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DISCLAIMER !
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All itineraries are for
guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and
weather conditions and in order to take advantage of
opportunities to see wildlife.
Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.
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Day 1
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In the afternoon, we embark in
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the picturesque
southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel
and sail through the Beagle Channel.
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Day 2
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At sea, in the westerlies the
ship is followed by several species of albatrosses, storm
petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
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Day 3
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In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
we plan to spend the whole day on New Island offering among
others large colonies of Black-browed Albatrosses,
Rockhopper Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, and Sea Lions.
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Day 4
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In Port Stanley , the capital of
the Falklands, we can experience Falkland culture, which has
some South-American characteristics. In Port Stanley and
surrounding area we can see a quite important number of
stranded clippers from a century ago.
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Day 5 & 6
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At sea, on our way to South
Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. Entering
Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as much as 10
degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the
Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds
near the ship; several species of albatrosses, shearwaters,
petrels, prions and skuas.
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Day 7 - 10
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In South Georgia we shall visit
Grytviken with the abandoned whaling village, where King
Penguins now walk in the streets, and King Edwards Point
with a British garrison and the grave of Shackleton. Fortuna
Bay and Bay of Isles with breeding Wandering Albatrosses on
Albatross Island, and Salisbury Plain with a large colony of
King Penguins are other highlights of the South Georgia
program. We may also visit Elsehul, Right Whale Bay,
Possession Bay, Gold Harbour and Drygalski Fjord to give you
a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and
wildlife, like the introduced Reindeer, Fur Seals, Elephant
Seals, Gentoo Penguins, Macaroni Penguins, Grey-headed
Albatrosses, Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Northern and
Southern Giant Petrels, White-chinned Petrels, several
species of prions and storm petrels, Brown Skuas, Dominican
Gulls, Antarctic Terns, sheathbills and the endemic South
Georgia Pintail.
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Day 11
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At sea, where the ship is again
followed by a multitude of seabirds.
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Day 12
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In the South Orkneys we plan to
call at Laurie Island and may visit the friendly Argentine
base, in which vicinity we can see breeding Southern Giant
Petrels. With permission of the base personnel we may also
visit Punta Cormoran which has an Adelie Penguin colony.
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Day 13
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At sea when we approach the
sea-ice, we may have a chance to see some high-Antarctic
species like Maccormick Skua, Snow Petrel and the elusive
juvenile Emperor Penguin. Chances to encounter Minke Whales
are also increasing when we approach the ice.
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Day 14 - 18
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Our landings in the South
Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula may include
Paulet Island featuring the remains of polar expeditions
from the beginning of the 20th century, and a colony of
hundreds of thousands of Adelie Penguins. Here at the tip of
the Weddell Sea we see the magnificent table icebergs. At
Brown Bluff we may set foot on the Antarctic Continent in a
beautiful volcanic area. At Mikkelsen Harbour at the south
end of Trinity Island we can observe a Gentoo Penguin colony
and Weddell and Fur Seals hauled out on the beach. In the
beautiful Charlotte Bay we may again set foot on the
Antarctic Continent at Portal Point, where Crabeater Seals
have often been seen. Here in the Gerlache Strait we often
see Humpback Whales and Minke Whales. We try to land at
Baily Head (Deception Island), where we are surrounded by
100.000 Chinstrap Penguins like in an amphitheatre. From
here good walkers can walk to Whalers Bay. In Whalers Bay,
we can observe the remains of the Hektor whaling station
from the beginning of the 20th century. We intend to visit
Hannah Point, one of the best wildlife spots in the South
Shetlands, with Giant Petrels, Cape Pigeons, Blue-eyed Shag,
Gentoo Penguins, Chinstrap Penguins, a few Macaroni Penguins
and Elephant Seals.
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Day 19 & 20
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On our way north we are again
followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the
Drake Passage.
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Day 21
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We arrive in the morning in
Ushuaia and disembark.
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Bouvet Island - Solar Eclipse (Ushuaia
- Cape Verdes)
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38 nights / 39
days aboard Aleksey Maryshev
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Embarkation:
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24
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Feb
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2006
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Ushuaia
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Disembarkation:
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03
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Apr
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2006
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Sal, Cape Verdes
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DISCLAIMER !
|
All itineraries are for
guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice and
weather conditions and in order to take advantage of
opportunities to see wildlife.
Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises.
|
|
|
Feb 24, Day 1, Depart Ushuaia
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This afternoon we embark from
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city
in the world located in the shadow of the Andes and right at
the Beagle Channel shore. We sail through this scenic
waterway during the afternoon.
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Feb 25, Day 2, at Sea
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At sea, in the westerlies the
ship is followed by several species of albatrosses and
petrels.
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Feb 26, Day 3, Falkland
Islands
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We spend the whole day on New
Island, with among others, large colonies of Black-browed
Albatrosses, Rockhopper Penguins, and Sea Lions.
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Feb 27, Day 4, Falkland
Islands
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Today we reach Port Stanley, the
beautiful capital of the Falkland Islands. We can experience
Falkland culture, which has some South-American
characteristics as well as Victorian charm. In Stanley and
surrounding area we can see a quite important number of
stranded clippers from a century ago.
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Feb 28 – March 01, Days 5 –
6, at Sea
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At sea, on our way to South
Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. Entering
Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as much as 10
degrees C. Near the Convergence we will see a multitude of
southern seabirds near the ship.
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March 02 – 04, Days 7 - 9,
South Georgia
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In South Georgia, we shall visit
Elsehul, with its very active Fur Seal breeding beach, or
Right Whale Bay. At Grytviken, an abandoned whaling village,
where penguins now walk in the streets, we will also offer a
visit to the Whaling History Museum, as well as to
Shackleton’s grave at King Edwards Point. We will land in
Royal Bay near a large colony of King Penguins and the
remains of the German International Geophysical Year Station
from the 19th century, later we intend to sail to Gold
harbour to visit another King Penguin colony and to see many
Elephant Seals and Fur Seals. We conclude our visit with a
zodiac cruise in the magnificent Drygalskii Fjord and Larsen
Harbour.
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March 05, Day 10, at Sea
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Our vessel now takes us to the
South Sandwich Islands.
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March 06, Day 11, South
Sandwich Islands
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In the rarely visited and
uninhabited South Sandwich Islands (British), we sail by
Zavadovski Island, and we hope to land on the steep-sided
Candlemas Island or Saunders Island. These volcanic islands,
discovered by James Cook in 1775, with an ice cap on the
top, are windswept and often shrouded in mist and fog, but
do offer subtle pleasures. There is a nice variety of flora
(mosses, lichens and flowering grasses) and fauna, such as
Gentoo Penguins, Chinstrap penguins and Southern Giant
Petrels. Elephant Seals and Fur Seals may also haul out at
the beaches.
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March 07 - 09, Days 12 – 14,
at Sea
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In the westerlies we have a
pleasant tailwind. Near the Antarctic Convergence, we
observe many species and great numbers of Antarctic and
sub-Antarctic seabirds.
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March 10 – 11, Days 15 – 16,
BOUVET ISLAND
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We will allocate these two days
for landings at Bouvet Island.Due to the unpredictability of
landings at Bouvet, we are allocating 48 hours to be able to
have multiple opportunities to land at Bouvet Island
(Norwegian territory), another volcano in Antarctic waters
topped by an ice-cap, with a rich fauna of seabirds and
seals near the coasts. At the southwest side of the island
we should have the best opportunities to land at Larsöya and
Kapp Norvegia, which have some protection from the swell
from the west. A third possibility is at Nyröysa, but this
area is more exposed and partly out of bounds; as it is a
nature reserve.
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March 12 -15, Days 17 – 20,
at Sea
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In the westerlies we have side
winds and head winds, which may slow-down our speed. On both
sides of the Antarctic Convergence, we observe many species
and great numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds.
We also get now in more temperate waters with their own
brand of species.
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March 16, Day 21, Gough
Island
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Today we plan to approach the
unique Gough Island for a zodiac cruise along the island, as
always, weather permitting. In 2004 we managed to
circumnavigate all but four miles of the 33-mile
circumference of the island in the ship, and saw spectacular
scenery and an unprecedented abundance of wildlife.
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March 17 – 18, Days 22 – 23,
Tristan da Cunha
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In the Tristan da Cunha
archipelago, we call at the settlement at the west side of
the main island. We will also try to make landings at
Nightingale Island where millions of seabirds ranging from
Yellow-nosed Albatrosses to Brown Noddies reside.
