Join Aboard MV Ushuaia
Originally built for the United States agency National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Ushuaia has been refurbished for Antarctic tourism. The ice-strengthened polar vessel is very well appointed and provides ample deck space and an open bridge policy. The full complement of inflatable landing craft ensures superb landings and wildlife viewing opportunities on the otherwise inaccessible coastline.
Includes:
Decks: 4 • Passengers: 84
• Large dining room (one sitting), an observation lounge and bar, a conference room with modern multimedia equipment, a well-stocked library, a changing room and a small infirmary.
• 5 Suites on Upper Deck with windows, private bath, 2 lower beds, lounge, TV, and fridge
• 10 Superior Cabins on Upper Deck with windows or portholes, private bath and lower beds
• 6 Category A Cabins on Upper Deck with portholes, private bath and upper/lower beds
• 12 Category B Cabins on Main Deck with portholes, semi-private bath, and upper/lower beds
• 8 Category C Staterooms on Lower Deck are inside cabins with semi-private bath and upper/lower bedsNote: Semi-private bath is one bathroom (shower and WC) shared by 2 cabins. Each cabin also has an en-suite wash basin.Day 1 - Buenos Aires
Check-in to your deluxe hotel located near the art galleries and boutiques of the fashionable Recoleta district. A private afternoon tour includes the Plaza de Mayo and the Teatro Colon, one of the world’s premier opera houses.
Sofitel Hotel |
Day 2 - Buenos Aires
| From your city-center hotel, you’ll delight in exploring the city at your own pace. Meals B |
Day 3 - Buenos Aires / Ushuaia
| Fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and check-in to your hotel with a commanding view of the Martial Mountains & Beagle Channel. Meals B Cauquenes Hotel |
Day 4 - Tierra del Fuego / Embarkation
Explore the stunning coastal vistas of Tierra del Fuego National Park including Ensenada Bay with beautiful views of Redonda Island and Lapataia Bay, one of the park’s highlights. Late this afternoon, board your ship and meet your expedition and lecture staff. Early this evening you set sail along the Beagle Channel and the scenic McKinley Pass.
MV Ushuaia – Meals B,L,D
[Note: 9 Day Cruise packages include one day less at sea] |
Day 5 - Cruising / Crossing the Drake Passage
| Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Frances Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, you’ll sail across the passage. General Tours lecturers will be with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds who follow in General Tours wake. The MV Ushuaia’s open bridge policy allows you to join the officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures is also offered. The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that General Tours have reached the South Shetland Islands. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage, your lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore for your first encounter with the native penguins and seals. Meals B,L,D |
Day 6 - Cruising / Crossing the Drake Passage
| Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Frances Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, you’ll sail across the passage. General Tours lecturers will be with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds who follow in General Tours wake. The MV Ushuaia’s open bridge policy allows you to join the officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures is also offered. The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that General Tours have reached the South Shetland Islands. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage, your lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore for your first encounter with the native penguins and seals. Meals B,L,D |
Day 7 - Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
You will spend 5 days exploring the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetlands are a haven for wildlife, and you will have many opportunities to see vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island you may have a chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove. King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic terns and Southern Giant Petrels. Cruising continues through the iceberg-filled waters of the Antarctic Sound.
You will enjoy plenty of time to explore the amazing scenery – a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains & waterways – and a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, Killer (Orca) and humpback whales at close range.
General Tours plan to make at least two landings per day, possibly even a landing on the continent proper. Meals B,L,D |
Day 8 - Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
You will spend 5 days exploring the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetlands are a haven for wildlife, and you will have many opportunities to see vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island you may have a chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove. King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic terns and Southern Giant Petrels. Cruising continues through the iceberg-filled waters of the Antarctic Sound.
You will enjoy plenty of time to explore the amazing scenery – a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains & waterways – and a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, Killer (Orca) and humpback whales at close range.
General Tours plan to make at least two landings per day, possibly even a landing on the continent proper. Meals B,L,D |
Day 9 - Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
You will spend 5 days exploring the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetlands are a haven for wildlife, and you will have many opportunities to see vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island you may have a chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove. King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic terns and Southern Giant Petrels. Cruising continues through the iceberg-filled waters of the Antarctic Sound.
You will enjoy plenty of time to explore the amazing scenery – a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains & waterways – and a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, Killer (Orca) and humpback whales at close range.
General Tours plan to make at least two landings per day, possibly even a landing on the continent proper. Meals B,L,D |
Day 10 - Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
You will spend 5 days exploring the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetlands are a haven for wildlife, and you will have many opportunities to see vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island you may have a chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove. King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic terns and Southern Giant Petrels. Cruising continues through the iceberg-filled waters of the Antarctic Sound.
You will enjoy plenty of time to explore the amazing scenery – a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains & waterways – and a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, Killer (Orca) and humpback whales at close range.
General Tours plan to make at least two landings per day, possibly even a landing on the continent proper. Meals B,L,D |
Day 11 - Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula
You will spend 5 days exploring the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetlands are a haven for wildlife, and you will have many opportunities to see vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island you may have a chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove. King George, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic terns and Southern Giant Petrels. Cruising continues through the iceberg-filled waters of the Antarctic Sound.
You will enjoy plenty of time to explore the amazing scenery – a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains & waterways – and a wide variety of wildlife. Apart from penguins and seabirds, you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, Killer (Orca) and humpback whales at close range.
General Tours plan to make at least two landings per day, possibly even a landing on the continent proper. Meals B,L,D |
Day 12 - Cruising / Drake Passage
| You leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join your lecturers and naturalists on deck as you search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Meals B,L,D |
Day 13 - Cruising / Drake Passage
| You leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join your lecturers and naturalists on deck as you search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures. Meals B,L,D |
Day 14 - Ushuaia / Buenos Aires
| After breakfast, you’ll disembark the ship in Ushuaia and enjoy a tour through this lovely city. You’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires where General Tours program ends. Or, discover more of South America with General Tours FreeStyle Travel. Meals B |
|
