.
We enjoyed our trip very much. It was absolutely beautiful!
Reviewed By Barbara S.