
Antarctic Express - Fly the Drake from Punta Arenas
Dates & Prices
Start Date | End Date | Offers | Brochure Land Price | Quote |
---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 26, 2021 | Mar 05, 2021 | Get Quote | ||
Dec 11, 2021 | Dec 18, 2021 | Get Quote | ||
Dec 16, 2021 | Dec 23, 2021 | Get Quote | ||
Dec 21, 2021 | Dec 28, 2021 | Get Quote | ||
Feb 11, 2022 | Feb 18, 2022 | Get Quote | ||
Feb 16, 2022 | Feb 23, 2022 | Get Quote | ||
Mar 01, 2022 | Mar 08, 2022 | Get Quote | ||
Mar 06, 2022 | Mar 13, 2022 | Get Quote | ||
Mar 11, 2022 | Mar 18, 2022 | Get Quote |
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Tour Itinerary
Skip the Drake Passage and journey to the deep south of the globe. With included charter flights between Punta Arenas and King George Island, you'll begin your polar expedition in no time. Be immediately dazzled by some of the world's most unbelievable landscapes, including calving glaciers, penguin rookeries and floating icebergs dotting the deep blue of the Antarctic Ocean. Sailing aboard your well-appointed expedition vessel, participate in a series of onboard lectures and workshops presented by an expert team of scientists and researchers, further enhancing your polar knowledge. No day will be the same, and with a crew focused on maximising wildlife sighting and shore landing opportunities, you will witness these wilds in all their icy wonder.
Day 1: Punta Arenas
Welcome to Punta Arenas – the most populated city in Patagonia. If you are planning on arriving today, please ensure your flight arrives in the early afternoon to allow for check-in and a welcome meeting. If you do arrive early, there are many museums, restaurants and shops to keep you busy. In the early evening around 6 pm, your expedition leaders will meet you at the hotel, where you’ll enjoy a welcome dinner and be briefed about embarkation day.
Day 2: Punta Arenas – King George Island – Embarkation Day
This morning, transfer to Punta Arenas Airport and take a charter flight to King George Island, crossing the mighty Drake Passage in a matter of hours. Your first glimpse of Antarctic landscapes will be from above, as the plane descends for landing on King George Island. On arrival, stretch your legs and spend a bit of time exploring the island before being transferred by Zodiac to your ship. Meet the rest of your shipmates and set sail for the Antarctic Peninsula.
Day 3-6: South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Begin your voyage around the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, and with a flexible itinerary over the next few days, your expert captain and expedition team will plot a specific course to maximise wildlife sightings and shore landings. On multiple Zodiac cruises, you might walk along a beach teeming with thousands of penguins and seals or discover the rugged landscapes on hiking or snowshoeing opportunities. After your shore excursions, retire to your expedition vessel to socialise with fellow adventurers in the restaurant or lounging areas, relax into your comfortable stateroom or join with your specialist crew at a number of lectures, gaining in-depth knowledge of the geology, history and wildlife of the region. While nothing is set in stone, your polar team are dedicated to making this journey one of unforgettable beauty – spectacular sights at every turn.
Day 7: King George Island – Disembarkation Day – Puntas Arenas
After your week of exploration, bid farewell to the expedition team and disembark at King George Island. From here, it’s a three-hour flight across the Drake Passage to Punta Arenas. After transferring from the airport to the hotel, you’re free to explore the town and perhaps enjoy dinner with some of your fellow polar adventurers.
Day 8: Punta Arenas
After breakfast, you’re free to continue on your own travels or make your own way to Punta Arenas Airport for onward flight connections. There are no activities planned for the final day and you're able to depart the accommodation at any time.
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- Flying from Punta Arenas to the South Shetland Islands is the fastest, most direct way of travelling to Antarctica, and the view over the Drake Passage is unforgettable
- Witness penguins playing in their natural habitat at inland rookeries during daily Zodiac landings along the Antarctic Peninsula led by your expert polar team.
- Enjoy a comprehensive series of onboard lectures presented by polar specialists in Antarctic history, geology and glaciology, provide great insight into landscapes.
- Let the crew of well-seasoned Antarctic experts monitor weather, sea and ice conditions and modify your itinerary to ensure shore landings and Zodiac cruises are abundant in wildlife sightings.
- Keep your eyes peeled up on deck for migrating seabirds or whale pods cruising between icebergs as you traverse the icy southern seas in your polar expedition vessel.
