Transport

2 flights (4hrs); 19 day cruise.

Accommodation

The hotels in Argentina are good, practical mid-range options. Choose from a selection of expedition ships from mid range to first class, which depart throughout the season. This holiday is based on an 18-night cruise. Shorter and longer cruises may also be available.

Meals

Breakfast daily; full board days 4-21.

Guides

We carefully select our local partners, some of whom we have worked with for over 25 years. Their English-speaking guides understand the expectations of our clients very well, and are consistently singled out for praise by the latter on their return.

Summary Of Nights

23 days, 22 nights: Buenos Aires 2; Ushuaia 1; Antarctic cruise 18; Buenos Aires 1.

Optional Excursions

These activities are offered on selected departures:
• Kayaking.
• Camping.
• Scuba diving.
• Hiking.
• Mountaineering.
• Snow-shoeing.
Previous experience is advised or required for some of these activities. It is advisable to pre-book (and pre-pay) any optional activities which are charged for, as many of these have limited numbers and can fill up before the cruise commences.

Budget

Meals on board ship are included. Water, coffee and tea are complimentary but other drinks are charged (depending on ship). You pay for your extras (in US dollars, euros or by credit card) at the end of the cruise. There isn’t much else to pay for on board.

How To Take It

Cash machines are available in all major cities and towns, and so taking a debit or credit card with a PIN number is the most convenient way of withdrawing money while on your trip, and in most shops and restaurants you can also pay by card. However, since cards can get lost, damaged, withheld or blocked, you should not rely exclusively on a card to access funds.

We recommend that additionally you take a reasonable quantity of US dollars cash (no more than is covered by your insurance), which you can exchange into local currency. Dollar bills should be in good condition, soiled or torn bills may be refused. You can take sterling, but the exchange rate is not always competitive or even available, restricting the number of places where you can change money.

On the cruise ship you can pay your bill for extras with a credit card (Most accepted excluding Diner’s Card), in euros or US dollars cash.

For our latest currency advice for Argentina please see our FAQs section.

Currency

The unit of currency in Argentina is the Argentine peso. The ship works with euros and US dollars.

Tipping

Tips are expected and local guides often rely on their tip as a significant proportion of their income.

Most service industry workers will expect a tip of some kind and so it is useful to have an allowance for cruise ship staff, hotel porters, taxi drivers and the like. It is common to leave 10 – 12% in restaurants.It is common to leave 10 – 12% in restaurants. On the cruise, a tip of $US 8-10 per person per day for the crew and guides is considered appropriate. 

Tipping guidelines can be found in our Briefing Dossier.

Insurance

Travel insurance is essential. Make sure your insurance covers you for the full amount if you have to cancel.

Details of our recommended policy can be found on our Travel Insurance page.

Airport Taxes

If you have purchased your flights through Journey Latin America, the international departure tax is usually included in the ticket.

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The cruise ship has well equipped cabins and passengers are welcome on the bridge. This voyage is for flexible, independent-minded travellers looking for an expedition-style experience.

The cruise:
Antarctica is very remote: once committed to your journey, you are at the mercy of the weather and ocean conditions, the melting and freezing of ice-packs, and the movement of icebergs. This is expeditionary cruising: you will be facing the same environmental challenges as the early explorers, albeit in much greater comfort, and with the assistance of modern technology and communications.

You must be in good health generally and you should be able to walk over slippery and rocky terrain for several hours per day. That said, the expedition is ship-based and physically not very demanding. Although you spend as much time as possible ashore, you are welcome to remain aboard the ship if you like. To join most excursions, you must be able to get up and down the steep gangway from the ship to the water level to board the Zodiacs. Staff will assist you in and out of the boats. This will become progressively easier with practice.

There is a doctor on board but if you fall ill while on the cruise or have an accident it could be a long time and maybe an arduous journey before you return to a destination with good medical facilities, so bear this in mind if you have a pre-existing condition.

Climate

Buenos Aires is hottest January-March (very humid with tropical showers, occasionally over 40°C during the day). It can be a bit cooler in November.

Patagonia/Tierra del Fuego is at its best in summer (December-February) when days are long and mild. March and November can be sunny and clear, but it may be windy.

The Falkland Islands and South Georgia have a chilly climate characterised by strong winds, rainfall totals are small. The islands are at their warmest in Jan, the mid-point of the southern summer, averaging 10-15°C. A little-known fact is that the islands are bathed in the same number of sunshine hours as southern England.

Antarctica is visited by ship from late October to March, the southern hemisphere summer. Outside this period days are short and dark. The Peninsula has a typical maritime climate and average temperatures during the cruising season vary between 1°C and -15°C. Antarctica is a desert, so you won’t see much precipitation.

Clothing And Special Equipment

The southern hemisphere summer is hot in Buenos Aires, so take loose-fitting light clothing for maximum comfort at this time. An umbrella is a good idea in case of a tropical shower. Spring and autumn are milder and less predictable.

South America is in general a relaxed continent and you won’t need clothes for formal dining but you may wish to take some smart casual wear if you intend to visit top of the range restaurants.

