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You have to be prepared and thorough when packing for Antarctica due to its remote location. Make sure you bring lots of layers, gloves, sunscreen, and moisturiser among other items. Antarctica refers to the seventh continent of the world and is largely situated in the Antarctic Circle - a line of latitude sitting at around 66.5° south of the equator - at the base of the globe. There may not be any stores on the Antarctic Peninsula, but that doesn't mean you can't do any shopping.
Our Best Tips for Choosing the Right Antarctica Expedition for You
Vessels departing for the White Continent do not carry more than 200 passengers at a time. It's an opportunity for everyone to enjoy an extraordinary experience and to create unforgettable memories. Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability, and subject to change at any time. The category of stateroom to which this price applies may no longer be available. For those who wish to contribute to our understanding of this remote region, some companies collaborate with research institutions to allow passengers to participate in data collection and other scientific activities.
Viking Inclusive Value
From the Falkland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic cruises are an opportunity for unforgettable encounters with marine mammals. It's not uncommon to encounter many seals, including subantarctic fur seals and elephant seals, as well as killer whales. When you’re heading down to the Antarctic region on an expedition cruise ship there’s quite a few activities that you can do. A typical 10-day ‘Best of Antarctica’ itinerary, which actually only includes 4.5 days in Antarctica, has the same number of days and excursions on the continent, often doing the same thing (zodiac cruises, landings, ship exploring, etc). We’ve written another full guide on the best time to visit Antarctica, but personally we prefer to travel early season (November) for landscapes and penguins, and late season (February and March) for whales. What you see and do during your Antarctic expedition will depend on when you go.
Antarctica FAQ
Its cruise fares fall squarely between mainstream and full-on luxury. We feel like almost anyone who would enjoy a Princess cruise in any scenic part of the globe would enjoy a Princess Antarctic cruise. Princess has scenic cruising down to a science and is capable of both entertaining and educating its guests along the way. Antarctica isn't owned by one single country, instead governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had sent scientists to Antarctica during and around that time. These countries included Argentina, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Ponant brochures
By travelling with us, you'll experience this incredible part of the world in a way that builds human connection and gets closer to nature while respecting the environment. It is the snowy southern islands as well as the lush, bird-filled flora of the sub-Antarctic. And Antarctica is the snowy peaks, vast penguin colonies, and whale-abundant waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. But whatever else Antarctica is, it is without doubt an incomparable cruise adventure. On your all-inclusive trip to Antarctica you'll get closer to the Seventh Continent than you ever dreamed.
Silversea Expeditions Antarctica Cruise Reviews
It's not for everyone: 3 things to know about Antarctica expedition cruises - USA TODAY
It's not for everyone: 3 things to know about Antarctica expedition cruises.
Posted: Sun, 14 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Public areas feature the same elegant Scandinavian design found on Viking's ocean ships and river ships, as well as such familiar Viking venues as Italian restaurant Manfredi's and a top-of-the-ship, glass-walled Explorers' Lounge. Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to small Zodiac boats for landings while still in the protected interior of the ship. In all cases, these are ships specifically built for "expedition cruising" -- a type of cruising that involves traveling to remote, hard-to-reach places on small, hardy vessels that carry their own landing craft. All of them sail with a large number of rigid inflatable Zodiac boats for landings and have strengthened hulls and other design features that let them operate in icy areas.
Historic South Georgia
The Snares Islands, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Islands thus represent an invaluable haven of peace for the endemic species that inhabit them, including 126 bird species. And if you like seals in their natural habitat, there’s southern elephant seals, weddell seals, ross seals, leopard seals, crabeater seals and Antarctic fur seals. The frequent Zodiac landings, integral to most Antarctic cruises, transport passengers from the ship to the very heart of the continent. Zodiac cruises offer an intimate and immersive experience, allowing passengers to navigate through stunning icy waterways. But if the company you’re looking at doesn’t have any obvious benefits such as helicopters or more days at sea, most of the price increase is for better food and nicer rooms. One of the most famous names in polar travel, Hurtigruten, hailing from Norway and originally started as a ferry company, offers excellent budget-friendly trips to the Antarctic and Arctic.
