UNEXPLORED WESTERN ANTARCTICA
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ITINERARY SUMMARY
| Day | Place | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Santiago, Chile | Spend the night before your flight to Ushuaia |
| Day 2 | Ushuaia, Argentina | Embark the Le Commandant Charcot from “El fin del mundo” |
| Days 3 - 4 | At Sea | Cross the Drake Passage, familiarise yourself with the ship |
| Days 5 - 6 | Antarctic Circle, Antarctic Peninsula and Marguerite Bay | Cross 66°33’ south of the Equator, magical landscapes, exceptional wildlife |
| Day 7 | Charcot Island | Entirely covered in ice and sheer cliffs, seabirds such as petrels, Antarctic terns and skuas |
| Days 8 - 10 | At Sea | Enjoy onboard lectures, make the most of the luxurious amenities |
| Days 11 - 16 | Marie Byrd Land | Incredibly remote, ice-sculpted landscapes, penguins, seals, whales and orcas |
| Days 17 - 18 | At Sea | Look for wildlife from the observation decks, cross the International Date Line |
| Days 19 - 24 | Ross Sea Region | Ross Ice Shelf, Cape Adare, Terra Nova Bay, Inexpressible Island, incredible explorer history |
| Day 25 | Balleny Islands | Remote series of islands, prolific wildlife, many species of whales, seals and penguins |
| Days 26 - 29 | At Sea | Reflect on your journey as it comes to an end |
| Days 30 - 31 | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | Disembark the Le Commandant Charcot |
SHIP OFFERING THIS ITINERARY
Le Commandant Charcot
Hailing as the world’s first hybrid luxury polar exploration vessel, the Le Commandant Charcot combines the top tier of luxury with sustainable development at the heart of the design. Equipped with 135 luxury staterooms featuring elegant and warm stone, wood and leather detailing’s to reflect the natural environment that the ship will be sailing in, the Le Commandant Charcot is setting a new level for opulence in the polar regions. Guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to relax and unwind on-board with an abundance of social areas to choose from ranging from two pools (indoor and outdoor), a beauty corner, theater, three different lounges, multiple reception areas and different restaurants to choose from.
Day 1 Santiago, Chile
Spend the night at a hotel in Santiago (as per the complimentary package), preparing for your flight to Ushuaia the following day and the incredible adventure to come.
Day 2 Ushuaia
Capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the gateway to the White Continent and the South Pole. Nicknamed “El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely and the inaccessible.
Days 3 – 4 At Sea
Use your days spent in the Drake Passage to familiarise yourself with your ship and deepen your knowledge of the Antarctic. The Expedition Leader will first present the IAATO rules of conduct that must be observed during landings in the region and will explain everything you need to know about the Zodiac outings. Lectures about the history and wildlife of the Antarctic will be an opportunity for you to learn more about this magical region, where every cruise is a unique experience. From the ship’s bridge, you will experience exceptional sailing moments before joining the naturalist-guides on your ship’s exterior decks to look out for albatrosses, cape petrels, and other seabirds flying over the Drake Passage.
Days 5 – 6 Antarctic Circle, Antarctic Peninsula and Marguerite Bay
Weather permitting, cross the mythic line of the Antarctic Polar Circle, located along 66°33’ south of the Equator. This iconic area demarcates the point from which it is possible to view the midnight sun during the December solstice. Within this circle, the sun remains above the horizon for 24 consecutive hours at least once a year. Crossing this line, an experience known to few people, is sure to be an unforgettable highlight of your cruise through the polar regions.
Succumb to the magic of a place unlike any other. Find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. Penguins, humpback whales, seals and giant petrels are at home here, as are elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic minke whales, and orcas.
Each day, based on ice conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader will suggest zodiac outings or landings to discover the infinite riches of the Antarctic Peninsula. Glaciers, ice floe, tabletop icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge straight into the sea, volcanic beaches, research stations, enchanting bays, and vestiges of the whaling industry: these are the faces of the Antarctic that will likely reveal themselves to you.
The icebergs are each more majestic than the next and scattered around the deep and intense blue waters of Marguerite Bay, one of the most beautiful regions in the Antarctic. It is delimited in the north by the mountainous Adelaide Island, in the south by George VI Sound and Alexander Island, and in the east by the Fallières Coast. Charcot named it after his wife during his second expedition to the Antarctic between 1908 and 1910. In 1909, in the southern summer when the skies are at their clearest, he led an important scientific mission to map and study this region. The bay is home to a number of cetaceans and you may get the chance to observe leopard seals or Adelie penguins.
