BREATHTAKING ANTARCTICA ITINERARY:
DAYS 1-2, Saturday-Sunday - Depart for Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Depart from home on Saturday for Buenos Aires. You will
arrive on Sunday morning and be transferred to your luxury
hotel, where you can relax in your ocean-view suite after your
long flight.
Buenos Aires offers museums, art galleries, ultra-chic shopping,
fascinating antiques, lush green parks and tree-lined
boulevards- it is hard not to fall in love with this world class
city. It is often referred to as "the Paris of South America."
This evening join your Travcoa Travel Director and fellow
travelers at a welcome cocktail party and dinner where you'll
learn more about the exciting days that lay ahead.
DAY 3, Monday - Buenos Aires
This morning you'll embark on an unforgettable tour of a
sophisticated yet old-fashioned metropolitan city. Buenos Aires
is a place of contradictions from its European face to its Latin
soul; you'll drive through lovely San Telmo- the best-kept
historical neighborhood and the birthplace to the tango. Visit
the Casa Rosada where leaders traditionally address the masses
from balconies, the famous Recoleta Cemetery, the Metropolitan
Cathedral and the city's famous Plaza de Mayo where crowds once
cheered Juan and Eva Peron.
Tonight enjoy a memorable dinner and tango show at Esquina
Carlos Gardel, where you'll relive the history of tango in an
environment that awakens your every sense. This is well into the
night. Splendor and elegance greet you and you can enjoy
traditional and international dishes while you watch the
spectacular show that reenacts the sophistication, luxury, and
style of the golden decade of Buenos Aires.
DAY 4, Tuesday - Ushuaia & Embark on your 12-day voyage
Fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in
the world, set on Tierra del Fuego's spectacular Beagle Channel.
It is a small Patagonian city surrounded by the Darwin
Cordillera, glaciers, and forests of southern beech. Upon
arrival, transfer to the Clipper Adventurer to embark on your
12-day voyage.
On the way south from Tierra del Fuego, you will have time to
relax and prepare for the days ahead. Experience shipboard
luxury as your expedition leaders and scientists present the
geology, wildlife, and history of this extraordinary land.
Antarctica is a last frontier; an entire continent dedicated to
science and nature. The scenery is fantastic. It's not even all
that cold along the Antarctica Peninsula.
DAYS 5 & 6, Wednesday & Thursday - Falkland Islands
Enjoy the ship's amenities and professional lecturers while
sailing to the Falkland Islands. Depending on the seas
conditions, we will land for a nature walk at any of three lands
off the western shore. Watch for Commerson's dolphins to greet
you upon arrival.
DAYS 7 & 8, Friday & Saturday - At Sea - Drake Passage
Enjoy the spacious observation lounge while viewing the
stunning Drake Passage, named for Sir Francis Drake. Attend
lectures by naturalists and study leaders as Clipper Adventurer
crosses the Antarctic Convergence, where cold waters of the
Southern Ocean override the warmer waters of the north. The
change is immediate and recognizable. The color of the colder
water is deeper and richer, while the oscillating zone of the
Convergence- between 50° and 60°S- is plentiful with nutrients
that create a prolific marine ecosystem. As you cruise through
spectacular Drake Passage, you'll see albatross and Cape Petrels
that seem to guide the way.
Anticipation builds. An abrupt change in sea surface
temperature, a band of fog, squadrons of Wandering Albatross up
above- these are the signs we've been waiting for. We've crossed
the Antarctic Convergence and entered Antarctic waters, via the
Drake Passage. Located between the tip of South America and the
tongue of the Antarctic Peninsula, it's the shortest distance
between the civilized world and the continent (about 500 miles).
Crossing the Drake Passage is an inevitable fact of an Antarctic
voyage- and a badge of honor among many. These productive waters
are what protect and nurture Antarctica. Soon the ship will sail
the protected channels and waterways of the Antarctic Peninsula
and its sheltering archipelagos.
DAYS 9-12, Sunday-Wednesday - Antarctic Peninsula
Enjoy exploring the pristine wilderness of the Antarctic
Peninsula and surrounding islands. The Peninsula is a narrow
finger of land that separates the ice-choked waters of the
Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas.
As Clipper Adventurer sails through scenic waterways, witness a
breathtaking panorama of icebergs, blue glaciers, and jagged
snowcapped mountains. Board the ship's fleet of Zodiacs, cruise
among ice floes, land at penguin rookeries and visit with
scientists at research stations.
Although the itinerary varies according to local ice and wind
conditions, we plan to go ashore pockmarked with large craters
and bare terrain- a surprise in the otherwise snow-covered
Antarctica. Volcanic vents still steam, and at the beach, you
can swim in the thermally heated seawater. Visit the raucous,
squawking Chinstrap Penguin colony.
Deception Island: Venture to the southernmost volcanic island on
the planet. Deception is pockmarked with large craters and bare
terrain- a surprise in the otherwise snow-covered Antarctica.
Volcanic vents still steam, and at the beach, you can swim in
the thermally heated seawater. Visit the raucous, squawking
Chinstrap Penguin colony.
