Traveling aboard the state-of-the-art National Geographic Explorer, encounter the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula and the surrounding islands and waterways. Glide around enormous tabular icebergs by Zodiac, walk along beaches covered with thousands of penguins, and kayak amid abundant marine life.
Depart on an overnight flight to Buenos Aires. Settle into your hotel before heading out on an afternoon tour of the city. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner.
Caesar Park Hotel (D)
Fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and enjoy lunch on a catamaran cruise of the Beagle Channel. Then set sail on the National Geographic Explorer.
(B,L,D)
While crossing the spectacular Drake Passage, spot whales and other marine life that glide alongside the ship.
(B,L,D)
With nearly 24 hours of daylight at this time of year, we have ample opportunity to explore the Antarctic Peninsula and the surrounding islands. In keeping with the nature of an expedition, the schedule is flexible, allowing us to take advantage of the unexpected—watching whales perform off the bow, taking an after-dinner Zodiac cruise, or heading out on an extra landing during the day. We anticipate making several Zodiac landings each day to hike, kayak among the icebergs, and experience close encounters with wildlife.
(B,L,D daily)
Depending on weather and sea conditions, we plan to make the following stops:
Paradise Bay
This pristine bay is edged by soaring ice-covered peaks. Hike to a summit for a breathtaking view, or kayak along a cliff-side rookery in search of blue-eyed shags.
Lemaire Channel and Petermann Island
Cruise through the Lemaire Channel between towering snowcaps and blue icebergs. Step ashore at Petermann Island to the cries of thousands of gentoo penguins standing along the shoreline as if awaiting your arrival.
Neko Harbor
Dock in Neko Harbor. Walk among the penguins on the beach or climb high onto an ice field for a panoramic vista of untouched peaks surrounding this idyllic bay.
Historic Port Lockroy
In 1944, the British government began a top-secret expedition code-named Operation Tabarin, creating a series of base stations in Antarctica. Base A, at Port Lockroy, is now a museum and Antarctica's only public post office.
Enjoy the ship's amenities as the Antarctic coast disappears from view. Round the southernmost tip of South America, and see the meeting of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Celebrate your voyage at a farewell dinner on board.
(B,L,D daily)
Disembark in Ushuaia. After lunch, fly to Buenos Aires and connect with your overnight flight home.
(B,L)
Book by June 30, 2013 and receive complimentary round-trip international airfare between Miami and Buenos Aires on the the December 7, 2013 departure, or the November 28 and December 8, 2014 departures.
A diverse team of experts, including naturalists, historians, and a National Geographic photographer, will accompany each expedition aboard the National Geographic Explorer. See one of the members of our extraordinary team below.
Carsten Peter
A World Press Photo award winner and regular contributor to National Geographic magazine, Carsten Peter specializes in going to extremes: scuba diving in a glacier on Mont Blanc, crossing the Sahara on a camel, caving in Borneo. He searches for wild places where his survival depends on his wits and his skills as a technical climber, paraglider, caver, diver, and canyoneer.
Carsten is enthusiastically obsessed with devising innovative photographic techniques to capture never-before-seen images from some of the scariest environments on the planet. His many adventures include braving toxic caverns and acid waterfalls to shoot within the deepest ice shafts on Earth, rappelling into active volcanoes with turbulent lava lakes and superheated thermal caves, and breaking altitude records while flying his motorized paraglider.
In addition to his World Press awards—for his coverage of tornadoes while storm-chasing in the U.S. West and of Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam—he has received an Emmy Award for his videography from inside an active volcano in the South Pacific. For his work and his intrepid spirit, his peers named him the National Geographic Photographer's Photographer in 2012.
Carsten will join the following departures:
Dec 17 - 30, 2013
Dec 27, 2013 - Jan 09, 2014
This trip is offered in association with Lindblad Expeditions.
Give the Gift of a National Geographic Expedition Aboard the National Geographic Fleet
Please call for information on a pre- or post-hotel stay in Buenos Aires at the Ceasar Park Hotel.
| Category 1 | $11,990 |
|---|---|
| Category 2 | $12,890 |
| Category 3 | $13,290 |
| Category 4 | $14,290 |
| Category 5 | $17,150 |
| Category 6 | $19,650 |
| Category 7 | $22,870 |
| Category 1 | $12,350 |
|---|---|
| Category 2 | $13,280 |
| Category 3 | $13,690 |
| Category 4 | $14,720 |
| Category 5 | $17,670 |
| Category 6 | $20,240 |
| Category 7 | $23,560 |
Prices are per person, double occupancy. For a single cabin November 2013 - February 2014, add $3,220 in Category 2 and $3,330 in Category 3. For a single cabin November 2014 - February 2015, add $3,320 in Category 2 and $3,420 in Category 3.
Economy airfare round-trip between Miami and Buenos Aires is $1,200 (subject to change). Charter airfare round-trip economy between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia is $690-$790 (subject to change).
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