Welcome to Birdquest

ANTARCTICA, THE FALKLANDS & SOUTH GEORGIA

The Nearest Thing to Another World

Birdquest's Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia birding and wildlife watching tour is a marvellous adventure that takes you to birding's last frontier. Our Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia tour is a feast of birding and marine mammals that you will remember forever, and you don't even have to put up with very cold conditions in order to see it all – it is relatively mild down there at the time we visit.

Saturday 1st November - Saturday 22nd November 2014
(22 days)

Leaders: to be confirmed and Oceanwide Expeditions staff

Group Size Limit: 20 or more

Tour Category: Easy

Antarctica is one of those destinations that bears no comparisons. With some of the most amazing scenery and incredible wildlife spectacles on our planet, scenes such as these King Penguins on Salisbury Plain on South Georgia, have to be seen to be believed! (Nik Borrow)

Antarctica is the last frontier on our ever-shrinking planet, a place that every traveller longs to explore but so few ever see. An uninhabited continent of more that twelve million square kilometres almost entirely encrusted with ice - an awesomely silent but starkly beautiful frozen world. Here some of the most magnificent scenery of all can be seen under the cleanest skies on earth. Towering volcanoes, stark mountain ranges, lowering headlands, icebergs like floating cathedrals - all are enhanced by the peculiar quality of the light, which lends an ethereal beauty to the savage grandeur of the landscapes.

This is a land of superlatives, at one and the same time the coldest, highest, windiest, driest, most barren and least known area on earth. Some 90% of the world’s fresh water is locked up in Antarctica’s icecap, which if it were to melt would cause sea levels to rise over 60m, drowning much of the world’s arable land and hundreds of major cities.

One of the strangest features of this lost continent is the fact that Antarctica is surrounded by the richest oceans of all, thronged with marine life ranging from tiny krill to elephant seals and whales, and supporting enormous numbers of seabirds. The tameness of Antarctica’s seabirds and sea mammals is legendary and this remarkable journey will not only provide numerous opportunities to see albatrosses, petrels, penguins and seals at sea but also see us wandering right amongst their breeding colonies, accepted without question by creatures that have learned no fear of man. