EMPEROR PENGUINS
Snow Hill Island Safari
Icebreaker Adventure
Start: Ushuaia, Argentina Finish: Ushuaia, Argentina
Multiple visits over a number of days to the Snow Hill Island rookery offer unique photo opportunities. Digital photography workshops help you take outstanding photographs while among the penguins. Scenic hikes cross sea ice dotted with icebergs frozen in place are akin to walking through a sculpture garden. Onboard helicopters are used for transfers and sightseeing. A polar-class icebreaker and expedition cruise professionals make this voyage possible.

For the October 10 and October 22 departures of this expedition in 2009, a BBC film crew deliver presentations and show dailies - raw footage captured during each day's filming. The dailies will be filmed with the technology that enables the BBC's Natural History Unit to capture never-before-seen footage of wildlife in their natural habitat.
Aboard Polar-class Ice Breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov
Staff & Crew:   70
Guests:   108
Length:   122.50 m
Breadth:   26.50 m
Draft:   8.50 m
Propulsion:   Diesel-electric engines - 24,000 total horsepower
Ice Class:   LL3
Cruising Speed:   15 knots in open water
Registered:   In Russia by Far Eastern Shipping Company
The Polar-class Ice Breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov was purpose-built to sail the ice-covered waters of the Russian Arctic. This vessel is one of the few ships in the world that can break and crush ice to make this expedition possible.
2009 Dates and Rates – All rates are per person in US dollars and are subject to change View Cabins & Deck Plans
Ice Breaker Kapitan Khlebnikov
Cabin & Rate Per Person
Date Days
Oct 10 – Oct 23, 2009 14
Nov 3 – Nov 16, 2009 14
Triple Twin Suite Corner Suite
$13,890 $17,990 $21,490 $22,690
$13,890 $17,990 $21,490 $22,690
Note: Additional fuel surcharge will be determined by the ship’s operator
 
Rate Include:
  1. Emergency Evacuation insurance for each passenger with a maximum benefit of $100,000 USD.
  2. One night pre-expedition hotel accommodation with breakfast.
  3. Group transfers from the hotel to the ship at the embarkation port, and from the ship to the local airport on disembarkation, plus all baggage handling aboard the ship.
  4. Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.
  5. All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage.
  6. Coffee, tea, cocoa and bottled water available around the clock.
  7. Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities.
  8. Formal and informal presentations by the Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled.
  9. All helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing according to each day's program.
  10. All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program.
  11. All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
  12. A polar water resistant parka.
  13. A pair of rubber expedition boots on loan for shore landings.
  14. Hair dryer in every cabin.
 

Itinerary

 Route Map
Day 1 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina Emperor Penguins – 1,800 Nautical Miles from Ushuaia to Ushuaia

The city's international airport is served by flights from Buenos Aires and Chile. We recommend that you arrive as early in the day as possible. The "city at the end of the world" offers outdoor soft adventure activities, great restaurants, and museums. Overnight in Ushuaia.
Day 2 Embarkation Day
Embarkation occurs in the late afternoon. Your luggage will be transferred from your included hotel to the ship today. You are free to explore Ushuaia until embarkation. The icebreaker follows the Beagle Channel into the open waters of the Drake Passage.
Day 3 At Sea
Crossing the Drake Passage is as much a part of the Antarctic experience as penguins and krill. With the right weather conditions the transit will be relatively easy, but pack your seasickness medicine just in case the Drake lives up to its reputation.
Day 4-5 Through Bransfield Strait to the Weddell Sea
In anticipation of the first landing at the rookery while sailing you learn how to enter and exit Zodiacs and helicopters. The addition of helicopters for ice reconnaissance, aerial sightsseing and shore transfers is one reason that an icebeaker expedition delivers the ultimate Antarctic experience.
Day 6-8 Snow Hill Island Rookery
Adventurers returning from our 2006 safaris raved about the expedition, observing that the environment was as fascinating as the birds. The Emperors raised their young on sea ice that had captured icebergs, freezing them in place like huge sculptures dropped at random into the landscape. It is our intention during the 2008 expeditions to spend 3 or 4 days in the vicinity of the rookery. Our itinerary may have to be modified in response to changing weather and ice conditions in the Weddell Sea.
Day 9-11 The Antarctic Peninsula
If the visit to the rookery occurs as planned we intend to spend a few days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. The Expedition Team will be planning visits to the rookeries of Gentoo or Adelie Penguins, where courtship behavior will be underway. The contrast will be startling after your experience at the Snow Hill rookery.
Day 12-13 The Drake Passage or Scotia Sea
A day at sea can be as busy as any day ashore. The day speeds by when you bird watch from the deck, attend presentations, or just idly watch the waves from the fly deck. The 360 view from the top of the ship is perfect for taking panoramic photos.
Day 14 Disembarkation Day
After breakfast aboard, you will be transferred in a group to the passenger collection point in Ushuaia.
Important Reminder
Embracing the unexpected is part of the legacy - and excitement - of expedition travel. There are no guarantees that we can achieve everything we set out to accomplish. A measure of flexibility is something all of us must bring to a voyage. Due to local ice and weather condition, the planned itinerary, schedule and activities are subject to change.
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Copyright © Amazing Cruises & Travel, Inc. All rights reserved. Last Updated: November, 2008