The Seventh Continent
Tour SAS -- 14 days including a 10-night cruise & Tour SAL -- 22 days including an 18-night cruise

Tour - SAS/SAL

Tread where few others have as Antarctica's wildlife and scenery unfold before you
The Antarctic Peninsula, island cruising, and wildlife
 

Day 1 Board your overnight flight to South America.

Day 2 Santiago, Chile. After arrival in Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, check into your hotel. You may visit the soaring colonial cathedral and the National Historical Museum during a half-day tour. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

Day 3 Santiago-Ushuaia-Board the World Discoverer. Depart Santiago for the flight to Ushuaia. In Terra del Fuego sits the world’s most southernmost city. First settled in 1870, charming Ushuaia lies in one of the earth’s most dramatic settings. This afternoon enjoy a city tour to learn about the early settlers before boarding your expedition ship. Your adventure begins this evening as you sail through the Beagle Channel. One of the world’s most beautiful, the channel was named after it was explored in the 1820s by Robert Fitzroy, piloting his ship The Beagle. Charles Darwin, author of The Origin of the Species, served as the naturalist on board. Later head out through the Drake Passage. (B,L)

Choose Your Cruise Itinerary

10-Night Cruise–Tour SAS

Days 1-3 See above.

Days 4-12 At Sea. The Antarctic Peninsula. While the exact itinerary for your cruise is dependent upon weather conditions, the captain’s goal will be to spend the first two days cruising the Drake Passage. These waters are a particular favorite with marine mammals. The next five days at sea will be spent cruising the Antarctic Peninsula with its scattered islands and extraordinary vistas. Watch the many species of albatross, seals, and whales following the ship toward the peninsula. One of your stops may be King George Island, home to a number of multi-national research stations and southern elephant seals. Also stop at the South Shetland Islands, including Deception Island, a sea-flooded caldera created by an ancient volcano where you’ll see thousands of nesting Chinstrap penguins, and possibly the rarely visited east side of the peninsula. On most days you will make two Zodiac expeditions, accompanied by lecturers and expert drivers. You’ll explore islands overflowing with penguins and be able to view nesting grounds of seabirds. Weather permitting, cruise into photogenic Lemaire Channel that travelers have dubbed "Kodak Gap." The channel’s glacier-lined fjord presents the perfect opportunity for slow cruising where whales may glide along. A protected harbor surrounded by ice cliffs, Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world. (B,L,D daily)

Day 13 Ushuaia-Santiago-Homebound Flight Departs. Dock at Ushuaia and fly back to Santiago and then to Miami to connect with your homebound flight. (B)

Day 14 Arrive home.

18-Night Cruise -- Tour SAL

Days 1-3 See above.

Days 4-20 At Sea. The Falkland Islands, South Georgia Islands, South Orkney Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. This cruising itinerary visits not only the Antarctic Peninsula (see tour SAS) but also South Georgia, the South Orkney Islands, and the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are home to Magellanic, Rock-hopper, and Gentoo Penguins. Visit Port Stanley and appreciate the frontier spirit of this charming Victorian capital city. Rising 10,000 feet from the Scotia Sea, with shores scalloped by more than 100 glaciers, South Georgia is the most dramatic of all the sub-Antarctic islands. A short hike past elephant seals takes you to explorer Ernest Shackleton’s simple grave, which reads: "I hold that a man should strive to his uttermost for his life’s set prize." Stop at the Bay of Isles to experience a colony of nearly 100,000 King Penguins. Next are the South Orkneys, nicknamed "the Inaccessible Islands" due to the fact that over 85% of the archipelago is glaciated. With luck, you’ll visit the Orcadas, the oldest continuously manned research station in Antarctica, before continuing further south to the Peninsula. (B,L,D daily)

Day 21 Ushuaia-Santiago-Homebound Flight. On your final day, disembark the ship at Ushuaia and fly back to Santiago and then to Miami to connect with your homebound flight. (B)

Day 22 Arrive home.

Your Cruise Ship

The World Discoverer boasts the highest attainable ice-safety rating for a passenger vessel and is one of few ships that can safely navigate through the Antarctic environment. Her excellent maneuverability means that she can get closer to shorelines, allow more frequent landings, and gain access to secluded areas of natural beauty larger ships could never consider. On-board lecturers are leaders in their fields of endeavor. These explorers, adventurers, marine and avian biologists, historians, geologists and anthropologists are on board to explore, just as you are, and their passion for discovery is contagious. With no more than 160 passengers and a fleet of twelve stable, speedy Zodiac boats on the World Discoverer, no one has to wait for a seat on the Zodiac expeditions that set out whenever there’s something interesting to be explored. The captain, crew, naturalists and expedition teams work closely together to uncover the secrets of this incredibly beautiful continent while being sure to protect the sensitive Antarctic ecosystem.

World Discoverer departures are something of a paradox: each is carefully planned down to the smallest detail but, at the same time, open to last minute changes. We draw on the experience of the staff and crew to take maximum advantage of ever-changing weather and ice conditions, as well as unexpected wildlife sightings. No two departures are ever the same.

The World Discoverer was built in 1989 and completely renovated in 2001. All 78 passenger cabins have an outside view, private bathroom with shower, individual climate control, and sound system. The ship offers a lounge/bar, which contains a small library with books on the regions visited by the ship; a lecture hall; dining room; health club and sauna; and medical services.

SAS/SAL

Trip Highlights

Guided sightseeing in Santiago and Ushuaia

·         Special Features: On tour SAS: Visits to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, two Zodiac expeditions per day; on tour SAL: as above plus the Falkland, South Georgia Islands, and South Orkney Islands.

·         Scenic highlights: Penguins, whales, seals, as well as a wide variety of exotic birds; Beagle and Lemaire Channels

All This is Included

·         With Globus, all international flights from/to Miami and all intra-tour flights and transfers are included if you travel on regular tour arrival and departure dates;

·         Guide in Santiago and Ushuaia; host service on cruise

·         Hotels listed below or equivalent;. Twin-bedded rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, service charges, and tips for baggage handling

·         Cruise accommodation on Marco Polo Deck in outside cabins with queen or twin beds and private shower and toilet; upgrades to Bridge Deck outside cabins are available

·         For tour SAS: 11 American breakfasts (B); 10 lunches (L); and 9 dinners (D), including a special farewell dinner on board the ship. For tour SAL: 19 American breakfasts (B); 18 lunches (L); and 17 dinners (D), including a special farewell dinner on board the ship

·         Inside visits as shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges where applicable

·         Globus travel bag and travel documents

Note

·         Maximum elevation on tour: 100 ft

·         Itineraries may change depending on weather conditions at the time of sailing and the thickness of the pack ice.

GLOBUS HOTELS

SANTIAGO Marriott Santiago (D)

Tours SAS and SAL