Antarctic Peninsula: A Rare Exploration of the Weddell Sea

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Expedition Details

  • Duration: 12 days
  • Start Location: Ushuaia, Argentina
  • End Location: Ushuaia, Argentina
  • Embarkation: Ushuaia, Argentina (AR USH)
  • Disembarkation: Ushuaia, Argentina (AR USH)
Itinerary Map

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina

You may arrive in Ushuaia at any time on Day 1. Many guests choose to arrive a day or two before embarkation day to explore this quaint port city at the bottom of South America, and the surrounding region. Based on the arrival information you send in advance, we will arrange for a transfer from the airport to your hotel.

Day 2 - Embarkation
Cruising

Embarkation will occur in the late afternoon, after which your vessel will sail down the historic Beagle Channel, transecting the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the extreme south of South America. Expect an air of anticipation as you depart—the next time you see land, you’ll be at the world’s most southern continent.

Days 3 and 4 - At Sea: Crossing the Drake Passage
Cruising

You have many options of activities during the 800-km (500 mile) Drake crossing. As you gain your sea legs, our Expedition Team will begin their series of presentations to help prepare you for your upcoming Zodiac and land excursions. You officially enter Antarctica when your ship crosses the Antarctic Convergence, a boundary that f luctuates around 60° south. This is also a great opportunity to meet your fellow travelers—many of whom will become friends by the voyage end.

Days 5 to 9 - Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea
Cruising

One word best describes the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Sound: immense. That applies equally to the ice formations, penguin colonies, and vast stretches of sea. In Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea, we will encounter massive tabular icebergs. These bergs don’t calve from tidewater glaciers but from ice shelves— and many will dwarf Ocean Explorer. Some in the Weddell Sea reach the size of a football field or larger. Their smooth, tabletop-flat surfaces reflect the ocean beneath: flat seas yield flat ice. Ice shelves stretch from land into the sea. In the northwest corner of the Weddell Sea, penguin colonies can number in the tens of thousands. For travelers seeking Adélie penguins, Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea offer prime viewing of this iconic species—the most southerly breeding penguin, and possibly bird, on Earth (though snow petrels, prevalent here, are also a contender for that crown). Gentoo penguins are found here too, and you’ll have chances to spot chinstraps. The legendary Snow Hill Emperor colony lies in this region; while we won’t reach it, we may encounter individual members on the ice. The Weddell Sea is less visited than the Gerlache Strait, not for lack of beauty, but due to its ever-shifting ice. On this voyage, we’ve added an extra day in this area—time enough for a true adventure into this endless wilderness, and to ensure we can fully embrace the dance with the ice. In the Weddell Sea, penguins are our priority—but ice will guide our course. Alongside towering tabular icebergs, we’ll likely encounter vast stretches of sea ice, more than on the Peninsula’s west side. Your Expedition Team and bridge officers will track charts and forecasts, seeking openings to navigate toward the region’s highlights, and intentionally visiting the ice edge to maximize our time in this remarkable environment. Our route will be shaped by sea ice and weather, but every destination— whichever we visit first or last—will be exceptional, evoking words like profound, humbling, and surreal. We’ll make every effort to visit large Adélie penguin colonies—at Brown Bluff, Paulet Island, or Tay Head—ranging from 20,000 to several hundred thousand penguins, including gentoo. Photos and documentaries can’t match the experience of standing before tens of thousands of penguins. The sounds alone—partners calling, chicks crying for parents, wind and waves against the shore, and the distant crack of calving glaciers—create an acoustic landscape of pure wildness. Add the sight of a penguin-covered landscape, and you have an encounter that’s impossible to replicate. The currents of Antarctic and Active sounds are mesmerizing. While you’re in a Zodiac, you may observe ice—large and small—flowing through narrow straits at several kilometers per hour, a raw display of the power of water. From shore, you may glimpse or sense the ice’s movement. Your Zodiac may pass through open water, while your return ride could weave among drifting floes, crackling brash, and scattered bergy bits. The Weddell Sea is known for superb birdwatching—especially cape, snow, and southern giant petrels—and the chance to spot Weddell, crabeater, or leopard seals onshore or catching rides on the drifting ice. Sightings may occur near Adélie colonies or at sites like Kinnes Cove and Active Sound. When ice opens in the Weddell Sea’s northwest, whales follow—lured by the feeding opportunities. Humpbacks and minkes are most common, with occasional killer whales. Conditions may also allow us to explore areas frequented by fin whales, and possibly southern rights. For historians, the Weddell Sea brims with stories—from Shackleton’s legendary Endurance survival and Nordenskjöld’s gallows-humored ordeal on Antarctic to far older histories told by the 60-million-year-old fossils on The Naze, Vega Island, and Cockburn Island. Fossils are discovered here partly because large areas remain relatively snow-free. Volcanic activity has painted these sites—as well as Brown Bluff on the Peninsula’s mainland—in rich reds, burnt oranges, and chocolate browns. In a landscape dominated by white, gray, and blue, these colors add a vivid layer to a region steeped in both human and ancient geological history. This itinerary offers the best of a polar expedition—soak in the vastness of the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Sound from your ship, then get up close to stunning geological formations by Zodiac or kayak.

