Expedition
SHMinerva - Guests
Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands
Antarctica In depth: Antarctica, South Georgia & Falklands! Ushuaia - Ushuaia

Live out your Antarctica dream on this exceptional 18-day voyage aboard our luxury ice-class expedition ship. Your journey to this icy wilderness starts with the notorious two-day Drake Passage sea crossing. Following in the footsteps of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, we visit South Georgia. Both here and in the Falkland Islands you will clamber onto beaches crammed with millions of penguins and take home everlasting memories. Get ready for fabulous photo opportunities of magnificent icebergs as we sail around the Antarctic Peninsula. This immersive cruise is the ultimate Antarctica journey that will make for the trip of a lifetime.


PROMOTIONAL OFFER


Contact us for the lowest rates (too low to advertise)!

• Valid on new bookings only. Promotion can change at anytime and is subject to availability



 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Join our expert team of polar specialists on board our boutique expedition ship and share in their vast experience of these icy regions
  • Celebrate your inner strength as you brave the notorious Drake Passage
  • Discover the island where explorer Ernest Shackleton spent his last days
  • Pop into the post office and buy stamps from islanders who call this remote part of the world home
  • Mingle on beaches with thousands of rockhopper, gentoo and king penguins

DATES / RATES

Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
Start DateEnd DateOceanview D4Oceanview M4Balcony D5Balcony M5Balcony D6Suite
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
Start DateEnd Date(Starting from)
Oceanview D4
(Mid-range)
Balcony M5
(High-end)
Suite


ITINERARY

USHUAIA
DAY 1
Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbour and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.

AT SEA
DAY 2
As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

WEST POINT ISLAND
DAY 3
Site of bloody battles in the 1982 war, this westerly Falklands Island is now overrun with flora and fauna. Living alongside a small population who welcome you with ‘smoko’ - tea and cakes - are black-browed albatross and king cormorants who nest in the cliffs. As we drop anchor, keep an eye out for dolphins and orca whales in the water, as well as elephant seals, sea lions and five species of penguin lounging on the beaches.

SAUNDERS ISLAND
DAY 3
Birdlife is the big draw on this lush sheep-farming island, where thousands of rams and ewes roam. Settled by British explorers in 1765, the island’s unique scenery includes the beaches at The Neck filled with the cacophony of rockhopper, gentoo and king penguin colonies, and you might spot the pillar-shaped nests of black-browed albatross. Nine of the Falklands’ 14 endemic plants, including silvery buttercup and hairy daisy, grow here and are a real treat.

PORT STANLEY
DAY 4
Anyone familiar with Britain’s trademark red post boxes might spot a resemblance in this British outpost. Port Stanley, on East Falkland, is the tiny capital of the Falkland Islands and is small enough to get around on foot. You can visit The Historic Dockyard Museum devoted to maritime history and exploration or pop into the post office. Magellanic penguins gather in hordes at nearby Gypsy Cove, and sea lions and dolphins frolic in the harbour.

AT SEA
DAY 5-6
As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

SOUTH GEORGIA
DAY 7-9
Often called the “Galapagos of the Poles”, South Georgia has a number of landing sites where you get up close to half a million king penguins or three million breeding pairs of macaroni penguins, making up the largest population in the world. If you are lucky you will also see harrumphing elephant seals - from a distance! We also visit Grytviken, the historic whaling station where legendary British explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) is buried.

AT SEA
DAY 10-11
As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

ELEPHANT ISLAND
DAY 12
Elephant Island, named for the elephant seals that call this place home, is a harsh, glacier-covered and volcanic island on the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands. It was here that legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew from the Endurance were stranded for months in 1914. At Point Wild, his monument overlooks a colony of gentoo penguins. Chinstrap and macaroni penguins gather at Cape Lookout alongside the island’s main residents, elephant seals.

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
DAY 13-14
Among captivating glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy islands, the Antarctic Peninsula is where most visitors to the White Continent will live out their Antarctica dream. The Antarctic Peninsula, the most accessible area of the continent, hosts several scientific bases and some of the most interesting wildlife scenery, such as the extremely photogenic Lemaire Channel. Shore excursions might include Petermann Island, where among Adelie penguins, blue-eyed shags and skuas, huge, lumbering elephant seals haul out.

SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
DAY 15
While the South Shetlands’ proximity to Antarctica makes the ice-bound sea impassable during winter (April to November), these are the first islands to see snow melt in spring (March) and the slightly warmer temperature means that the fauna is also different from what you see in Antarctica proper. As we go ashore by Zodiac, notice ferns, grasses, lichens and native flora that have more in common with Patagonia than they do with Antarctica.

AT SEA
DAY 16-17
As you cruise to your next port of call, spend the day at sea savouring the ship’s facilities and learning about your destination’s many facets from the knowledgeable onboard experts. Listen to an enriching talk, indulge in a relaxing treatment at the spa, work out in the well-equipped gym, enjoy some down- time in your cabin, share travel reminiscences with newly found friends: the options are numerous.

USHUAIA
DAY 18
Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbour and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.

(Click image to view Ship details)

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • Return flights: Buenos Aires to Ushuaia or Santiago to Ushuaia
  • One night pre-cruise hotel accommodation with breakfast
  • Transfer from the airport to the hotel on the day prior to embarkation
  • Transfer from the hotel to the port for embarkation
  • Transfer from the port to the airport on return
  • Onboard accommodation
  • All meals onboard including room service 24 hours a day
  • Coffee, tea, soft drinks & select alcoholic beverages 24 hours a day
  • Lecture programmes by our experienced expedition team and guest speakers
  • Shore excursion programme led by our expert expedition team
  • Branded Swan Hellenic expedition parka
  • Use of rubber boots for shore landings
  • Basic WIFI (Premium WIFI available)
  • Onboard gratuities & port taxes
  • *Itineraries & prices are subject to change*

 

Contact Epic Polar!
We can assist in finding you the right trip, and provide exclusive discounts not advertised on our site. Find out more by completing the form or call toll free USA 1 888 423 4535 or Mobile/WhatsApp +1 604 970 0165
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DISCLAIMER: Rates are per person and subject to change.