Meals
7 Breakfast(s) Included
4 Lunch(es) Included
6 Dinner(s) Included
Style: Peregrine
Health and Safety Protocols for Peregrine Tours
Protection against COVID-19 as well as other transmissible diseases requires enhanced protocols in hygiene and sanitation. We will put in place additional measures, in line with government health advice and with global health authorities (including the WHO and CDC) to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
Hand Hygiene
Handwashing is one of the most important safety measures to prevent the spread of
disease. Intrepid will actively reinforce its importance by:
- Implementing a handwashing policy that dictates when, how often and for how long all staff, leaders and crew must wash their hands on-trip.
- Promote the importance of hand hygiene to customers through signage and online customer material.
- Contract suppliers that have hand hygiene protocols in place
- Contract suppliers that provide hand sanitizer in public places (where applicable)
- Educate staff, leaders, crew and suppliers on the importance of hand hygiene via training.
Respiratory Hygiene
Practicing good respiratory hygiene prevents the spread of disease by reducing the
number of droplets in the air when you sneeze or cough. Intrepid will:
- Actively reinforce its importance to customers through signage and online customer material.
- Educate staff, leaders, crew and suppliers on the importance of respiratory hygiene via training.
- Contract suppliers who have respiratory hygiene protocols in place.
Masks
In addition, in areas with high community transmission and/or places that are difficult
to maintain physical distancing, we recommend the the following at-risk people also
wear them. Intrepid follows the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that
masks should only be used as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy and that the
use of a mask alone is not sufficient to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Physical
distancing, hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene must also form part of the
strategy.
Medical/Surgical Masks
On our trips, regardless of destination, the following people must wear
medical/surgical masks:
- Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 regardless of whether or not they have been tested yet.
- People caring for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases (outside of hospitals/clinics).
In addition, in areas with high community transmission and/or places that are difficult to maintain physical distancing, we recommend the the following at-risk people also wear them.
- People over 60
- People with underlying health conditions
- Provide medical/surgical masks as part of the First Aid Kits carried by leaders.
- Educate leaders, crew, staff and customers on the correct method to wear, handle and dispose of a mask.
- Require all customers, leaders and staff to comply with any local regulations or requirements that require the use of a mask in public or in certain places
Fabric Masks
Intrepid follows the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that it is not
necessary for the public to wear fabric masks generally.
However in certain circumstances, in places where community transmission of COVID-19 is high and/or physical distancing is not possible (e.g. on public transport, in shops or in other confined environments) then a fabric mask can be a useful barrier to prevent the spread of virus.
Fabric masks be purchased commercially or handmade, and are generally not standardised like medical masks. Fabric masks should:
- Cover the nose, mouth, and chin
- Be secured with elastic loops or ties
- Include multiple layers
- Be washable and reusable.
Sanitation
Protection against COVID-19 as well as other transmissible diseases requires enhanced sanitation processes. Intrepid will take the following measures:
- Require all suppliers to detail their cleaning and sanitation protocols
- Audit/monitor all suppliers on their cleanliness and sanitation.
- All cleaning and disinfecting products must be approved by health authorities (e.g. WHO).
- All rooms must be thoroughly cleaned between guests with all high touch surfaces in shared areas regularly cleaned and disinfected.
- Hand sanitizer should be available in public areas.
- There must be a process in place for customers to escalate any concerns regarding hygiene or sanitation.
- Staff must be trained and able to answer questions regarding safety protocols in place.
- All tents must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between use.
- If staying at a campground, ensure all bathrooms are well stocked with hand soap and paper towels. If the area is remote, with limited facilities and/or minimal staffing, then customers should be informed to bring their own hygiene equipment.
- All mini buses, transfers, charters, overland trucks must be thoroughly cleaned between guests with all high touch surfaces in shared areas regularly cleaned and disinfected.
- Hand sanitizer should be made available
- Close top bins with bin liners should be available on board and disposed of at every stop
- Must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day
- Tables and chairs must be disinfected after each guest use
- Avoid buffets where possible. If buffets are used, prevent customers from handling food and operating machines (e.g. self-serve coffee stations)
- Either disinfect shared use objects (e.g. table salt) between guest use. Where possible, Intrepid will try to source safe alternatives to single serve packaging.
- Staff must be trained and able to answer questions regarding safety protocols in place.
- Preferred: Provide hand sanitizer to guests at the door before entry
- All equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between guest us
- Staff must be trained and able to answer questions regarding safety protocols in place.
Limiting the number of surfaces touched by large numbers of people helps prevent the spread of disease. Therefore, it is important to proactively move towards contactless or low touch solutions for travel. Intrepid will:
- Prioritise contactless/low touch as a key feature when sourcing new tech or solutions.