Days 10 and 11 - At Sea: Homeward-bound across the Drake Passage
Cruising

The journey back across the 800-km (500 mile) Drake Passage provides final opportunities to enjoy the crisp Antarctic air, spend time on the outer deck watching for seabirds and whales, or attending one of our team’s expert-led polar presentations.

Day 12 - Disembark in Ushuaia
Ushuaia, Argentina

Your ship is scheduled to arrive in Ushuaia between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Once the ship has docked, you will bid farewell to your Expedition Team and shipmates before completing your disembarkation. You are then free to take advantage of the included transfer to the airport or, depending on the time of your flight, explore the town on your own and take a taxi to the airport later.

What's Included

Rates Include
  • An official Quark Expeditions parka to keep
  • Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Team, including shore landings and other activities
  • All Zodiac transfers and cruising as per the daily program
  • All shore landings as per the daily program
  • Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping
  • All meals, snacks, soft drinks and juices on board throughout your voyage.
  • Complimentary select beer, wines and cocktails during bar service hours and dinner
  • Complimentary coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock
  • Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled
  • A photographic journal documenting your expedition
  • A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for landings and Zodiac cruising excursions
  • Hair dryer and bathrobes in every cabin
  • Complimentary Wi-Fi service on one device permitting basic Internet browsing, email, posting on social media and voice applications. (Premium packages are available for more data-intensive applications.) Note: Internet access in the polar regions is subject to geography, climate, and other factors beyond our control.
  • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
  • All luggage handling aboard the ship
  • Group arrival transfer in Ushuaia from airport to pre-expedition hotel on Day 1
  • One night’s pre-expedition hotel accommodation in Ushuaia with breakfast. (Note: The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel. Triple rooms may not be available.)
  • Group transfer from hotel to ship on embarkation day
  • Group departure transfer upon disembarkation in Ushuaia from ship to local airport or to luggage.

Not Included

Rates Specifically Do Not Include:
  • International airfare
  • Passport and applicable visa expenses
  • Government arrival and departure taxes not mentioned
  • Government arrival and departure taxes not mentioned
  • Government arrival and departure taxes not mentioned
  • Mandatory waterproof pants for Zodiac landing and cruising excursions, or any other gear not mentioned
  • Laundry, bar, spa services and other personal charges, unless specified
  • Phone charges may vary by location
  • Our basic complimentary Wi-Fi service does not include Premium packages which enable more data-intensive applications
  • Our basic complimentary Wi-Fi service does not include Premium packages which enable more data-intensive applications
  • Additional overnight accommodation
  • Arrival and departure transfers, except where explicitly stated
  • Adventure Options not listed in Included Activities.