HIGHLIGHTS
Photo
Workshop
On
select voyages, professional photographers will help you get the most
out of your personal camera equipment
Snowshoeing
Explore
your way inland from the Polar shorelines with a wide variety of
snowshoeing expeditions built for everyone.
Mountaineering
Ascend
the heights to enjoy spectacular views of the polar surroundings
Antarctic
Camping
Few
things get you closer to the Antarctic expedition experience than
making camp, settling into your bivouac bag, and sleeping under the
Southern Hemisphere stars
Kayaking
Kayaking
is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the beautiful
blue-and-white world of the peaceful polar seas
Zodiac
Cruising & Shore Program
Pléneau
Island
Cuverville
Island
Paradise
Bay
A
breathtakingly beautiful bay offering classic views of colossal ice
formations and iconic Antarctic wildlife
Neko
Harbour
A
pleasant beach in Antarctica’s larger Andvord Bay, Neko
Harbour is a scenic landing site that offers great views of gentoo
penguins and a nearby glacier
Gentoo
Penguin
These
hygienic divers are the only penguin species whose population is
currently increasing along the Antarctic Peninsula
Humpback
Whale
Also
known as "great-winged newfoundlanders" for their wing-like flippers,
these cetaceans earned their more contemporary name by the way they bow
their backs before a dive
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
|
| Start Date | End Date | Quad Porthole | Triple Porthole | Twin Porthole | Twin Window | Twin Deluxe | Superior |
|---|
| Dec 29, 2024 | Jan 10, 2025 | 9,900 | 12,150 | 12,150 | 12,650 | 13,400 | 14,300 |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Jan 22, 2025 | 9,900 | 12,150 | 12,150 | 12,650 | 13,400 | 14,300 |
| Dec 29, 2025 | Jan 10, 2026 | 11,100 | 13,650 | 13,650 | 14,300 | 15,400 | 16,500 |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Jan 22, 2026 | 11,100 | 13,650 | 13,650 | 14,300 | 15,400 | 16,500 |
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
Quad Porthole | (Mid-range)
Twin Window | (High-end)
Superior |
|---|
| Dec 29, 2024 | Jan 10, 2025 | 9,900 | 12,650 | 14,300 |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Jan 22, 2025 | 9,900 | 12,650 | 14,300 |
| Dec 29, 2025 | Jan 10, 2026 | 11,100 | 14,300 | 16,500 |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Jan 22, 2026 | 11,100 | 14,300 | 16,500 |
ITINERARY
Day
1: End of the world, start of a journey
Your
voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to
be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern
tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this
small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of
the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for
the remainder of the evening.
Day
2 - 3: Path of the polar explorers
Over
the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same
experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted
these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale
spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence
– Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when
north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas
– you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only
does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering
albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses,
light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars,
Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels
are a few of the birds you might see.
Day
4 - 10: Entering Antarctica
Gray
stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and
dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the
snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between
Brabant and Anvers Islands.
Places
you might visit includes:
Neumayer
Channel – The vessel may position itself here, launching its
multiple basecamp activities from the protected waters around Wiencke
Island. You can enjoy the splendors of this alpine environment at sea
with Zodiac and kayaking trips, or if you’re in the mood for
a walk, there are possible snowshoe hikes and soft-climb mountaineering
options farther inland. Naturally, favorable weather conditions
determine the possible activities.
Port
Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may
get a chance to visit the former British research station –
now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier
Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla
Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags. At the nearby
sites, such as Damoy Point there may be the opportunity for snowshoeing
to the old ski-way, this is also one of our favourite camping sites.
Pléneau
& Petermann Islands – If the ice allows it, you can
sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie
penguins and blue-eyed shags. There’s also a good chance
you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales here, as well as
leopard seals. Kayaking, glacier walks, and more ambitious
mountaineering trips are the potential activities of this location.
Neko
Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless
wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise
and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine
peaks.
Paradise
Bay – You have the chance to make camp here like a true polar
explorer, enjoying a supreme overnight Antarctic adventure.
Errera
Channel – Possible sites in this area include Danco Island
and Cuverville Island, but also the lesser known (though equally
picturesque) Orne Island and Georges Point on Rongé
Island.
On
your last day of near-shore activities, you pass the Melchior Islands
toward the open sea. Keep a sharp lookout for humpback whales in
Dallmann Bay. You might also shoot for Half Moon Island, in the South
Shetlands, with further chances for activities.
Conditions
on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Day
11 - 12: Familiar seas, familiar friends
Your
return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake,
you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered
from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you
now, and you to them.
Day
13: There and back again
Every
adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end.
It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that
will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
Ortelius (Expedition, 108-guests)
Ortelius offers a comfortable hotel standard, with a u-shaped, a bar and a lecture room. Our voyages are primarily developed to offer our passengers a quality exploratory wildlife program, trying to spend as much time ashore as possible. As the number of passengers is limited to approximately 116 on the Ortelius, flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities. Ortelius carries 10 zodiacs
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the
itinerary
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including
snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage
by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by
experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the
day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport
in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout
the programme.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
- During our “Basecamp” departures, all
offered activities (including camping, kayaking, snowshoe/hiking,
mountaineering, photo workshop) as well as our standard included shore
excursions and zodiac cruises) are free of charge.
Excluded
from this voyage
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
- Pre- and post- land arrangements.
- Passport and visa expenses.
- Government arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is
strongly recommended).
- Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature
such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for
stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be
provided).
ADVENTURE
OPTIONS
- Kayaking
- Hiking
- Mountaineering
- Photo
Workshop
- Camping
- Snowshoeing
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
Required fields *
