10 days around Antarctica!
Do you dream of going on a very adventurous discovery journey at the southern pole? Then we have the perfect trip: A 10-day cruise with the world's newest explorer ship MS Fram to the penguin kingdom of the Antarctic. A true nature adventure!
Day program
Day 1
Domestic flight from Buenos Aires to the world's southernmost city. Here the sea cruise begins towards the spectacular Antarctic. After boarding there will be held an information meeting, where the captain, officers and crew welcome you aboard. In the evening the course is set towards Draken Strait and Antarctica.
Day 2
We are now in the middle of Draken Strait. Here two worlds meet as the strait connects the South Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The warm water from the north meets the cold, less salty waters from the south. This makes the sea especially nutritious and provide the basis for the area's unique wildlife. As we cross the sea towards Antarctica, there will be held a series of lectures onboard on various topics related to Antarctica's history and wildlife.
Day 3-8
This infinite large white and desolate continent is filled with amazing impressions from nature elements in interaction. You travel in historic waters and will learn much about a distant continent. The huge white and harsh continent is almost as large as North America. Weather, wind and ice conditions are critical for our program and route. Landing and times may change at short notice due to extraneous circumstances. Safety has always first priority, and the final route is determined by the captain under way. During the journey we will try to make landings at some of the following locations:
Deception Island, South Shetland Islands
The British trade traveler William Smith rounded Cape Horn in February 1819 with his brig "Williams". A powerful storm led the ship southward and contributed to the discovery of the South Shetland Islands. After the collapse of some of the wall of the volcanic crater at Deception Island and was filled with water a natural habor was formed. The entrance to this fascinating natural phenomenon is 200 meter wide and known as "Neptune's roar" because of the howling sound that occurs when wind blows through.
Half Moon Island
In the shadow of the scenic Livingston Island there is a small 2 kilometer island called Half Moon. Half Moon is a jewel of diversity in the polar landscape. The jagged and cracked rocks are home to a colony of chin strap pinguins and several species of seal. In addition there are various bird species which also can be seen flying past the ship, when it is in the bay. With the varied wildlife and scenic experiences the island offers many beautiful photo opportunities.
Yankee Harbor
Sealers began early to use the Yankee Harbor on the Greenwich island as a base for its operations because it had a naturally protected harbor. The site has an isthmus that extends into a half moon shape of approximately 1 kilometer. Now that the sealers are gone, the spot has become a favorite place for several seal species. The main attraction at Yankee Harbor is a colony of 4000 pairs of breeding Gentoo penguins.
Cuverville Iceland
Errera Canal - the waterway between Ronge Island and Arctoowsky-Halvøya on the mainland - is narrow and beautiful. Here you can find the islands Danco and Cuverville, the latter being home to one of the largest known colonies of chin strap pinguins. The low water between the islands often makes the icebergs freeze, and this allows for an amazing sight. In the beginning of the season snow makes it difficult for penguins to reach their spawning grounds. The penguins can however not be stopped and moor their way through the snow, thus making their own "penguin highways" that form a connected network in the snow.
Paradise Harbor
This place got its descriptive name by the historical whalers. When the storm was at its worst, it was here they came to seek shelter. At the northern tip - just opposite Lemaire Island, lies the famous Water Boat Point. The place is known as a base for daring expeditions from the past and is today the base for the Chilean research station González Videla.
The Lemaire channel
The Lemaire channel is 11 kilometers long and is a fantastic sight. The channel is known as one of the most beautiful passages in the Antarctic. When it is calm, the crystal clear waters spectacularly reflect the steep and high mountains.
Port Lockroy
Port Lockroy is a British station from the 2nd World War, which was made into a museum. Port Lockroy is one of the most visited attractions in the Antarctic. Besides the museum there is also a post office and a small souvenir shop. All profits go to the preservation of historic buildings in the Antarctic.
Wilhelmina Bay
The mountains and the high glacier walls on the Antarctic Peninsula at Wilhelmina Bay are filled with great impressions of ice and water. Calving glaciers and floating ice provide magnificent contrasts of the elements of interaction. The bay is a paradise for animals and was therefore also an attractive hunting ground for whalers. Here are great opportunities to see whales, crab eater seal, leopard seal and wedell seal.
Antarctic Sound
The Antarctic Sound between lies between the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and Dúrville, Joinville and the Dundee island. Large flat icebergs from the glaciers' calvings in the Weddel ocean are led out to the Antarctic Sound by means of strong currents. The area is among expedition people known as the "Iceberg Alley" featuring an amazing selection of floating ice in all sizes. Although the 48 kilometer long sound is often difficult to sail through, it offers the most impressive spectrum of ice as we will see on our trip.
After this real and close experience, we leave this amazing ice paradise and the Antarctica.
Day 9
The distance between the Antarctic Peninsula and Ushuia, the southern tip of Argentina is around 800 kilometer, or nearly 35 hours of sailing in good weather. There will be organized several exciting lectures when we are at sea.
Day 10
We leave Fram and fly with domestic flights to Buenos Aires.