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From Argentina to the Antarctic
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'Professor Molchanov' |
MOL21 Wednesday 07 November - Thursday 30 November 2007 (24 days)
Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands are some of the last truly unspoilt regions of the world. The mysterious White Continent, with its multi-coloured ice caps, glistening glaciers and towering snow-capped mountains, offers unparalleled scenery and photographic opportunities. Enormous numbers of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds congregate in the food-rich waters along the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic shores. The future of Antarctica is crucial to the climate and ecology of the world and on most of our cruises we have an opportunity to visit one of the many scientific bases. Our small, specially designed expedition ship journeys south, taking full advantage of the 24 hours of daylight during the austral summer. Ice-strengthened hulls and state-of-the-art equipment allow us to navigate safely through the pack ice and narrow waterways. Our zodiac excursions, guided by foremost Antarctic experts, offer the freedom to explore remote locations and observe Antarctica's abundant wildlife. We embark at Puerto Madryn in Argentinian Patagonia, close to the famed Valdes Peninsula, a rugged headland almost cut off at its base by two huge bays, which affords shelter to a huge concentration of both birds and marine mammals. We can offer an optional extra stay here, spending a day in the southern part of the peninsula, with its dry steppe-like habitats. Here Lesser Rheas and Elegant-crested Tinamous stalk the plains, while Cinereous Harriers quarter the grasslands. Amongst the mammals the remarkable hare-like Mara can be found here, while the desert-like flora will include an array of cacti in flower. A boat trip travels right out into one of the bays to get close to the Southern Right Whales for which the area is famous. The whales allow the small boats remarkably close, and, with luck, we'll see the huge adults 'breaching' -leaping clear from the water or 'lobtailing' thrusting their tail flukes out of the water before smashing them down on to the surface. The Falklands were discovered in 1592. Port Stanley has a few shops, hotels and pubs. Island stamps can be purchased and there is an excellent small museum. On New Island you can visit a unique colony with Black-browed Albatrosses, Rockhopper Penguins and Blue-eyed Cormorants all nesting together, and you may see many of the other 60 breeding species of birds, which abound. And, as with all the wildlife here, most are extremely approachable, giving unparalleled opportunities for photography. We will cross to South Georgia, 1,300 kms (800 miles) east-south-east, first sighted in 1675 and later visited by Captain James Cook in 1775. South Georgia has more than 160 glaciers coming down to the sea and is home to millions of seabirds including the beautiful King Penguins and the enormous Wandering Albatrosses. Abandoned whaling stations bear testimony to a less environmentally conscious era, but now Elephant Seals and Fur Seals can be seen on many beaches. Sir Ernest Shackleton was buried at Grytviken in 1922. In the Antarctic Peninsula, you can land on Paulet Island where tens of thousands of Adelie Penguins nest. At Hope Bay or Brown Bluff you can set foot on the Antarctic mainland and, depending on ice and weather, as always, we will sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel, where large numbers of whales seek the shelter of the protected waterways. In the South Shetlands, we will land at some of the many famous sites including Deception Island and Hannah Point, which have wonderful wildlife. Note: Please note that this itinerary is for guidance only. The exact program may vary depending on local ice and weather conditions and to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. Itinerary Day 1 Depart London in the afternoon for a flight via Madrid, arriving Buenos Aires on Day 2. Flights from regional UK airports may also be available; please enquire for details. Day 2 Arrive Buenos Aires International airport, and transfer to Buenos Aires Aeroparque for the flight to Puerto Madryn, arriving in the evening. Overnight Puerto Madryn Day 3 In the afternoon, we embark in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Day 4 At sea, in the westerlies the ship is followed by several species of albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels. Day 5 In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) we plan to spend the afternoon at Bleaker Island offering among others visits to large colonies Rockhopper, Magellanic and Gentoo penguins, and a great variety of waterfowl on Big Pond. Day 6 In Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, we can experience Falkland culture, wich has some South- American characteristics as well as Victorian charm. In Stanley and surrounding area we can see a quite important number of stranded clippers from a century ago. Days 7 - 8 At sea, on our way to South Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship; several species of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, prions and Skuas. Days 9 - 12 In South Georgia we shall visit the bay of Elsehul, with it's very active fur seal