Brown Buff: Conditions permitting, you have the opportunity to
land on the continent, as opposed to the more easily accessible
surrounding islands. This ice-capped mountain's distinguishing
feature is a cliff of reddish-brown volcanic rock. Thousands of
Adelie penguins as well as gentoo penguins, kelp gulls, skuas,
snow petrels, and pintado petrels populate this bluff area.
Paradise Bay: Prepare to be awestruck at Paradise Bay, which
presents an incomparable panorama of sheer mountains,
100-foot-high glaciers, sparkling blue sea and jumbled icebergs.
Listen to the groaning of the glaciers as yet another iceberg is
calved and watch for seals lazing on the ice.
Penguin Island/ Turret Point: Penguin Island's lunar like
landscape, adorned in cushion moss and bearded lichens, is home
to southern giant petrels, Antarctic terns, and chinstrap and
Adelie penguins.
Elephant Island: This wildlife-rich stop bustles with thousands
of penguins, diving into the sea to forage for food, while fur
seals and southern elephant seals, for which this historic
island is named, slumber lazily along the beaches. In 1916, Sir
Ernest Shackleton and sailors from the sunken Endurance, crushed
by the ice in the Weddell Sea, landed here in three open boats.
Shackleton and give men set out for South Georgia Island in one
small boat, returning over four months later with a Chilean
vessel, the Yelcho, to rescue the 22 men left on Elephant
Island- a heroic endeavor, without loss of life, that remains
one of the supreme feats of polar exploration.
Voyages through the magnificent Neumeyer, Errera, and other
protected channels are also scheduled and never to be forgotten.
DAY 13 & 14, Thursday & Friday - At Sea
Watch for whales and seabirds, enjoy onboard lecturers and
spend the days relaxing and enjoying the ship's many amenities
as Clipper Adventurer makes the 600-mile return trip to Ushuaia.
Cruise from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula back
across the Drake Passage toward Cape Horn.
DAYS 15 - Disembark, Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego National Park
Disembark the Clipper Adventurer in Ushuaia in the morning,
and transfer to your luxurious hotel. At the station, board the
Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino (Train to the End of the World) for
a nostalgic journey to the port of Lapataia. From the comfort of
your first class coach, you can admire the scenic Rio Pipo and
the majestic Le Martial mountain range. At the end of your train
ride, continue by car to the famed national park to enjoy the
wonderful nature of Tierra del Fuego. There are more than 400
species of mosses, 500 species of flowering plants, and enormous
varieties of birds like the cormorants, black shage, and ibis.
After a delicious "Asado" lunch, return to Ushuaia and tour this
southernmost city in the world. It is located on the shores of
the Beagle Channel, surrounded by the Martial Mountains, and is
the capital of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and Southern
Atlantic Islands Province. You'll visit the End of the World
Museums, Maritime Museum and Old Prison.
DAYS 16, Sunday - Ushuaia & El Calafate
This morning is at leisure to explore the southernmost city
in the world. It is located on the shores of the Beagle Channel,
surrounded by the Martial Mountains, and is the capital of the
Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and Southern Atlantic Islands
Province.
In the afternoon fly from Ushuaia to El Calafate, where the
remainder of the day is at leisure. El Calafate is main town in
Argentina's southern Lake District, located on the shores of
Lago Argentino. The region encompasses almost 600 square miles
of lakes, nestled against the glacier-clad Andes Mountains.
You'll delight in stunning views, magnificent forests and
abundant wildlife in this remote, pristine corner of the world.
DAY 17, Monday - El Calafate & Moreno Glacier
Take a full day excursion to Parque National Los Glaciares
(Glacier National Park) and its most famous attraction- the
amazing spectacle of Moreno Glacier. The park is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
Gaze upon this moving river of ice, 300-feet-high and one mile
wide, as it advances as much as 20 meters each year. View the
mouth of the glacier, as chunks of ice break off into the lake
in a remarkable display of nature at its most dramatic. You will
also take a Sailing Safari to the front of the south wall- the
only way to get to see this part of the majestic glacier.
DAY 18, Tuesday - El Calafate & Buenos Aires
The day is at leisure to explore El Calafate, a tranquil
town of 5,000 inhabitants, which is full of picturesque houses,
shops, restaurants and handicraft stores. El Calafate is named
after a small bush (calafate) from southern Patagonia, whose
fruit tastes similar to a blackberry. It is the main ingredient
of typical cakes, pies, drinks, and desserts. Fly to
Buenos Aires, arriving in the evening.
DAY 19, Wednesday - Buenos Aires & Depart for Home
The day is at leisure to explore- or shop- in magnificent
Buenos Aires. Tonight you and your fellow travelers will enjoy a
farewell dinner party with your Travel Director.
In the late evening you will transfer to the airport and board
your flight home or on to your next destination. Day rooms are
included for your convenience and relaxation.
DAY 20, Thursday - Arrive Home
Flights bound for the United States arrive home today.
NOTE: The Daily Itinerary above is subject to change
dependent upon local conditions and/or operational changes or
improvements. The specific times and order of inclusions within
each destination may also be altered to best accommodate
unscheduled closures, special events, weather traffic, etc.
Please contact your Vacation Planner before scheduling any
coinciding appointments. You will receive an updated itinerary
approximately 30 days prior to your journey's scheduled
departure date.
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