Please make your way to the Port of Ushuaia at 3.30pm in order to board the 'Ushuaia' at 4pm.

PLEASE NOTE: It is highly recommended that you arrive a day earlier in Ushuaia to have some additional time in case of flight delays and lost luggage on the day of arrival. Please note that the vessel will sail at 6 pm and will not be able to wait for missing passengers or luggage. Please contact Kumuka or your agent if you wish to book accommodation in Ushuaia.

Depart from Ushuaia.  Embark the ‘Ushuaia’ in the afternoon and meet your expedition and lecture staff. After you have settled into your cabin, we sail along the famous Beagle Channel and the scenic Mackinlay Pass.

Exploring South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.  The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island and the chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove is truly amazing. King George Island, 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 and is home to scientific bases of many different countries. Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island.

The Antarctic Peninsula’s remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers. You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible 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.

We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. We plan to make at least two landings per day. Possible landing sites may include:
Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper. After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adélie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjöld expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins.

Further exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pléneau Island  and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.

Arrival at Ushuaia.  We arrive at Ushuaia in the early morning and disembark the ‘Ushuaia’ after breakfast.

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA & SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS

Antarctic wildlife is at its most active during the southern summer. The beauty and solitude of Antarctic seas and mountains conceals the frantic activity of the shoreline colonies of birds and mammals. In this five-month period, from November to March, we operate our expedition cruises aboard the USHUAIA. Summer arrives first in the South Shetland Islands and spreads south along the Antarctic Peninsula. As the Antarctic year progresses, from spring to autumn, the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands change in appearance and character each season offering a different range of spectacular sights and possibilities to the visitor.

November - December (spring - early summer)

After the winter darkness, spring fever hits Antarctica and the sun causes an explosive growth of phytoplankton in areas of mineral upwelling. The phytoplankton provides food to the astronomic swarms of zooplankton, including krill. Krill forms the base of the food chain for squid, fish and ultimately for seabirds, seals and whales, which flock in to fatten themselves and to produce their young.

• Crabeater seals are born between September and November.
• Elephant seals guard their harems aggressively until December.
• The first big whales come down to Antarctica to feed, among them humpback, Minke and southern right whale.
• Amazing displays of the penguins' courtship ritual, including nest building, sky pointing and stone stealing.
• Penguin, petrel and cormorant eggs are laid in November and December.
• Penguin chicks start to hatch at the end of December in the South Shetland Islands.
• Wintering scientists at the research stations welcome the first visitors of the season.
• Longest days in December create longer daylight hours - photographs can be taken at midnight!
• Last winters sea-ice offers sometimes spectacular sailing among the floes with seals everywhere on the ice.

January - February (summer)

In Antarctica's warmest months wildlife activities are in full swing. Most penguin chicks hatch in January, earliest in the South Shetland Islands and later more to the south at the Peninsula. The frantic activity continues in the colonies in February as the young get older and bolder and are gathering in crèches.

• Fur seal and leopard seal pups are visible.
• Whale watching is at its best in February.
• Penguin colonies at their busiest, fetching krill and feeding chicks.
• In February receding ice allows exploration further south along the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Concentration of fur seals increases.

March (autumn)

Nightly darkness returns as the sun sinks farther below the southern horizon, but temperatures are still above zero, though we may experience a touch of Antarctic winter with night frosts, creating beautiful patterns of thin sea ice on the surface. The snow cover is at its minimum allowing for easy and extensive walks in the South Shetland Islands.

• Penguin chicks are in their adolescent state now and quite curious about visitors.
• The adult penguins moult and the young go to sea.
• Receding ice allows exploration farthest south along the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Spectacular green and pink algae blooms on snow-slopes and ice cliffs.
• Whale watching is still very good.

In Falkland Islands and South Georgia spring and summer arrive earlier than in the South Shetlands & the Antarctic Peninsula and consequently the breeding activities of sea-birds and sea mammals start earlier there. South Georgia is home to several birds with a cycle longer than one year, so eggs and young in King Penguin colonies can always be found from November to March. November is full spring in South Georgia, comparable with December in the South Shetlands, but without sea-ice.