breeding beach, and then take course to Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour and Cooper Bay to give you a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and wildlife, like the introduced Reindeer, Elephant seals, King and macaroni penguins. At Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the great British Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Stømness Bay. There and at Grytviken we'll see and abandoned whaling village, where King Penguins now walk in the streets and seals have taken over the buildings. At Grytviken we'll also offer a visit to the Whaling History Museum as well as to Shackleton's grave near by. One of the highlights might be our visit to Prion Island, where we will witness the breeding efforts of the huge Wandering Albatross and enjoy watching their displays. Day 13 - 14 At sea, where the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At some point we might encounter sea-ice, and it is at the ice-edge where we might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the Maccormick Skua, Snow Petrel and the elusive Emperor Penguin. Day 15 We might try to offer a landing at the famous Elephant Island, where Shackleton and his men had been castaway after having spent month on ice-floes. Days 16 - 19 In the South Shetland Island group we might visit Deception Island. The ring-shaped island is a huge volcano of which the crater opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson's Storm Petrels and Black- bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. There might be a possibility of an extended hike on the island. On our way further South we will sail to Orne Islands with large colonies of Chinstrap Penguins and a beautiful view across the Gerlache Strait or to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Danco Island. It contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown Skuas. From there we sail to Neko Harbour in Andvord Bay and through Paradise Bay with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, while having chances of seeing large whales. We will have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Pleneau and Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue- eyed Shags. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales. A base visit will also be provided, to give you an insight about the life of modern Antarcticans working on the White Continent. Sailing north through Neumayer Channel we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape and again possibilities for zodiac cruising among the icebergs, where we may encounter Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and whales. Days 20 - 21 On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage. Day 22 We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark. Overnight Ushuaia Day 23 Depart Ushuaia in the afternoon for a return flight to Madrid and the UK, arriving on Day 24. |
M/V Professor Molchanov
The ships are modern, ice-strengthened research vessels, built in Finland for the Russian Academy of Science. They are under long-term contract to Oceanwide Expeditions and have been converted for passenger use and are ideally suited to expedition cruising in polar areas. They comply with the highest international safety and environmental regulations, as well as the Arctic and Antarctic Shipping guidelines. The passengers are accommodated in triple, twin, superior cabins or a suite. All cabins are 'outside' and most cabins have private facilities. The public areas are comfortable and cosy and include a dining room which could also act as the lecture room, a bar with reference books, a small infirmary and a sauna. The best viewing places on board for spotting wildlife are the bridge (where passengers are welcome) and the open-deck areas. The ships carry a full complement of Zodiac crafts, for both cruising and landing ashore. Usually on our voyages the Chef will organize a Polar barbecue on deck. Surrounded by an impressive landscape and accompanied by your fellow-travellers, staff members and the Russian crew members, this event is one to remember. 
Accommodation: Cabins as described above subject to availability. Travel: Flights from regional UK airports may also be available; please enquire for details. Leaders: Guides from Oceanwide Expeditions
The prices are per person, and are fully inclusive of return flights UK/Ushuaia, overnight accommodation in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires, transfers in Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia & Buenos Aires, the cruise, meals during the voyage, shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage, lectures and leadership by expedition staff, taxes and port charges and pre-departure information. The prices exclude travel insurance, meals ashore, optional tips to leaders and crew, drinks, and other personal expenses. For a price ex Ushuaia, please deduct £ 895 from the total cost. For a price ex Buenos Aires, please deduct £ 545 from the total cost. Please note that we can arrange optional extensions in Puerto Madryn or Ushuaia (see our Patagonia itinerary for details), or anywhere else in Argentina. You can also opt to leave the UK a day earlier and spend a day in Buenos Aires to break the long journey south. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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