Antarctic Peninsula Luxury Cruise

The following day, head to the penguin rookery on Martillo Island, where you will marvel at the bustling colony of Magellanic Penguins at their breeding site. Then, continue to a delicious picnic lunch on Gable Island, the largest island in the Beagle Channel, before a light hike to spot seabirds such as petrels, skuas, cormorants, seagulls, and albatross. 

The adventure begins as you traverse the legendary Drake Passage, which separates the Americas from Antarctica. While your captain will determine the exact route based on weather and wildlife conditions, your first landing may be in the South Shetland Islands. Highlights of this area include the breathtaking Elephant and Deception Islands. At Deception Island, you may visit the caldera of an active volcano, where it’s possible to hike around the unearthly landscape before taking a dip in a geothermal pool. Elephant Island is best known as the site where Ernest Shackleton and his crew survived a brutal Antarctic winter in 1916.

You will have ample opportunities to discover the Antarctic Peninsula on foot, kayak, and Zodiac during your cruise. Accompanied by expert naturalist guides, visit the resident Adelie and Gentoo Penguins, hiking to their colonies to learn more about their breeding habits. Or, take a hike with a geologist who will explain how the otherworldly landscape of massive ice towers and jagged rock formations came to exist over millions of years. During your Zodiac excursions, you will explore the various bays and inlets of the area. Get a sense of the scope and scale of Antarctica as you keep your eyes out for wildlife such as penguins, whales, and seabirds. Kayaking on the arctic waters allows you to navigate among mazes of icebergs and ice floes, perhaps even stumbling upon a seal sunning itself on an iceberg. After exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, you will reverse course and return north, crossing the Drake Passage before disembarking in Ushuaia.