Antarctica Cruise - Emperor Penguin Snow Hill Island Safari (2008)

This unique Icebreaker itinerary explores the realm of emperor penguins, the only birds on Earth that breed on the frozen sea in 24 hours darkness of an austral winter. This immense wilderness is a fabulous and virtually pristine paradise for wildlife with incomparable scenery of mountains, snow and ice. It is a privilege to visit this awe-inspiring continent and to experience the special magic that has lured explorers, adventurers and scientists for more than two centuries and - most recently - world travelers.

Itinerary

Day 1: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Ushuaia is a picturesque community with excellent restaurants and intriguing museums. You?ll spend the night at your host hotel, so you?ll have time to explore.

Day 2: Embarkation Day

After boarding in the afternoon, you?ll follow the Beagle Channel into the open waters of the Drake Passage.

Days 3-4: Crossing the Drake Passage

Emperor Penguins will be on your mind while you cross the Drake Passage. By the time you reach the Weddell Sea, you?ll be a well-rounded expert on birds of all kinds. In addition to the biology, habitat and behavior of Emperors, our ornithologist will make presentations on the pelagic birds that accompany the ship. Your photographer-in-residence will prepare you for the special lighting conditions you will encounter during your visit to the rookery.

Days 5-7: The aristocrats of the Antarctic

Reaching the Snow Hill rookery under the best possible conditions is the goal of the expedition. The Captain and Expedition Leader consult charts, weather bulletins and satellite images to determine where to park the icebreaker for efficient helicopter flights to the rookery.

In 2007, visitors to the rookery saw Emperor chicks, many sitting on the feet of the adult caring for them. Hopefully, you will repeat this unique opportunity! Helicopters will be used to ferry adventurers to a landing site about 2 km (1.2 miles) or more from the rookery. You?ll walk a well marked path through a sculpture garden of towering ice. Adult Emperors tobogganing to the sea to feed have the right of way!

Days 8-11: Discovering the White Continent

While the Emperors are the priority, you will also visit the Antarctic Peninsula. Your exact route will be determined by local conditions.

You plan to sail Iceberg Alley. Use your newly acquired photographic skills to snap pictures of massive tabular icebergs until your camera beeps a warning that the memory is full. While passing through Antarctic Sound, you will see more fantastic ice sculptures from pure white to deep blue. A soulful silence may engulf you, unless a glacier calves or an iceberg over turns--then suddenly, everything is noise and waves.

While visiting the Peninsula, you may explore penguin rookeries under construction. Adélie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo Penguins court, lay eggs, and raise their young during the austral summer. Your voyage takes place at a time when these smaller penguins are selecting nesting sites and choosing partners.

Days 12-14: Recollection and Reflection

On the return to Ushuaia, you?ll be recalling the details of the voyage. These memories will stay with you, as clear and powerful as the day they were formed. The existence of the Emperor Penguin is more than a story of survival and endurance. It is the triumph of life itself.