Encompassed by the Antarctic convergence (an uneven line of latitude where the cold waters of the Antarctic merge with the warmer waters of the world's oceans), Antarctica is both cold and remote, located in the Southern Hemisphere. Due to its south-polar position, the Antarctic continent is covered in ice and experiences very harsh conditions unsuitable for permanent human residency. We eventually depart Antarctica, and spend two days at sea on our way northwards back across the infamous Drake Passage towards the more welcoming shores of the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia, Argentina. During our time at sea, a variety of activities will be arranged on board to provide our guests with the chance to reflect on their voyage. Explore this vibrant Patagonian city, or stretch your legs in the surrounding forests.
Ships
These ships are also equipped with X-Bows, offering smoother sails in rougher seas. Cruisers who want an active, adventuresome polar exploration, but on a relatively large ship, or those seeking a smaller environmental footprint will appreciate the line’s two newest ships. Roald Amundsen (2019) and Fridtjof Nansen (2020) are the world's first cruise ships to run on hybrid battery technology, making them both more environmentally sensitive as they're designed to cut CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
In the water, Weddell seals, Minke whales, humpback whales, sea leopards, and subantarctic fur seals put on an enchanting show for travellers. Both on the ground and in the air, king penguins, gentoos, southern rockhoppers, and chinstraps, along with albatrosses and petrels, jump and frolic to complete the show. Situated off the coast of Antarctica, Elephant Island is named after the elephant seals that populate it and due to the island being shaped like an elephant head. Rugged mountains, glistening sheets of ice and unique wildlife add to the mystique of this remote destination.
Enjoy delicious dining, from Irish pub classics at O'Sheehan's to classic hibachi at Teppanyaki. For those with unlimited budgets who long to see Antarctica while traveling in the lap of luxury (think pampering butlers) and in spacious accommodations, Scenic’s entry-level suites begin at 344-square-feet. Photography enthusiasts, who want to learn from and shoot pics with a National Geographic photography expert are next in line, as are active explorers, who care more about adventure than fancy cruising. There is a number to call the ship and you can purchase data for the wi-fi onboard, although the connection is intermittent and not to be relied on.
If you’re a hardcore mountaineer or experienced rock climber there are a number of small expedition companies that offer these activities on certain itineraries. Then it’s two more days at sea to get to South Georgia, with 3 to 4 days spent visiting the most spectacular place on earth. On the other hand, luxury cruises offer plush accommodations, gourmet dining, spa services, and even onboard entertainment. Their trips attract a younger demographic and a lower price point, but they’ve worked hard to secure some of the best expedition team members in the industry. However, their ships are very large, with between 250 and 500 passengers on each trip, meaning your actual time spent off the ship is limited. “Our pioneering spirit leads us to explore rarely visited locations and introduce unique itinerariesfor every season,” Hayley Peacock-Gower tells us, who is the Chief Marketing Officer of Aurora Expeditions.
As the sea cools, wildlife multiplies; these are some of the most biologically productive water on Earth, so expect to see petrels, albatrosses and potentially penguins, seals and whales in abundance. Both of these vessels sail with a maximum of 500 passengers when operating in Antarctica, which is on the high side for an Antarctic-based vessel. If you're eager to make a lot of landings in Antarctica during a trip to the continent, Hurtigruten's newest ships may not be the best choice. With Antarctic regulations limiting landings to 100 people at a time, these ships only can land a small fraction of their passengers at any given time.
Alternatively, consider a day trip off the beaten path into the raw nature of Tierra del Fuego. The island of Tierra del Fuego is a hiker’s paradise with rugged snow-capped mountains, glaciers, flower-filled meadows and rich boggy wetlands. In the afternoon, we board our vessel, waiting to welcome us in port. Launched between 2010 and 2015, these four sister ships are regular visitors to Antarctica -- both under the banner of Ponant, a French brand, and as vessels chartered to high-end, U.S.-based tour companies Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent.
For more information to help you choose between ships, and to better understand the differences between vessel categories and their polar classifications, see our Antarctica cruise ship guide. Even today, the White Continent keeps some of its secrets for itself. Scientific bases have been set up there to carry out research, particularly relating to climate. Former whaling stations, veritable open-air museums, bear witness to the ravages of the seal and whale hunting that took place at the beginning of the 20th century.
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