Please note that your contract for this tour is with  a third party operator. Kumuka  is acting as the agent for the operator. The operator's terms and conditions apply. A rise in the price of a barrel of oil may result in a fuel surcharge being applied to this trip. Any fuel surcharge applied by the operator of the ship would be passed to the client, who in turn would be responsible for paying this prior to the trip departure.
(Please note that as a guide, surcharges for January and February 2009 were USD37.50 per day).

A 30% deposit is required to secure your booking, as well as full payment at least 3 months prior to departure.

Single supplements available, subject to availability, please contact Kumuka or your agent for more details and prices.
 
Special cancellations conditions apply.
Cancellations received 95 days prior to departure are subject to loss of deposit.
From 94 days up to and including the day of departure all deposits and tariffs are forfeited.
If cancellation occurs within the 94-day period and full payment has not yet been received, the full penalty will still apply and unpaid monies are due immediately.
These cancellation conditions override Kumuka's standard Booking Conditions.

Visas are not required for Antarctica, however, you are advised to check whether you require a visa for Argentina. At the time of writing British, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand passport holders did not require visas for Argentina. We ask all other passport holders to check with whether they require a visa for travel to Argentina - you can check this on our website www.kumuka.com.

Argentina - Proof of onward travel. Immigration officials in Argentina may require you to provide proof of onward travel – e.g. in the form of a return ticket. You are advised to make all related reservations before departing for Argentina. Airlines have occasionally refused to board passengers travelling to Argentina without such reservations.   

Suites:    5 Outside cabins with windows on the upper deck (G), private facilities, 2 lower berths, lounge, TV, video, VHS, DVD, fridge.  Suite 201 features two double beds, Suite 202 one double bed and a sofa bed. Suites 204 and 207 feature a third berth. Suite 207 has portholes.

A Cabins:   16 Twin outside cabins with windows or portholes on the upper deck (G), private facilities, 2  lower berths. Cabins 208, 210, 212, 213, 214, 215 feature two berths (upper/lower).

B Cabins:   12 Twin outside cabins with portholes on the main deck (E) and semi-private facilities, 2 berths (upper/lower).

C Cabins:    8 Twin  inside cabins on the lower deck (D) with semi-private facilities, 2 berths (upper/lower). 
  
N.B.  Semi-private facilities: 2 cabins share one bathroom accessible from both cabins (shower and wc). Each cabin is also equipped with its own washbasin.

Outside temperatures will almost certainly fall below zero degrees centigrade to –10 degrees centigrade on average. Please also bear in mind that the wind chill factor can make the outside temperature seem far colder.  Weather can vary greatly from rain, fog, mist, clouds to sunshine!

Antarctic voyages take place during the Austral summer, which means that you will experience long hours of daylight, and indeed the sun practically never sets in December/ January.

Conditions at sea can be rough, especially whilst crossing the Drake Passage, which has a reputation for rough conditions (although it is true to say that conditions out on the Drake Passage can also be calm!) thus we urge you to ensure that you are prepared for the possibility of suffering from seasickness during this two-day crossing.

As the vessel is faster than many of its competitors in the same class, it reaches the Antarctic in the late afternoon of Day 3, whereas many other vessels do not reach the Antarctic until the morning of Day 4.

We advise that you bring along extra spending money to cover the costs of any onboard souvenirs which you may wish to purchase, as well as snacks and beverages from the ship’s shop, communication costs, transfer costs to and from the vessel whilst in Ushuaia and any tips that you may wish to give at the end of your voyage. USD15 per day spending money is recommended.

The Ushuaia is equipped with 8 life rafts (4 on each side) all of which are fully equipped (total capacity: 220 people), as well as 2 rescue boats, 7 rigid inflatable boats, complete system of fire detection and extinction, emergency generator.

Kumuka can arrange pre or post tour accommodation at a comfortable hotel in Ushuaia for you. Please contact Kumuka or your agent for further details. We strongly recommend that you spend 2-3 extra days in Ushuaia to visit the town’s museums and the beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park. 

Tour Questionnaire - We would like to hear about your experiences on tour. One week after your tour ends you will automatically receive a feedback questionnaire via email. If we do not have your email address you can still complete a questionnaire by visiting www.kumuka.com/feedback

Email - If you have any specific comments about your tour then please write to us by email to operations@kumuka.com