- Remove any paperwork required on the ground (e.g. signing forms, feedback cards)
- If details must be entered using a shared device (e.g. insurance details), then it must be disinfected between each customer. Preference is to move entirely to digital solutions.
- Accommodation should provide online check in (no paperwork)
- Contactless keys (e.g. QR codes)
- Contactless tech (e.g. lights)
- Online ticketing for attractions and transport
- Online payment
Physical Distancing
Physical distancing is important in the preventing the spread of COVID-19 as it can be
transmitted via droplets sprayed when coughing, sneezing, singing, yelling
etc…
Intrepid will take the following measures:
- Require all suppliers to detail their physical distancing protocols
- Follow local regulation and advice on the need for physical distancing.
We will continue to offer this as an option. Single supplements are available for single travellers who do not wish to share a room. We will work closely with accommodation suppliers to ensure increased availability of single rooms.
Camping
- Consider whether it is appropriate to offer single tents for solo travellers as customers will be much closer together then in a traditional room.
- Consider whether staggering meal times may reduce the number of people sharing a dining tent.
Intrepid will consider the following factors when designing or amending transport options on trips.
- Local laws or requirements regarding physical distancing on transport
- Hygiene protocols of the transport provider
- Level of active community transmission in the destination
- Using designated seating on transport. Customers have assigned seats throughout the trip.
- If trip is longer than 15 minutes and air conditioning is available, it must be set to external airflow rather than to recirculation or windows should be opened for the duration of the trip.
- Designing or amending itineraries to reduce the duration of travel.
- Increasing the size of the vehicle, using multiple vehicles.
- Educate all leaders, crew, staff and customers to maintain a 1.5m distance wherever practical in public (e.g. queueing at a museum).
- Proactively design product to avoid crowds by visiting attractions at off-peak times.
- Proactively design product to avoid crowds on public transport or at airports where practical.
- Follow local regulations on table spacing and guest seating in restaurants. Wherever possible, try to ensure groups are sitting at their own table without strangers in restaurants.
- Proactively design product that focuses on experiences that assist with physical distancing (e.g. picnics over crowded marketplaces) if relevant for that destination.
Screening for COVID-19 helps isolate anyone with COVID-19 symptoms and stops the spread of disease. It is likely to become more common for future travellers.
Pre-Departure (Brand Material)
Customers should be informed as part of ‘Essential Trip Information (ETIs) or other similar trip notes if their trip is likely to include any of the following:
- Testing for COVID-19 before being able to pass through immigration and/or board planes.
- Negative test results to be uploaded for visa purposes.
- Thermal temperature checks in airports, train or bus stations, major hotels or attractions.
Pre-departure, all customers are required to fill out an online questionnaire (“self- declaration/assessment” form) to identify any high-risk customers before travel.
Extra qualifiers will be included to address customers with symptoms that can be contributed to pre-existing conditions (e.g. breathlessness to asthma).
Customers answering YES to any question should be removed from the departure and appropriate arrangements made.
COVID-19 Testing
Intrepid will not require a negative COVID-19 test as proof of health from customers or leaders at this stage unless it is required by local law or regulations.
This is partially due to the lack of availability of testing for people with no symptoms in many parts of the world and may change in due course.
On Trip
- Ask customers, leaders, crew and staff to monitor their own health
- Display appropriate signage on COVID-19 symptoms
- Educate leaders, crew and staff on how to identify COVID-19 symptoms
- Describe COVID-19 symptoms in group meetings
If customers, leaders or crew show symptoms of COVID-19 and are either unable to or unwilling to be tested, Intrepid reserves the right to remove them from our trips to prevent any risk to others.
Flexible Booking Conditions
Customers will be supported by flexible booking conditions to stay home if unwell or displaying symptoms
Flexible Work Conditions
Intrepid will support leaders and crew to stay home rather than lead a trip if they are unwell or displaying symptoms. Schedules will need to be created with back up availability of leaders/crew.
Data Collection & Health Tracking
Intrepid will assist government health departments in tracking and tracing any customers, staff, leaders, crew or suppliers at risk of contracting COVID-19 via exposure to a known case and/or outbreak by providing relevant details in line with privacy laws and regulations.
COVID Tracking apps
Intrepid strongly recommends that customers and staff download COVID tracking apps (e.g. COVIDSafe in Australia, StayHomeSafe in Hong Kong) to assist in reducing the spread of disease within their communities.
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