Antarctica Cruise
Floating castles of ice glisten in the warmth of the austral sun, glacial mountains rise from the sea, a bright sun illuminates a floating regatta of ice formations. Few experiences can compare to the feeling you’ll have as you head off on an expeditionary Antarctica cruise. Your adventure begins with two nights in amazing Buenos Aires, Argentina, then it’s all aboard Le Boréal, Le Soléal or Le Lyrial for a 10-night cruise. The locals, from penguins and seals to seabirds, welcome you ashore with friendly curiosity; learn about their life and icy habitats from onboard naturalists who educate and inspire. And at night, enjoy informal chats, onboard lectures, documentary films and warm camaraderie with fellow explorers, captain and crew.
Pricing
Small ship expedition starting at $18,650* CAD per person, based on double occupancy; includes on-tour air
13 Days – Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires
Your package includes
- Tauck provides you with a special, water-repellent hooded parka that you will receive aboard ship; this parka is yours to keep
- Cruise aboard one of Tauck’s sleek sister ships, Le Boréal, L’Austral or Le Lyrial, accompanied by onboard naturalists who share their expert insights
- All gratuities to Tauck Directors, local guides, naturalists and ship staff
- Your cruise may be a shared ship experience with non-Tauck guests onboard as well; all Tauck guests will be accompanied by one Tauck Director for approximately every 40 Tauck guests, and your itinerary will always be highlighted by exclusive, private Tauck shore excursions
- Shore Excursions to islands in the Antarctic Archipelago that are guided by expert naturalists, ornithologists, historians or oceanographers
- Two nights in a premium hotel in Buenos Aires in the heart of the city
- Guided city sightseeing in Buenos Aires includes a tango dance performance and demonstration
- Aboard ship – alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available throughout the day aboard ship including house wines and spirits; premium spirits and wines are available at extra cost
- Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
- 34 meals; including a welcome dinner with entertainment in Buenos Aires, service charges, applicable fuel surcharges, taxes and porterage
Day
Day 1
Location(s)
Buenos Aires
Meals
Dinner
Description
A transfer is included upon arrival at the Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport to the Hilton Buenos Aires. Your exploration of Buenos Aires begins this afternoon with a tour of the northern portion of the city. In the evening, attend a welcome reception and dinner featuring live music, tango dancers and lessons.
Accommodation: Hilton Buenos Aires (or similar, 2 nights)
Day 2
Buenos Aires
Breakfast, Lunch
Your discovery of Buenos Aires continues today with more city sightseeing featuring the central and southern area. Following the tour, the remainder of the day is free for you to explore on your own.
Day 3
Buenos Aires – Ushuaia
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fly to Ushuaia & Embark Ship
Let your imagination soar as you fly down to Ushuaia, the southernmost point of South America, for the start of Tauck’s 10-night Antarctica cruise. On-board amenities include all outside staterooms, two restaurants and lounges with evening entertainment, a fitness center, and multiple observation areas.
Accommodation: Onboard ship (10 nights)
Day 4
Drake Passage
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cruising the infamous Drake Passage
Find your sea legs on a two-day crossing of the Drake Passage, named after 16th-century explorer Sir Francis Drake who sailed these waters back in the late 1500s. While there is no land in sight during this part of your Antarctica cruise, you will have an opportunity to spot whales, dolphins and petrels from the observation decks of your yacht. You can attend on-board lectures from your naturalist team whose specialties include oceanography, ornithology and more. You may also take the time to visit the spa or the gym, curl up with a book from the ship’s library or visit the bridge to chart your ship’s progress.
Day 5
Drake Passage
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Getting closer to Antarctica
One more day to go until you spot your first sight of the Antarctic Peninsula islands. Once part of a large Equatorial land mass, these islands broke off on their own more than 180 million years ago and are now home to glacial landscapes and wildlife that are awe-inspiring in every way. If you haven’t yet watched one of the ship’s collection of documentaries, today might be a good day to do so.
Day 6
Antarctica
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Feel terra firma, Antarctic-style, at your feet
Wake up to a glacial wonderland. For the next four days, you’ll be able to join an expedition team leader for a Zodiac excursion to any one of a number of Antarctic islands. Due to changing weather and shifting glacial patterns, your day-to-day itinerary will vary; each new day aboard this Antarctica cruise brings something different. Be on the lookout for seals on ice floes along the shore. Look up to spot seabirds flying against a cloudless blue sky. Look down in the waters where marine animals may be seen. At night, share stories during the daily cocktail hour and enjoy the camaraderie with fellow explorers.
