Antarctic Peninsula Expedition 12-Day: Including South Shetland Islands | Heritage Discoverer

Arrive at Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, surrounded by the wilds of southern Patagonia and framed by the jagged peaks of the Martial Mountains, this end-of-the-world outdoor playground is also the gateway to our Antarctic Peninsula cruise. Make your way to your hotel, where you will spend the first night of the expedition. This evening, meet your fellow voyagers and some of our expedition guides over dinner at the hotel.

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant and have the morning free to explore Ushuaia before returning to the hotel and departing for the Ushuaia Cruise Port to embark Heritage Discoverer. The captain and expedition team will welcome you on board, and you will have time to settle into your accommodation and familiarise yourself with the ship. You are invited to join the expedition team in the Observation Lounge as we set our course for Antarctica and the South Shetland Islands.

Learn more about the biology and history of the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica through a series of lectures and presentations, and ease into ship life as we cross the legendary Drake Passage, one of the world’s great ocean crossings. Spend time out on deck and in the Observation Lounge as we pass through the Antarctic Convergence, looking for seabirds and cetaceans as you prepare for your upcoming adventure.

Summer in Antarctica is especially magical, pairing long, clear days with an abundance of wildlife and spectacular lighting. Even the most novice photographer can’t help but take exceptional photos, with the low-hanging sun creating epic sunrises and sunsets, washing icebergs, ice, sea, and sky in vivid colours.

Our voyage is timed to coincide with the breeding season, when Antarctica’s wildlife converges in full force and mating behaviours at chaotic penguin cities can be observed. Icebergs, frequently clad with Chinstrap, Gentoo, and Adélie Penguins, are at their most captivating. Landings here are frequent, maximising the long daylight hours and the opportunities they present. They are eventful, occasionally unexpected, and always exciting.

We have 4 or 5 days, each with more than 20 hours of daylight, to explore multiple historic and wildlife-rich landing sites, hidden bays, and quiet coves, and to walk on the ice and snow of the Seventh Continent. Prepare to be dwarfed by nature as we discover alien landscapes and elaborate icescapes of unimaginable beauty carved by wind and waves, expedition cruising the South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Sound, and south through the famed Lemaire Channel.

Look for and walk among Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adélie Penguins; Weddell, Leopard, and Crabeater Seals; and, in the water, Humpback and Minke Whales, which fill these important feeding grounds along with Orca. Birders can gaze skywards for Cape, Storm, and Snow Petrels, our constant companions while in Antarctica, along with predatory Antarctic Skuas and the curious, ground-dwelling Snowy Sheathbill — the only bird in Antarctica without webbed feet.

En route to Ushuaia, enjoy your second Drake Passage crossing and take time to rest after the adventures of Antarctica, look for whales, and enjoy shipboard life. Now is the time to edit photos while they are fresh in your memory and you have access to our knowledgeable expedition team, catch up on journalling, and bask in the afterglow of this incredible shared experience with your fellow travellers and new friends.

Early this morning, we will arrive at Ushuaia Cruise Port. After a final breakfast, we bid farewell to our fellow voyagers and take a complimentary coach transfer to Ushuaia International Airport. In case of unexpected delays due to weather and/or port operations, we ask you not to book any onward travel until after 12 noon.