Classic Antarctica

This harsh but uniquely beautiful land is sanctuary to some of the world's most enchanting creatures. Four-ton, trunk-nosed southern elephant seals fight for breeding rights on the beaches of Livingston, thousands of chinstrap and Adélie penguins jostle for space on King George Island, while blue-eyed shags, giant petrels, snowy sheathbills and Antarctic terns are just some of the birds which thrive in this desert of ice and snow. And, as you circumnavigate the northern tip of the Peninsula, with humpback and minke whales escorting you past the huge icebergs drifting north from the ice cap, you will understand the sense of awe experienced by those early explorers to this magnificent wilderness.

Sample cruise itinerary

Day 1:  Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego - embarkation.  2-3:  Drake Passage.  4-7:  South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.  7-9:  Drake Passage.  10:  Ushuaia - disembarkation.

Ships:  Akademik Ioffe & Sergey Vavilov, Akademik Shokalskiy, Antarctic
Dream, Minerva, Corinthian II