Day 7 Charcot Island
When he discovered this island surrounded by sea ice in 1910 from aboard the Pourquoi Pas?, Jean-Baptiste Charcot had not be able to get less than 40 miles away from it. Situated in a zone that experiences frequent low-pressure systems and regular cloud cover, the island remains in many ways an enigma. It is entirely covered in ice and sheer cliffs, with the exception of the rocky outcrops extending over a dozen kilometres in the far north-west. The ice in the narrowest part of Wilkins Sound has been cracking in recent times, thus officially detaching this island from its neighbour, Alexander Island, lying 50 km away. Very few people have landed on this largely untouched island, whose waters attract numerous seabirds, such as petrels, Antarctic terns and skuas.
Days 8 – 10 At Sea
Spend exceptional moments sailing aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel and the first PC2-class polar cruise ship capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, on seas and oceans which the frozen conditions render inaccessible to ordinary ships. Le Commandant Charcot is fitted with oceanographic and scientific equipment selected by a committee of experts. Take advantage of the on-board lectures and opportunities for discussion with these specialists to learn more about the poles.
Days 11 – 16 Marie Byrd Land
Marie Byrd Land is one of the most remote territories of our planet’s most inaccessible continent. Between the Ross Sea and its large shelf to the east and Bellingshausen Sea to the west, the frozen coastlines of these lands are bordered by the Amundsen Sea, partially covered by a thick ice floe. Stretching over more than a million km2 in Western Antarctica, its ground is also isolated from the rest of the continent by the Transantarctic Mountains. It is certainly this geographic remoteness and its harsh climate that have made it one of our planet’s rare Terra nullius, a territory claimed by no State. The exploration of its ice-sculpted landscapes will plunge you into the infinite Antarctic desert, where penguins, seals, whales and orcas are the only living souls.
Day 17 – 18 At Sea
Spend exceptional moments sailing aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel and the first PC2-class polar cruise ship capable of sailing into the very heart of the ice, on seas and oceans which the frozen conditions render inaccessible to ordinary ships.
Cross the International Date Line. This imaginary line across the Earth’s surface approximately follows the 180th meridian in the Pacific Ocean. Because of the roundness of the Earth and the necessity of having reference time meridians, you have to change dates when you cross this line. If your ship is travelling west, you will need to add a day to the expected date; conversely, if travelling east, you will take away a day.
Days 19 – 24 Ross Sea Region
The Ross Sea, the southernmost sea in the world, owes its name to Sir James Clark Ross, both a naturalist and a Royal Navy officer, who first explored the area in 1841 with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. It is bounded on the east by Roosevelt Island and the Edward VII Peninsula in Mary Byrd Land, on the west by Ross Island and the coastal mountains of Victoria Land, and on the south by the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica located some 320 km from the geographic South Pole. The history and treasures of the world’s ultimate marine sanctuary will be revealed during this extraordinary expedition.
Weather and ice conditions permitting, some of the possible stopovers are as follows: Cape Adare, Terra Nova Bay, Drygalski Ice Tongue, Inexpressible Island, Ross Island, Cape Royds, and Franklin Island.
Day 25 Balleny Islands
The Balleny Islands are an extremely remote series of islands extending for about 160 kilometres in a northwest-southeast direction straddling the Antarctic Circle some 270 kilometres north of the Antarctic mainland. The volcanic islands are heavily glaciated and have received few human visitors since their discovery in 1839. Their isolated location within the rich waters of the Southern Ocean has resulted in a species diversity rivalling the entire Ross Sea region. Humpback, fin and minke whales are regular visitors to the rich feeding grounds along with Crabeater, Weddell, elephant and leopard seals. Several of the islands are home to significant colonies of Adélie and Chinstrap penguins.
Days 26 – 29 At Sea
Enjoy the incredible amenities onboard Le Commandant Charcot as your journey draws to a close. Look for birds from the observation decks, attend lectures, edit photographs, and chat to newfound friends as the ship nears Australia.
Days 30 – 31 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Disembark in Hobart. Hobart occupies a wonderful location at the mouth of the Derwent River, overseen by majestic Mt Wellington and surrounded by natural bushland. The Tasmanian capital is Australia’s second-oldest city, after Sydney, and the picturesque waterfront is bordered by 19th-century warehouses and colonial mansions. Salamanca Place is packed with shops, galleries and restaurants and the fascinating Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is a short ferry ride from the quay. Hobart is within easy reach of some of Tasmania’s best-known destinations, from historic Port Arthur and the rugged Tasman Peninsula to Bruny Island, the Huon and Derwent Valleys and Mount Field National Park.