The Weddell Sea Explorer Basecamp cruise offers you a myriad of ways to explore and enjoy the wildlife-rich Weddell Sea. This expedition allows you to hike, snowshoe, kayak, go mountaineering, and even camp out under the Southern Polar skies.

Highlights

Photo Workshop
On select voyages, professional photographers will help you get the most out of your personal camera equipment

Mountaineering
Ascend the heights to enjoy spectacular views of the polar surroundings

Antarctic Camping
Few things get you closer to the Antarctic expedition experience than making camp, settling into your bivouac bag, and sleeping under the Southern Hemisphere stars

Kayaking
Kayaking is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in the beautiful blue-and-white world of the peaceful polar seas

Icebergs
Slabs of frozen fresh water, icebergs are the free-floating offspring of glaciers and ice shelves

Adelie Penguin
These gallant-fighting, deep-diving namesakes of the French-claimed Antarctic Adélie Land are among the four penguin species on mainland Antarctica

Fin Whale
Akin to their blue whale relatives both in size and the low frequency of their song, these “razorbacks” have asymmetrically colored faces thought to help them while hunting

Weddell Seal
Named after the British navigator and sailor James Weddell, these extensively studied seals live farther south than any other mammal

Map/Itinerary

Day 1Ushuaia: End of the world, start of a journey

Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Day 2-3Path of the polar explorers

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

Day 4-10Entering the Weddell Sea

The great Weddell Sea features massive tabular icebergs, wildly dramatic landscapes, and fascinating historical sites. It is also one of the best places in Antarctica for viewing iconic wildlife like whales, seals, and rarely seen seabirds.

We may visit the following locations, depending on local conditions:

Antarctic Sound – Antarctic Sound is nicknamed “Iceberg Alley,” as we often see enormous tabular icebergs here.

Brown Bluff – Possibly the most scenic location in the northern Antarctic Continent, Brown Bluff is characterized by sheer canyon walls, fallen boulders, and beautiful volcanic creations capped with ice.

Herbert Sound – We will focus our attention on the visually impressive areas of Naze Peninsula and Comb Ridge.

Devil Island – This island offers a magnificent vantage point for hikers willing to foot it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes forms a waterfall dropping from the cliffs close to Cape Well-met.

Erebus and Terror Gulf – Here we look for new activity opportunities and may visit Vega Island, experiencing the wilderness of Antarctica in its most remote places.

Day 11-12Familiar seas, familiar friends

Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Day 13Ushuaia: There and back again

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.

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