The Great White Continent | Venture

Arrive in Argentina’s handsome and sophisticated capital and transfer to your included stay at the Alvear Icon hotel (or similar) for an overnight.

Transfer to the airport for your included flight to Ushuaia. Nestled in a bowl of snowcapped mountains on the banks of the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia greets you with a tapestry of colourful houses scattered against a rim of dramatic jagged peaks. It is often referred to as El Fin del Mundo, the “end of the world,” and it is the de facto gateway to Antarctica, where you will embark your ship for your expedition to the Great White Continent.

Your Antarctic voyage truly begins as you cross the Drake Passage, the strait separating South America from Antarctica. These waters are rich in plankton and krill, attracting a wide variety of marine life. Your Expedition Team will point out the noticeable change to Antarctic waters and identify ever-present petrels on the waves, albatrosses gliding just above the sea, and the exciting appearance of any whales or dolphins.

You will never forget your first sighting of Antarctica and its islands. Regardless of weather conditions, you will find yourself spellbound by the vision of a completely unspoiled landscape of ice, rock, and ink-blue sea. During your time on the Great White Continent, your Captain and Expedition Leader plan your itinerary, daily landings, scenic cruising, and exploration operations to offer you the widest variety of experiences possible based on conditions and wildlife reports. The numbers and concentrations of wildlife thriving in Antarctica must be seen to be believed. Your every waking hour is punctuated with visits to breeding colonies of different penguin species; sightings of crabeater, Weddell, and leopard seals basking on ice or swimming; and watching various species of whales feeding, breaching, or passing in view. Petrels, skuas, gulls, and other seabirds fill the skies. And inspiring, panoramic views of mountain ranges, glaciers, and sculpted icebergs lend a dreamlike quality to every hour. Antarctica has been a source of inspiration for as long as humans have been aware of its existence. For these five days, you are privileged to experience this truly wild place at a level of luxury previously unimaginable.

Relax on another crossing of the Drake Passage. You may share tales of your personal explorations with shipmates, some of whom may become lifelong friends. Expedition Team members are once again available to point out birds and any marine life as you sail northward.

Monte Olivia towers above Ushuaia, Argentina, as you approach from the Beagle Channel. You have returned to one of the southernmost cities on Earth and re-entered civilisation. Today you will disembark and transfer to the airport for your included return flight to Buenos Aires. But for the rest of your life you may occasionally experience an emotional lift simply recalling that such a place as Antarctica exists.