ANTARCTICA

SСHEDULE AND COST:


Dates: January 2 - 12, 2024

Duration: 11 days/ 10 nights

Cost per person (double accommodation):

Cabin with window, 19 sq.m - from 14 385 USD
Cabin with balcony, 28 sq.m - from 16 517 USD
Suit, 44 sq.m - 22 045 USD
Premium Suit, 49 sq.m - 25 615 USD

The cost of the cabin depends on the deck where the cabin is located.
Description of the cabins you can find below in the end of this page.

Estimated cost of a flight to Buenos Aires: €1,500 - 1,700.



TRAVEL PROGRAM:
tour antarctica
Day 1, January 2, 2023. Buenos Aires

The journey begins on January 2, 2024 with a meeting at the Buenos Aires airport by a representative of Swan Hellenic. An organized transfer will take you to your hotel. The first night before the start of the cruise will take place at the Alvear 5* hotel, part of the exclusive Leading Hotels of the World group and located in one of the most prestigious areas of Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires is an elegant and cosmopolitan city with a European flair and a friendly atmosphere. Tango, nightlife, sport at its best (football, polo and horse racing), famous Argentinean beef and excellent wines occupy a special place in the active cultural and social life of the country.
Buenos Aires is a special city that enchants to the core, where you want to return again and again to feel its old-fashioned, sophistication and sensuality, stroll through its streets once again, enjoy the sounds of tango, the most delicate meat and virtuoso service in restaurants.

Accommodation: Hotel Alvear Icon 5*
Meals Included: No

Day 2, January 3, 2023. Ushuaia

The next morning, you will be transferred from your hotel to Buenos Aires domestic airport for a comfortable flight to Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world.
Located on the very edge of Argentina, surrounded by majestic mountains, Ushuaia will captivate you with its landscapes from the window of an airplane. A Swan Hellenic representative will meet you at the airport. The transfer will take you to the port for check-in on board the SH Vega.
Meanwhile, you are 16,000 km from Moscow and only 1,000 km from Antarctica! Landing on the expedition ship SH Vega will go unnoticed. During the welcome cocktail, you will get to know the team and crew. You will be invited to the upper deck by speakerphone, from where you can take photos of Ushuaia, which is somewhat reminiscent of an alpine town with amazing views of the picturesque snowy peaks. You are going towards the White Continent!

Accommodation: cabin on SH Vega
Meals included: breakfast at the hotel, lunch, dinner

Days 3 and 4, January 4 and 5, 2024. At sea, crossing the Antarctic Convergence

Days at sea are the ideal time to observe seabirds and marine mammals from a ship. Viewpoints offer stunning views of the ocean.
En route to Antarctica through the Drake Passage, you cross the Antarctic Convergence, a unique confluence of different water masses. The waters, abundant in plankton, rise from the depths to the surface of the sea. This phenomenon attracts a variety of seabirds and animals, including several species of albatrosses, petrels, skuas, as well as whales and dolphins. From here, the temperature drops significantly within a few hours, which serves as an indicator of the imminent arrival of Antarctica.
A rich educational program awaits you on board. The expedition team of polar experts will introduce you to the history of Antarctic exploration, the origin of glaciers, the world of flora and fauna of the White Continent, and many other informative and interesting facts. You will also receive a safety briefing during the landings on the Zodiac boats.
And of course, days at sea are a time to relax and enjoy your time on board. Visit a spa or gym, connect with like-minded people, share your travel experiences, or head to a library filled with themed books and reference books.

Accommodation: cabin on SH Vega
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Days 5 - 8, January 6 - 9 2024. Exploration of the Antarctic Peninsula