Day 7
Antarctica
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Explore the world of the penguin
If conditions permit, take a shore excursion to a polar village populated by fascinating and very amusing penguins. Walk softly among them on the beaches where their rookeries are found. See them waddle and wave as they make treks into the sea and back with food for themselves and their families. Your naturalist guide will share expert insights with you about these locals!
Day 8
Antarctica
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cruising the Archipelago
Dramatic icebergs, masterfully carved in all manner of shapes and sizes by the elements, don technicolor coats of blues, greens and snow whites and are the main event here in Antarctica. Get a closer look as you cruise among them and watch their transformation with the changing light of day. The sun never completely sets at this time of year so you can stroll on the deck late into the night and still enjoy an amazing glacial show.
Day 9
Antarctica
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Seabirds of different feathers
By your fourth day cruising the Antarctic Archipelago, you may have passed by Penguin Island, blessed with diverse wildlife such as chinstrap and Adélie penguins, southern giant petrels, Antarctic terns and skuas, and Hannah Point, one of the best places to see gentoo and macaroni penguins, blue-eyed shags, and Wilson’s storm petrels, with the occasional fur seal or elephant seal among them. Don’t worry if their names sound confusing; you will soon become a pro at identifying them with some help from your on-board ornithologists.
Day 10
Antarctica
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Whales and seals of Antarctica
The wildlife experts on your ship are eager to point out the region’s fur seals and elephant seals who share the frigid waters with penguins and humpback whales. You may find a fur seal or two languidly sunning or sleeping on ice floes, their faces endearing with natural smiles, in large part because there are few native predators like polar bears here. Southern elephant seals, so named for their massive sizes and trunk-like noses of the males, prefer to hang out in beach parties; look for them on rocky island shores. As your captain skillfully navigates your yacht around Lemaire Channel, you’ll have a good chance to see humpback whales, always a breathtaking sight. The evening colors are spectacular too!
Day 11
Drake Passage
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Back through the Drake Passage
Your ship begins its voyage back through the Drake Passage today, making it the perfect time to record the experiences you had during the past week. Your private ship log might include your thoughts about the array of icebergs and the Swedish expeditioners’ hut you saw in Hope Bay, or the old whaling station you encountered near Neptune’s Bellows and that dip you were tempted to make in the hot geothermal springs there. You may have had an opportunity to meet the researchers and scientists of King George Island or explore the history of Elephant Island, linked to Ernest Shackleton and his men. Your stories will make great reading back home!
Day 12
Drake Passage
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy the last day of your Antarctica cruise
Savor your last day of your Antarctica cruise as you cross the Drake Passage again. Activities include on-board lectures that enrich your new-found knowledge; spa treatments that keep you relaxed and refreshed; work-out equipment that invigorates; and card games or chess tournaments with shipmates. Your last evening aboard ship is a perfect time to toast your expedition, and celebrate what for many travelers is their “seventh continent.”
Day 13
Ushuaia – Buenos Aires
Breakfast
Fly from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires & home
Your Antarctica cruise ends when you disembark ship today in Ushuaia for your flight back to Buenos Aires. A transfer to Buenos Aires’ (Ezeiza) Ministro Pistarini International Airport is included. Tour ends: 5:30 PM, Buenos Aires’ (Ezeiza) Ministro Pistarini International Airport. You should allow three hours for flight check-in.
*Hotel rooms are subject to availability and are confirmed by the supplier at time of booking; they may be replaced by other hotel rooms of similar category at the sole discretion of the supplier.
Interested in the itinerary above? Click on the “START PLANNING” button below and reference “Antarctica Cruise” in the form, or give us a call at 587.997.5969 to book.
An adventure designed specifically for you
Let us work with you to tailor a journey based on your travel style and interests. We can use the existing itinerary above as a foundation, or build one from scratch to create your ideal vacation. Connect with us to start the conversation.
Similar Trips
Huge whales, enormous rookeries of penguins, stunning landscapes
11 day small ship expedition
Towering icebergs and massive glaciers feature flawless beauty
13 day luxury small ship cruise
Sea bears at Svalbard Islands and lava fields & ice caves in Iceland
15 day luxury small ship cruise
*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to change and availability.