Kayaking, camping & skiing on the Antarctic Peninsula Draft Itinerary- Aqua-Firma


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Kayaking, camping & skiing on the Antarctic Peninsula Draft Itinerary

Click HERE for Kayaking, Camping & Skiing on the Antarctic Peninsula	This is a sample only; the final itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Team and is influenced by local conditions, like ice and weather. Day 1 Arrive in Ushuaia, locally known as, ‘the City at the end of the world’. You can check into your hotel and explore at your leisure. Day 2 Embarkation is not until the late afternoon, affording us plenty of time to sample the retail and gastronomic delights of Ushuaia. The city is tucked into a sheltered bay on Isla Grande, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. It is a hive of activity, with the sea, mountains and forests of Tierra del Fuego on its doorstep it never fails to impress. Day 3 Heading south over the Drake Passage, crossing the Antarctic Convergence, we will have plenty of time to study the rich bird and sea life: wandering albatross, grey headed albatross, black-browed albatross, light-mantled sooty albatross, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels and antarctic petrels. Not to mention a high chance of observing marine mammals and penguins. Near the South Shetland Islands, we glimpse the first icebergs. Day 4-9 At the peninsula we start to experience our new environment at close quarters. We will, weather permitting, take to our kayaks and start to explore the Peninsula coastline, making landings by penguin rookeries and weaving our way through the ice berg grave yards. Our night of camping ashore will be carefully chosen by the guides so that after an exhilarating day in kayaks or exploring the mountains on skis, our tents await us in this truly unique site. The zodiacs provide access to penguin rookeries ashore and take us closer to the wildlife found scattered on the rafts of drifting pack ice, such as the almost reptilian looking leopard seals and the less ferocious, weddell seals. We could have the opportunity to visit research stations and spy bases, though every expedition is unique and visits are all ice and weather dependant. Day 10-11 In the Drake Passage again we have the potential of spotting well over fifty species of bird, both in the water and in flight. The graceful albatross, be it the wandering, sooty, black browed or royal can be seen from the ship. Penguins can also be spotted racing through the waters on their food finding missions, sometimes in large numbers and reaching surprisingly fast speeds. We will hope to have whale sightings on the crossing. Humpbacks and long-finned pilot whales are a spectacular sight. Day 12 We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.