Mighty glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy fjords... here your Antarctic dream comes true. You will be amazed by the picturesque landscape of the so-called "resort zone" of Antarctica, the most accessible part of the continent, where the abundance of wildlife and most scientific stations are concentrated.
Vegetation in the polar region is literally not dense: coastal stones are covered only with green mosses and multi-colored lichens, but the animal world is unusually diverse. As soon as you reach the continent of Antarctica and its nearby islands, active exploration of the region will begin. Twice a day you will land on the coast with the help of special Zodiac expedition boats and discover a completely different primeval world.
Penguins literally meet us on the shore. While hiking, you will even have the opportunity to climb to the top of the hills to admire the panorama of sparkling glaciers and icebergs. During the expedition, you will more than once witness how an ice block breaks off from the glacier with a roar - this is how an iceberg is born and goes into free swimming. The average landing time is 1-2 hours.
According to the conservation rules of Antarctica, only a limited number of people can be on the coast at the same time. Therefore, the expedition members will be divided into groups, some will go on a boat trip, some will go to the coast, then you will change places. On Zodiac boats you will reach the most remote and unexplored bays. As you approach the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands will be the first to appear before you, on which the snow melts in the southern spring in November.
The temperature is higher here, which means that the fauna is also different from what you will see in Antarctica itself. Mosses and multi-colored lichens - in general, the local flora seems to have more in common with Patagonia than with Antarctica.
Kerguelen fur seals, leopard seals, Weddell seals, crabeater seals, elephant seals, chinstrap penguins, Adélie penguins and subantarctic penguins bask on the beaches here. The southern giant petrel, Antarctic tern, Antarctic cormorant and members of the Skua family are permanent residents of the islands.
Most of the South Shetland Islands were discovered at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to expeditions of St. John's wolves. Boat trips on Zodiac boats will allow you to get up close and personal with these amazing places. Half Moon Island is located in the central part of the archipelago. There is a small population of seals and penguins. The waters of the Southern Ocean contain the largest amount of plankton on Earth, including krill, small crustaceans that are a favorite food of the local baleen whales.
Whaler Bay on the volcanic Deception Island is one of the calmest and safest harbors in Antarctica. Since the 19th century, it has been a favorite stopover for sealers and whalers. Today, passengers come here to watch chinstrap penguins, fur seals and Weddell seals in natural conditions. Moving along the Antarctic Peninsula, shore excursions may include Petermann Island, an Important Bird Area. The colony of subantarctic penguins here has more than 3,000 individuals. Among others, Adélie penguins, South polar skua, Wilson's storm-petrel, Antarctic cormorant and others are also found here. The ship will practically enter the caldera of an active volcano! You will see a truly fantastic landscape!
The largest colony of subantarctic penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, with over 6,500 individuals, is located nearby on Cuverville Island. In turn, Portal Point is a well-known resting place for Weddell seals, while penguins are usually few here due to abundant snow cover. During landings and trips on expedition boats among icebergs, you can meet crabeater seals and sea leopards. And sometimes even whales! You will be as close to the wildlife of the Antarctic Islands as ever.
How do you like the idea of polar swimming? Yes, yes, it will be. Swimming in Antarctic waters from the deck of a ship or from the shore is always fun. And even if all these activities included in the program are not enough, we have something to offer you. Try polar kayaking. Navigate your kayak through the maze of icebergs, penguins and whales.

Accommodation: cabin on SH Vega
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9 and 10, January 10 and 11, 2024. In the sea to the shores of Tierra del Fuego

Antarctica is separated from the continent of South America by the widest and deepest strait on Earth. The All Inclusive system aboard the SH Vega is the perfect way to celebrate your successful passage through the Drake Passage. Don't forget to look at the captain's bridge. The open captain's cabin allows you to visit the ship's main helm station. The holy of holies of the vessel is open to you! Do not miss the opportunity to ask questions to the crew members or, if possible, even chat with the captain.
The final days of the cruise are the best time to connect with like-minded people, share your impressions of the trip and plan the dates of the next joint expedition.

Accommodation: cabin on SH Vega
Meals included: breakfast

Day 11, January 12, 2024. Ushuaia and Buenos Aires

The cruise ends, the ship returns through the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, the very starting point of an unforgettable journey through Antarctica. You can already see the very edge of the continent of South America in the Argentine part of the island of Tierra del Fuego. The mountains rise majestically above the harbor of Ushuaia.
After breakfast, you will say goodbye to the crew and crew of the ship and go ashore. The expedition members will be transferred to the Ushuaia airport for the flight to Buenos Aires. Upon returning home, a pleasant surprise awaits you. As per tradition, the Swan Hellenic team will send each guest a link to download the film, which will include a photo report and a video report of the perfect expedition cruise for a long memory.

* Please do not purchase tickets without prior approval from us.

** Attention! This is a journey to a remote, inaccessible region. All activities during the cruise depend on ice and weather conditions and are determined by the expedition leader and captain. The actual course of the expedition may differ from the declared one. Meetings with the declared representatives of the animal world are not guaranteed.