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March 19 – 22, Days 24 – 27,
at Sea
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At sea, as we enter sub-tropical
waters with new species of seabirds and dolphins.
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March 23, Day 28, St Helena
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We sail to St Helena where there
is a good anchorage and landing site. On this island, we
will have ample opportunities to enjoy local culture,
pleasant climate, and endemic plants and birds. We will
visit the place where Napoleon lived in exile. There will be
opportunities to explore the Island on your own.
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March 24 – 25, Days 29 – 30,
at Sea
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As we head north we are for
these two days cruising the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
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March 26 – 27, Days 31 - 32,
Ascension Island, March 28, Day 33, at sea
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Ascension Island – here we come!
This British territory is a dry volcanic island with a moist
and richly vegetated top. The Sooty Tern (wide-awake) colony
sometimes consists of more than 1 million breeding pairs. We
will try to climb the moist summit of Ascension Island and
make a zodiac-cruise around Boatswain Bird Island, where
there is fantastic snorkeling. We may also witness
egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore at night.
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March 29, Day 34, Solar
Eclipse - Equator, March 30 – April 1, Day 35 – 37, at sea
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This day a total Eclipse of the
Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor of about
160 km, which traverses half the Earth. The path of the
Moon’s umbral shadow begins in Brazil and extends across the
Tropical Atlantic to North Africa. In the morning (at 8.45
UTC) our ship will be positioned in the centre of the moon
shadow at 2 degrees, 21 minutes, 6 seconds Southern Latitude
/ 16 degrees, 7 minutes, 2 seconds Western Longitude. The
total Eclipse will last for 2 minutes, 40 seconds at an
altitude of 24 Degrees in an area with virtually guaranteed
open sky. In the evening we cross the Equator and have to
pay our duties to Neptune. At sea, we witness the northbound
spring migration of northern birds, like Arctic Terns and
Long-tailed Skua’s.
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The Cape Verde Islands offer a
variety of nature phenomena and have friendly people. We
land at Praia, on the main island Sao Tiago, where we will
explore the island by bus, making excursions, here and there
during the main part of the day. In the evening we will have
the opportunity to visit a café in Praia with Cape Verdian
music and other expressions of local culture.
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April 03, Day 39, Cape Verdes,
Sal - Disembarkation
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In the early morning, we plan to
sail by Boavista with its satellite islets Curral Velho and
Baluarte, breeding places for Magnificent Frigate-birds,
Brown Boobies, and several species of procellariiformes. In
the afternoon, we disembark on Sal, an extension of the
Sahara desert, where we make a bus excursion to the southern
coast of the island. At midnight (April 04, Day 40) we fly
to Lisboa, or alternatively on April 03 or 04, directly to
the USA. Alternatively passengers can stay onboard and
continue (without expedition staff and programme) to the
Netherlands.
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During
these two days we will sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross
the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up
welling zone. In this area we may meet 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. Near the South Shetland Islands,
we glimpse at the first icebergs.
We
will sail into the Weddell Sea and visit Dundee Island, where we might
have an extensive walk. We also plan to visit Paulet Island with a
million pairs of Adelie Penguins and the remains of the Nordenskiöld
expedition, Seymour Island, where many fossils have been found, and
Snow Hill Island, where polar expeditions as early as 1902 wintered.
We may even reach Cape Longing at the Larsen Ice Shelf. In this area
we meet huge table icebergs from the Ronne Ice Shelf and have good
chances to spot Emperor Penguins on ice floes. When we turn north
again, we visit Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Continent. We sail south
and plan to offer a zodiac cruise around the rarely visited Astrolabe
Island where Antarctic Fulmars, Chinstrap Penguins, Brown Skuas and
Blue-eyed Shags breed and Weddell Seals and Antarctic Fur Seals haul
out. In Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay we reach the southernmost area
of our voyage, where we have again the opportunity to set foot on the
Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers. In
this area we have good chances to see Humpback Whales and Minke
Whales. At Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head with a
colony of ten thousands of Chinstrap Penguins. Deception Island is a
huge volcano of which the crater opens into the sea, creating a
natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned
whaling station, Cape Pigions and Dominican Gulls, Brown and South
Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and
Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station
in Whalers Bay. We continue to Hannah Point, which has a very rich
wildlife featuring Elephant Seals, Cape Pigeons, Southern Giant
Petrels, Macaroni Penguins and Gentoo Penguins.