On the cruise:
Protective clothing is the single most important way of ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable cruise and the key is to dress in layers. For Antarctic landings we recommend a breathable, thermal base layer to wick away perspiration; a warm mid-layer such as a fleece or down sweater and a wind and waterproof (but breathable) outer shell garment. Trousers should have a thermal lining (or wear a base layer of thermal leggings) and you will need waterproof trousers to wear over them. Plus of course warm socks, hat, scarf, gloves and sunglasses. Rubber boots are essential for Antarctic landings; these can be pre-ordered and are loaned on board free of charge. Dress on board ship is informal and it’s sensible to bring a spare change of warm, dry clothing for wearing out on deck between landings.

Please get in touch with the office before departure if you have any doubts. Good equipment is very important and hard to come by in South America.

Vaccinations

Preventative vaccinations are recommended against the following: typhoid; polio; tetanus; hepatitis A. You should consult your GP for specific requirements.

You can also find helpful information on Masta Travel Health website.

Visas

Holders of a full British passport do not require a visa, although passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the trip begins. Anyone with a different nationality should enquire with us or check with the relevant consulate.

If flying to the US, or via the US you will need to fill in your online ESTA application.

Travelling Alone

Cruise ships will accept individuals travelling alone who are willing to share a cabin with a person of the same sex, they will be charged the per person price based on two travelling together. If you prefer your own cabin you can opt to pay a single cabin supplement.

The Nature Of Antarctic Travel

Many factors play a role in shaping the expedition’s progress – the prevailing wind, weather and ice conditions, for example. Ideally, depart the ship by zodiac to explore the peninsula with at least 2 excursions daily – on land, by zodiac or a combination of both, lasting anything between 2-4hrs. There are no man-made jetties in Antarctica so landfalls are ‘wet landings’ where you scramble ashore from the zodiac in wellingtons and waterproofs. You are then free to explore on your own or in groups, before later being picked up again by zodiac. Evenings may be spent relaxing, reliving the days’ events with a briefing or lecture, or out on the deck, keeping an eye on the dramatic, ever-changing scenery. Itineraries will vary from the original plan if conditions demand/permit.

It’s a long time at sea, but the variety and intrinsic fascination of what can be seen is spell-binding.

What To See And When

The theatre of wildlife in Antarctica as a whole displays an ever changing narrative of birth, struggle, pleasure, fulfilment and death. You may witness the comedy of a waddling penguin building its nest, a mother bird feeding its young or reuniting with a returning mate; a wily seal escaping the clutches of a hunting whale.

A large variety of marine birds visit the continent including 17 species of penguin, of which 4 breed in Antarctica (emperor, chinstrap, gentoo and Adélie). Mammals abound here: blue, orca, humpback, minke and southern right whales prowl the chilly ocean, while Weddell, Ross, crab-eater, leopard and elephant seals sprawl on the beaches.

Plant life in Antarctica proper is restricted to lichen, mosses and algae but there are hundreds of colourful varieties of these. There’s a greater range of plant-life thriving on the sub-Antarctic islands: in spring the Falklands are awash with flowers.

What to see as the season unfolds

December – January:
• Long days of summer light, milder temperatures.
• Penguin chicks hatch in the Falklands and South Georgia, then the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Seal pups born on South Georgia and the Falklands.
• Whale sightings increase.

February :
• Excellent whale-watching opportunities.
• Penguin chicks begin to fledge.
• Fur seals increasingly numerous on the Antarctic Peninsula.
• Colourful snow algae break the snow white domination of the landscape.
• Spectacular sunrises and sunsets add a rosy glow to the ice.

Specific to your cruise:

Drake Passage and the Antarctic Convergence: Over 35 species of bird may accompany your crossing. Species include giant petrels, Antarctic fulmars, and the black-browed and wandering albatrosses with wingspans up to 3m.

Falkland Islands:
65 species of birds breed here including 6 species of penguin, 12 of albatross and smaller petrels, over 30 of land-feeding birds. Marine birds form large colonies on the remote western islands. There are no native mammals: introduced species include rabbits, foxes, otters, guanacos and domestic and farm animals. The coasts are frequented by Southern sea-lions, Falkland Islands fur seals, and elephant seals. The harbours host leopard seals, killer whales, pilot whales, several species of dolphins and spectacled porpoises.

South Georgia:

Breeding colonies of King, gentoo and macaroni penguins are to be found. Adélie, chinstrap, Magallenic and rockhopper penguins may also be spotted, with Antarctic giant petrels, snow petrels, snowy sheathbills, Antarctic and slender-billed prions, albatrosses and mollymawks. Elephant seals and over a million fur seals breed on the beaches, while leopard seals hunt around the penguin colonies.

South Shetland Islands:
Visitors include chinstrap, gentoo, macaroni and Adélie penguins; giant petrels, Wilson’s and black-bellied storm petrels, brown and south polar skuas, Cape pigeons, Antarctic terns, blue-eyed shags, Dominican gulls, elephant, fur,
leopard and crab-eater seals; humpback, minke and orca (killer) whales remain offshore.

Antarctic Peninsula:
Chinstrap, gentoo and Adélie penguins abound. Breeding birds include skuas, Antarctic terns, giant petrels, snowy sheathbills, Antarctic shags, kelp gulls, Wilson’s storm, Antarctic and snow petrels.