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Antarctica Explorer
FREE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
on selected departures*
This 18-day tour is an opportunity for an in-depth introduction to the planet’s most
beguiling continent.
On board MS Nordnorge our comfortable, specially designed ship, lectures and talks led by experts on Antarctica’s natural history and polar exploration
will prepare you for the visual feast that the white continent presents, from vast colonies of penguins to iceberg-lined channels to historical sites frozen in time.
Voyage of discovery
Our trip begins in Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America and home of the tango, football and Evita. From here we fly to Ushuaia, Argentina’s most southerly city, where our ship – the MS Nordnorge – awaits. Setting sail through the Beagle Channel, we pass Cape Horn and
cross the legendary Drake Passage towards the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. Warm waters meet cold at the Antarctic Convergence. The bird life is diverse, and as albatross dip and storm petrels fly low, our on board team of expert guides will give talks on the wildlife of this region, the history of exploration, geology and ecology – with emphasis on the fragility of this environment and the guidelines which must be observed during our visit. 
Wildlife and icescapes
Icebergs silently witness our passing as we sail through the austral light to reach Antarctica, and when we get there it is like arriving in another world. Humpback whales breach as huge blocks calve off the front of
glaciers into the cool deep waters below. Wide eyed seals blink, as they wake from their daydream to watch us pass in our Polar Cirkel boats, and curious penguins patter by as we make our regular landings.
We will marvel at the vistas, step through abandoned settlements, be hosted by penguin colonies, look out for whales, possibly take a polar dip at Deception Island, and – with luck – visit the narrow, silent and starkly beautiful ice-lined Lemaire Channel. Our specially adapted ships and experienced Norwegian crew allow us to navigate expertly through these waters and get close to the experience that is Antarctica. The return voyage from Antarctica takes us past Cape Horn and through the southernmost Chilean fjords of Tierra del Fuego to Puerto Natales. You have the option to join a day trip to the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park before sailing south to Punta Arenas where our voyage ends. We fly to the laid-back Chilean capital, Santiago, which sits in a valley at the foot of the Andes, before catching your international flight home.
Where are the ships now? View live webcams.
More information about your cruise ships, the MS Nordnorge Cruise N403
Departure Dates from UK 2008 |
2008:
MS Nordnorge
Jan 9*, 23; Feb 6*; Nov 19;
Dec 3*, 17, 31*
2009:
MS Nordnorge
Jan 14, 28* |
* These dates operate in reverse
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Cruise 2008/9
£ price per person | The price below do not include return international flights from London. We can help you arrange these as well regional flights.
Please call us on 01756 693609
(+44 1756 693609 from outside the UK) or localflights@bluewaterholidays.com
| | Cabin Category | 2008:Jan 9*,23 ,
Feb 6* | 2008: Nov 19; Dec 3,17,31
2009:Jan 14,28 | | I: Inside twin cabin | 3495 | 3495 | | J: Outside twin cabin | N/A | 3835 | | L: Outside twin cabin | 4170 | 4170 | | N: Outside twin cabin | 4695 | 4695 | | P: Outside twin cabin | 5135 | 5135 | | U:Outside twin cabin | 5675 | 5675 | | QJ:Outside twin cabin | 5995 | 5995 | Q:
Mini suite | 7095 | 7095 | M:
Suite | 7790 | 8475 | Please call for single supplement rate
*Departures operate in reverse
Fuel Supplement: There will be a daily fuel supplement, which we will advise you of at the time of booking.
*FREE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS:
Book 18 Nov, 2 &16 Dec 2008 departures and benefit from free international flights. |
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Call us to check availability:
UK: 01756 706526
Overseas: +44 1756 706526
Go to
Antarctic Cruises Index
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Call us to check availability:
UK: 01756 706526
Overseas: +44 1756 706526
Go to
Antarctic Cruises Index
| DAY 1
& 2 | Arrive in Buenos Aires for a two night stay. Free time to explore this historic city.
| | DAY 3 | Fly to Ushuaia – After a brief visit to Argentina’s southernmost city, we embark our ship. | DAY 4
& 5 | Cross the Drake Passage. A series of talks on the wildlife of Antarctica, the history of exploration and the guidelines of the region, will be given during our days at sea. | DAY
5 - 10 | Explore the South Shetland Islands and isles along the Antarctic Peninsula. Visit penguin colonies, discover ice formations and look out for whales, dolphins, seals and sea birds. The exact itinerary will depend on ice, sea and weather conditions, but usually includes Deception Island, Port Lockroy, Cuverville Island, Vernadsky Base, Arctowski Base, Paradise Bay, Half Moon Island and the iceberg–lined Lemaire Channel. During our time here there will be regular land and boat excursions. | DAY
10-11 | Leave Antarctica and sail north. | DAYS
12-13 | Pass Cape Horn and visit the Chilean port of Puerto Williams. Enter the Beagle Channel and continue to explore Chile’s most southerly fjords and glaciers. | DAY
14 | Sail through the Kirke Narrows or Santa Maria channel to the small fishing town of Puerto Natales. | DAYS
15-16 | Optional excursion to Torres del Paine and return south down the Magellan Strait to Tucker Island with its Magellan penguin colony to Punta Arenas. | | DAY 17 | Disembark and transfer to airport for flight to Santiago de Chile. Transfer to hotel. | | DAY 18 | Transfer to airport for your international fight. |
| The cruise price includes | | • | Domestic charter flights between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires and Punta Arenas and Santiago | | • | Voyage in cabin grade of your choice including full board | | • | Excursions and landings described in the itinerary | | • | Two nights in Buenos Aires and one night in Santiago (or vice versa depending on departure) including breakfast | | • | Transfers as applicable | | Not included: Return international flights, Travel insurance, luggage handling, optional excursions, fuel surcharges, gratuities |
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| Flight Details | The cruise price excludes your return international flight. This gives you the benefit of flexibility. You may choose to take advantage of using your Airmiles or book your flights through us.
Return Flights booked through us start from £960 from London Heathrow, including an estimate of taxes and we are also able to help with UK regional flights.
South American regional flights and applicable transfers are included in your cruise price.
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Post Voyage Extensions
Why not extend your tour to discover more of this fabulous region? We can offer several post–voyage extensions from Buenos Aires and Santiago. Click here for full details and prices.
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