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Antarctic Peninsula, March 3-14 2015 Group Trip
11 Nights / 12 Days Basecamp Plancius

Escorted by: Cindi LaRaia

Adventure fans, I am escorting an expedition to Antarctica for the 2015 season! This is for divers & adventurers interested in what Antarctica has to offer and or active folks who love photography, hiking, snowshoeing, camping, kayaking, mountaineering & shore excursions & zodiac cruises! (this is what I will be doing!) This will be onboard M/V Plancius, this amazing vessel will act as a "basecamp" where we start our various activities.

All activities will be conducted by trained expert guides. All adventure activities are free of charge on "Basecamp Plancius" voyages and are included in the package.

*diving has an additional charge.
See the link for "Basecamp Plancius Manual" brochure for further details.

Basecamp Plancius Manual [pdf file]

DATES: March 3-14 2015, 11 Nights / 12 Days

COST:

Type of Cabin	Quadruple Porthole	Triple Porthole	Twin Porthole	Twin Window	Twin Deluxe	Superior
$US	7,800	8,650	9,300	9,800	10,200	11,300
Additional cost for diving: $930.00 per person + need to bring own equipment, no rentals available.

Book NOW: twin window cabin is $9800 pp we only have 3 cabins available for this departure!!!

WEATHER IN MARCH (AUTUMN)

Nightly Darkness returns as the sun sinks farther below the southern horizon, but temperatures are still above zero, though we may experience a touch of Antarctic winter with night frosts, creating beautiful patterns of thin sea ice on the surface. The snow cover is at its minimum allowing for easy and extensive walks in the South Shetland Islands.

• Penguin chicks are in their adolescent state now and quite curious about visitors
• The adult penguins moult and the young go to sea.
• Receding ice allows exploration farthest south along the Antarctic Peninsula
• Spectacular green and pink algae blooms on snow-slopes and ice cliffs
• Whale watching is still very good as the whales are well fed and have now "spare time" to be curious around ships
• Fur seals are now crowding many shorelines, still feeding on krill before returning to their breeding grounds in South Georgia next spring

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Ushuaia - In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

Days 2 & 3: At sea - During these two days we 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 see 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 spot our first icebergs.

Days 4 - 9: Antarctica - We will sail directly to "High Antarctica", passing the Melchior islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. We will sail to the Neumayer Channel, where we position our ship for the multi activity base camp. The protected waters around Wiencke Island will become our playground for all activities. In this alpine environment there are great opportunities to scout the region on foot, per zodiac and during kayak trips. Walkers will find opportunities to use snowshoes on hikes near the shore lines and the mountaineers will find their challenge by climbing hills and view points further inland, i.e. Jabet Peak (540 m). All climbs and excursions can only be conducted in good weather conditions.

We plan to stay two overnights at anchor in order to implement two camp nights and two full activity days. We will visit the British research station and the post office Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. Close to Port Lockroy we may also offer a landing on Jougla Point with Gentoo Penguins and Imperial Shags. We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Booth Island, Pleneau and Petermann Island where we can find Adelie Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags. In this area there are good chances to encounter Humpback Whales, Minke Whales and Fin Whales.

Our second Basecamp night will be erected near the Continent; we choose a camp site which is suitable and close to next day's activity. The mountaineers hope to reach the summit of Mt. Demaria (640 m) at Waddington Bay. A visit to one of the scientific stations in Antarctica will give you an insight about the life of modern Antarcticans working on the White Continent. Further south we may have time to visit the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station, where we will receive a warm welcome from the station crew.

In the afternoon at Neko Harbour we will have the opportunity to set foot on the Antarctic Continent in a magnificent landscape of a huge glacier and enjoy the landscape during zodiac cruises, hikes and kayak excursions. A small group of mountaineers may climb up on higher grounds of the glacier. We will spend the night at Neko or near Paradise Bay with a camp erected ashore. We will leave Neko Harbour in the early morning after breaking our last camp. We sail via Melchior Islands towards the open sea of the Drake Passage. We have again a chance of seeing many seabirds.

Days 10 - 11: At sea - On our way north, we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.

Day 12: Ushuaia - We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.

M/V Plancius

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