Antarctica is one of the most exciting, dramatic and beautiful places on earth. Its remoteness and inaccessibility add to its air of mystery and unpredictability.  It takes nearly a week to reach from Britain.  It combines utter remoteness with breathtaking beauty; vulnerability with fragility; unique wildlife with an unforgiving environment.   To visit Antarctica is not just to visit another continent but another world - a world where the wildlife is supremely adapted to living in such harsh surroundings and where man is alien. It is a unique and personally enriching experience.

Our vessel for this expedition cruise will be the Marco Polo, which we have used many times before for Antarctic tours, and which offers exceptional value for money.   Originally built for Arctic cruising, the Marco Polo has an ice-strengthened hull and huge fin stabilisers, giving her exceptional safety and stability.   She has all the facilities and amenities of a traditional liner, and her comfort, catering and customer service are second to none, ideal for partners for whom the wildlife is not the prime interest.

This 14-day trip will include four days in the Antarctic Peninsula, where the long hours of daylight allow us to maximise the wildlife watching.   We will take in a surprising range of places and habitats before and after that.   On our long journey south, we will take a break when we stay overnight in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, with its fine buildings and parks, and its exceptional wetland reserve of Costanera Sur on the city's edge, just a few minutes from our hotel.   Flying on further south, we will sail from Ushuaia in southern Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.   On our return there, we will visit the beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park, before our return flight to Buenos Aires.   We will enjoy another visit to Costanera Sur wildlife reserve, or alternatively a sightseeing tour, and then board our overnight flight back to London.

The highlight of the expedition will be the Antarctic Peninsula, with its teeming colonies of penguins, thousands of petrels and storm petrels, and many other seabirds.   We should encounter several species of seals, including the much-feared Leopard Seal, and with luck should see Humpback and Antarctic Minke Whales and Orcas (Killer Whales) among the icebergs in the straits and channels through which we will be cruising.  The voyage south from Cape Horn to the Peninsula, across the unpredictable Drake Passage, and the return journey, will offer unrivalled opportunities for close encounters with the albatrosses, petrels, storm petrels and shearwaters which ride the winds in this turbulent stretch of the Southern Ocean. The Marco Polo provides a stable sea watching platform, and telescopes on tripods can often be used on deck at sea.

The wetland reserve at Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires should hold Black-necked and Coscoroba Swans, many wildfowl and waders, and a host of colourful South American small birds.   Around Ushuaia and the Tierra Del Fuego National Park we hope to see such specialities as Great Grebe, Andean Condor, White-throated Caracara, Black-faced Ibis, Spectacled Duck, and the magnificent Magellanic Woodpecker.   These experiences should ensure a comprehensive and rewarding start and finish to an unforgettable trip.

Client quote: “This was my first time with WildWings, I was very impressed”  2005

 Holiday Information

 Dates:                            6^th – 19^th January 2007

Leader/s:                       Tony Marr

Cost:                             From £2999

Deposit:                        10%

Single cabins  ONLY 25% supplement K to B grade, 75% supplement A and suites.

SPECIAL OFFER: FREE CABIN UPGRADES!

(Booking grades K-C, subject to availability)

Tour price includes:-

* Economy class air travel on scheduled flights

* All airport and port taxes

* Free regional connections to/from London from selected UK departure points

* All transfers and baggage handling

* Hotel accommodation in Buenos Aires with private facilities

* Optional sightseeing tours in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia

* Accommodation and all meals aboard ship

* Zodiac shore landings accompanied by naturalist guides

* Complementary expedition parka coat

* Lectures and all entertainments aboard ship

* Services of WildWings Tour Leader/s and ship's Expedition Team

* Exclusive WildWings birding excursions

* Daily sea watching and evening checklist sessions while at sea

* Use of WildWings library and two-way radios (to maximise group sightings)

* WildWings pre-tour information pack and daily checklist of birds and mammals

Tour price does not include:-

* Meals in Buenos Aires (allow £50 for these)

* Gratuities (suggested US$10 per day aboard ship)

* Drinks, laundry, souvenirs and items of a personal nature

* Travel insurance (from £65.15 per person)

* Other optional birding excursions

Previous trip reports and colour Marco Polo brochure available from us.

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart UK.

Day 2: Arrive Buenos Aires, transfer to hotel, afternoon birding excursion to Costanera Sur,stay overnight.

Day 3: Optional birding excursion to Costanera Sur, city tour and overnight.

Day 4: Fly Buenos Aires-Ushuaia. Embark Marco Polo and sail in evening.

Day 5: At sea - Drake Passage.

Day 6:The Antarctic Peninsula, Zodiac cruise Deception and Cuverville Islands.

Day 7:  Cruise Lemaire Channel, Port Lockroy.

Day 8:  Port Lockroy, Paradise Harbour.

Day 9:  Half Moon Island.

Day 10: At sea – Drake Passage – Cruise Cape Horn.

Day 11: Ushuaia Birding or sightseeing excursion.

Day 12: Fly Ushuaia-Buenos Aires. Stay overnight.

Day 13: Morning optional revisiting Costanera Sur or at leisure. PM depart Buenos Aires.

Day 14: Arrive UK.

NB -  Exact itinerary, Zodiac cruises and landings in Antarctica will depend on ice, local conditions and weather.