Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage + navigational workshop
11 Days - Ortelius
This Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands cruise delivers you into a landscape of dark rugged rock, pure white snow, and a fantastic variety of wildlife. Come say hello to whales, seals, and thousands of penguins.
from AUD $13952pp
Home » 11 Day M/V Ortelius: Antarctica – Discovery and learning voyage + navigational workshop
Itinerary Highlights:
Navigational workshop:
Be part of a true polar expedition! During this adventurous voyage, we will visit some of Antarctica’s remote islands. This includes the Wauwermans Islands (close to Anvers Island), where we will chart and make depth measurements while exploring the area in our Zodiac boats and kayaks. Navigation workshops and presentations about historic Antarctic voyages are also part of this exciting activity-based expedition.
Select this activity if you’re interested in learning the history, theory, and practice of land and sea navigation. Topics covered include the use of sextants, chart positioning, and GPS functions, among others. All courses are led by experienced expedition guides. No additional equipment needed.
- Possible visits to Paradise Bay, Neko Harbour and sail through the stunning Lemaire Channel
- See Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins living their day to day life
- Enjoy the peacefulness of the Antarctic Peninsula
- Come across Humpback, Minke and Fin Whales
- Get a close look at Weddell and Crabeater Seals
Itinerary in Brief:
- Day 1: End of the world, start of a journey
- Day 2 - 3: Path of the polar explorers
- Day 4 - 7: Enter the Antarctic
- Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland
- Day 9 - 10: Familiar seas, familiar friends
- Day 11: There and back again
This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather, sea state and other conditions beyond control.
Day 1: End of the world, start of a journey
Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.
Day 2 - 3: Path of the polar explorers
Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.
Day 4 - 7: Enter the Antarctic
Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands.
Sites you may visit include:
Danco Island – Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.
Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
Paradise Bay – You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.
Port Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.
When conditions are right, you can snowshoe around the shore and to the old ski-way at nearby Damoy Point.
Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland
The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels).
In Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.
As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Day 9 - 10: Familiar seas, familiar friends
Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.
Day 11: There and back again
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather, sea state and other conditions beyond control.
Dates | Cabin | From | Special Offer |
---|---|---|---|
22 Jan 2025 - 01 Feb 2025 | AUD $13952pp | ||
Quadruple Porthole Cabin | AUD $13952pp | Contact us | |
Twin Porthole Cabin | AUD $17258pp | Contact us | |
Triple Porthole Cabin | AUD $17258pp | Contact us | |
Twin Window Cabin | AUD $17984pp | Contact us | |
Twin Deluxe Cabin | AUD $19032pp | Contact us | |
Superior Cabin | AUD $20403pp | Contact us | |
22 Jan 2026 - 01 Feb 2026 | AUD $14919pp | ||
Quadruple Porthole Cabin | AUD $14919pp | Contact us | |
Twin Porthole Cabin | AUD $18387pp | Contact us | |
Triple Porthole Cabin | AUD $18387pp | Contact us | |
Twin Window Cabin | AUD $19113pp | Contact us | |
Twin Deluxe Cabin | AUD $20645pp | Contact us | |
Superior Cabin | AUD $22177pp | Contact us |
**Prices are per person based on twin / shared accommodation.
**Single supplements may apply
Cabin Details
Quadruple Porthole Cabin
Located on deck 3; two porthole windows, 2 upper and 2 lower berths, private shower and toilet, desk and chair, hair dryer and ample storage space.
Triple Porthole Cabin
Located on Deck 3; two portholes, 1 upper and 2 lower berths, private shower and toilet, desk and chair, hair dryer and ample storage space.
Twin Porthole Cabin
Located on Deck 3 and on Deck 4; two porthole windows, private toilet and shower, two single lower berths, desk and chair, hair dryer and ample storage space. Cabins on deck 4 are quieter than cabins on deck 3: farther away from the noise of engines and generators. Access to the forward observation deck.
Twin Window Cabin
Three windows; 2 lower berths; Private shower & toilet; Desk & chair; Flatscreen TV; Telephone & WiFi (supplemented); Hair dryer; Ample storage space
Twin Deluxe Cabin
Located on Deck 5; three windows; 2 lower berths; Private shower & toilet; Desk & chair; Small sofa; Refrigerator; Coffee & tea maker; Flatscreen TV; Telephone & WiFi (supplemented); Hair dryer; Ample storage space
Superior Cabin
Located on Deck 5; two windows minimum, one double bed, one single (sofa) bed, private toilet and shower, desk and chair, flat screen TV, refrigerator, hairdryer, coffee & tea maker, ample storage space. The quietest cabin deck and has the best access to upper observation decks and the ship's bridge.
Ortelius Deckplan
Specifications
- Passengers: 108 in 50 cabins
- Staff & crew: 53 (Crew 44 | Guides 8 | Doctor 1)
- Length: 90.95 meters
- Breadth: 17.20 meters
- Draft: 5.4 meters
- Ice class: UL1 (Equivalent to 1A)
- Displacement: 4090 tonnes
- Propulsion: 6 ZL 40/48 SULZER
- Speed: 10.5 knots average cruising speed
- Year built: 1989
Whats included?
- Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
- Free internet: daily allowance of 1.5 GB of free internet connectivity
What’s not included?
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
- Pre- and post- land arrangements.
- Passport and visa expenses.
- Government arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).
- Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Notes
PLEASE NOTE:
All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on ice, weather, and wildlife conditions. Landings are subject to site availabilities, permissions, and environmental concerns per IAATO regulations. Official sailing plans and landing slots are scheduled with IAATO prior to the start of the season, but the expedition leader determines the final plan. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. The average cruising speed for our vessel is 10.5 knots.