Active Antarctica Cruise with Aurora Expeditions

Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred with your fellow expeditioners to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, we ask you to make your way to your hotel. Check-in is from 3.00 pm. This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the hotel lobby, between 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm, to collect your luggage tags, and confirm if you wish to join THE Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour tomorrow. The team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minute items.

Expeditioners arriving after 7.00 pm will find a welcome pack waiting for them at check-in. We ask you to visit our hospitality desk tomorrow between 8.00 am – 8.45 am.

The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or at check-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.

Those wishing to join the Lake Escondido tour today, please meet in the hotel lobby at 8.45 am. This tour offers an unforgettable panoramic drive through big valleys of glacial origin, evergreen and deciduous forests, waterfalls and rivers, in the vastness of the Andes Mountain Range. You will leave Ushuaia city to the northeast of Tierra del Fuego, driving through peat bog valleys to reach Garibaldi Pass, only accessible by a winding road that will take you to a panoramic point. From here you will have amazing panoramic views of Lake Escondido and, if weather conditions allow, of Fagnano Lake. Start the descent towards the northeast to reach Fagnano Lake’s shore where you will visit a local ranch. After appreciating the landscape, you will have the chance to enjoy the typical Fuegian Lamb barbecue. Enjoy some free time there before returning to Ushuaia for ship embarkation.

Alternatively, enjoy your day at leisure and meet at your hotel lobby or from the meeting point at the parking lot near the pier (details will be given by our ground staff at the hotel), to be transferred to the pier for embarkation.

Once onboard, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before the important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, gather on the deck to commence the adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego.

This evening get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.

As you commence the Drake Passage crossing, make the most of the time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. The expedition team will prepare you for your first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start the lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment.

The wildlife experiences begin as you enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following the vessel. On sea days, you can enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, sauna and jacuzzis or relax in one of the observation lounges.

Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the afternoon of day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks watching for the first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once you are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. Time and weather permitting, you may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.

The Antarctic Peninsula is a bustling metropolis of wildlife in late spring, but despite the frenetic pace of life for the locals, you have ample time to immerse yourself in the wonders of surrounding environment. Over the next eight days you will settle into the natural rhythms of life in the Antarctic Peninsula.

With extra time for exploration, they plan to show you their favourite spots along the peninsula and possibly discover new future favourites along the way.

Once you arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are yours to explore, and you’ll have a host of choices available to you. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

You will generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping a close watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also shuttle you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.

While ashore aim to stretch your legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you will have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place at any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life!

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to marvel at sculptural icebergs and photograph spectacular scenery. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain’s discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent.

Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before you re-enter the Drake Passage for the return journey to South America.

With lectures and film presentations to complete the Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what you have seen and experienced.

As you approach the tip of South America, the Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.

During the early morning, you will cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where you will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as they all continue their onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.

Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked their accommodations through Aurora or for those staying in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 12:30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 12:30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.

A floating ambassador for the planet.

On this small purpose-built ship, the Sylvia Earle, connect with like-minded travellers in a meaningful way on perspective-altering voyages to some of the most remote, unique and spectacular places on the planet. Featuring the Ulstein X-BOW® design, it cuts through the swell for a smoother transit through waves while minimising its environmental impact.

A floating ambassador for the conservation of the planet, the Sylvia Earle pays tribute to marine biologist, oceanographer and explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle and six pioneering women in conservation – Dr. Carden Wallace AM, Joanna Ruxton, Sharon Kwok, Bernadette Demientieff, Dr. Asha de Vos and Hanli Prinsloo – with public decks honouring their contributions. With a fully equipped Citizen Science Center, expert lecturers and a participative Citizen Science Program, the aim is to enrich your knowledge and connection to the places you explore.

Carrying a maximum of 130 expeditioners, the Sylvia Earle serves as a comfortable base camp for adventure, designed so you can experience the natural environment as much as possible in smaller, more intimate groups.

On all expeditions you will meet naturalists and local specialists, who offer presentations on their area of expertise to deepen your understanding of the region you’re visiting.

Join the team in the lecture theatre for presentations covering topics as broad as history and culture, biology and climate change, but they have one thing in common: they all aim to engage, educate and entertain.

Learn more about the world we explore with our onboard naturalist and expedition team in our science centre, or enjoy superb views to the front of the ship.

With floor-to-ceiling windows, the library is a peaceful sanctuary where you can find non-fiction books to read up on the day’s destinations, plug in and organise your photos or play board games with newfound friends. Choose from their range of informative nonfiction titles, wildlife guidebooks, travel journals, novels and a selection of children’s books and board games.

Wildlife guides, books and binoculars can also be found on the observation lounge on deck 7, the perfect place to relax and watch the incredible landscapes pass by, or spot unique polar wildlife.

If you’re in the market for something new- peruse the ship shop, where you’ll find expedition essentials, a range of books and maps, souvenirs, stylish expedition apparel and of course Aurora Expeditions merchandise.

No need to take your wet expedition gear back to your stateroom to dry. Keep your stateroom warm and cosy by leaving your outer jackets and pants in the mudroom.

The mudroom is your launchpad for all shore excursions and activities. Here, you will have access to a locker when you can hang your gear up to dry, and store your boots between excursions.

In between landings, enjoy access to the onboard gym, indulge in the Wellness Centre or relax in the sauna. Or head to the back deck to swim in the heated pool or relax one of two jacuzzis, offering stunning views of the world outside so you won’t miss a second.

Whatever adventures the day holds, you will be fuelled-up with hearty meals and delicious morning and afternoon teas cooked by our onboard chefs.

Meals are a great time to soak up the expedition camaraderie in our open seating dining area. Share stories with your fellow travellers and ask our expedition team questions that may have come up during the day.

Tea, coffee, and snacks are available 24 hours a day, and our chefs offer different menu options and courses for each meal. Enjoy the range of house wine, beers, and soft drinks included with dinner after a long day in the wild.

We also invite you to join your captain and expedition team for informal Captain’s Farewell drinks, with complimentary beverages and cocktail appetisers, followed by a 3-course meal.

Communal meeting areas have always played a major role in fostering the warm camaraderie on board the ships. They are the heart of the expedition, where people meet to share tales from the day, swap photos, keep an eye out for wildlife, and watch the sun go down.

The bars and lounges on board are refined yet inviting places to gather, with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering stunning views, and of course friendly bartenders to shoot the breeze with.

With a wide range of solo, twin and triple staterooms and suites, there is accommodation to suit every need. Families or groups can make the most of the interconnecting suites.