Cruise
Polar Pioneer
Aurora Expeditions
Polar Pioneer, Antarctic Explorer ex Punta Arenas to Ushuaia
Ship: Polar Pioneer
Cruise Line: Aurora Expeditions
Selected Sailing Date: 10 Mar 2019
Available Sailing Dates

Enquire

Make a Booking Enquiry

Request quote
Request quote
Request quote
Request quote
Prices displayed are retail per person, twin share, to the Australian Travel Trade. Consumers please contact your local cruise agent to request this Cruise Abroad package. At time of booking please check current cruise fare and any inclusions. Prices are indicative only, subject to currency fluctuations and may change at any time without notice.

Itinerary
Cruise Itinerary
Itinerary may vary by sailing date and itineraries may be changed at the cruise lines discretion. Please check itinerary details at time of booking and before booking other travel services such as airline tickets.
Cruise Description

9 Night Cruise sailing from King George Island to Ushuaia aboard Polar Pioneer. Hotel stay pre-cruise in Punta Arenas.

This new Fly/Sail itinerary features the best of Antarctica across ten days and allows for more exploration, with only one crossing of the Drake Passage. Get up close with tabular icebergs, vast colonies of Adelie and gentoo penguins and dramatic volcanic landscapes in the ice-filled Weddell Sea; the Antarctic Peninsula’s many islands are alive with leopard seals busy with courtship, bustling penguins and maybe whales!

NOTE: Cruise operates in approximate reverse order to the itinerary outlined below and finishes in Ushuaia instead of Puerto Williams. Please check for full details at time of enquiry/booking.

Day 1 Beagle Channel
Fly from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams, enjoy a tour of the scenic port before being warmly welcomed aboard Polar Pioneer. We’ll have introductory and safety briefings before our evening’s cruise down the Beagle Channel.

Day 2-3 Drake Passage
Ease into shipboard life as we cross the Drake Passage. Our naturalist and paleontologist expand our Antarctic knowledge and prepare us for landings. The outer decks and flying bridge provide excellent space to see and photograph wildlife.

Day 4-6 Weddell Sea
We spend the next few days exploring the ice-filled Weddell Sea where weather systems and shifting pack ice dictate our schedule: we hope to visit the large Adelie and gentoo penguin colonies of Brow Bluff, and fossil-rich Seymour Island. We may hike to spectacular vantage points on Beak or Devil Islands; large tabular icebergs and volcanic scenery create long lasted memories.

Day 7-9 Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula's western flanks offer long summer daylight and ice-free waters; we visit historic huts and Zodiac cruise through narrow straits and majestic icebergs, and if we're lucky, whales. The few landing points we hope to visit are Half Moon Bay, Lemaire Channel, Hydrurga Rocks and more.

Day 10 King George Island
We arrive at mountainous King George Island. If time and weather permit we explore penguin and seal-rich waters of Fildes Bay and visit the surprising Trinity Church at Bellingshausen Station, before catching our charter flight back to Punta Arenas in Chile, where we transfer to our overnight accommodation.

Day 11 After breakfast at the Cabo de Hornes Hotel, bid a fond farewell to your fellow passengers as you make your journey home or continue on with your own arrangements.

E-Brochures