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Falklands, South Georgia, Orkneys & Elephant Island |
© Franco Banfi/Oceanwide Expeditions
Elephant Seal |
MOL21 07 November - 23 November, 2009 (17 days)
Day 1 In the afternoon, we embark Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands and sail at 18.00 hours to South Georgia. Day 2 & 3 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. Day 4- 10 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. We will also land on Prion Island to witness Wandering Albatrosses. At Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the 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. On St. Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour we have again the possibility to see ten thousands of King Penguins. After a visit to Cooper Bay, Will Point and / or Brisbane Point, we set course to the beautiful Drygalskiy Fjord. South Georgia offers a variety of landscapes (fjords, mountains and glaciers) and at the same time a wide variety of wildlife, with bird species such as King, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins, Wandering, Black-browed, Grey-headed and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, various Petrels such as South Georgia Diving Petrel, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels, Blue-eyed Shags, South Georgia Pintail, South Georgia Pipits. Common sea-mammals are the Antarctic Fur Seal and Southern Elephant Seal. Day 11 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 12 When weather and ice conditions allow us, we are aiming for a short visit at Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding glaciers. The island offers Antarctic species. Day 13 At sea. Day 14 Although landings are difficult, when weather and ice conditions are favourable, we will try to set foot on Elephant island, an ice-covered, mountainous island in the northern tip of the South Shetland Islands (Sub-Antarctic region). The island is most famous for the epic rescue boat trip of Explorer Ernest Shackleton. After he and his crew lost their exploration ship Endurance in Weddell Sea ice in 1916, Shackleton and his men sailed in an open life boat back to South Georgia and from there to Elephand Island. In the early afternoon we depart and sail back to Ushuaia, Argentina. Day 15- 16 During these two full days we sail across the Drake Passage and may see 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. Day 17 We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark. |
M/V Professor Molchanov
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'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: We can arrange flights and overnight accommodation for you if necessary. Please contact us for prices and availability. Leaders: Guides from Oceanwide Expeditions
Please enquire for single supplements. The prices are per person, and are fully inclusive of 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 return flights UK/Port Stanley and Ushuaia/UK (please allow approximately £1500.00), overnight accommodation in Ushuaia, transfers in Ushuaia, travel insurance, meals ashore, optional tips to leaders and crew, drinks, and other personal expenses. Please allow two days either side of the cruise dates for travel and an overnight at each end of the cruise in case of any delays. Please note that we can arrange optional extensions in 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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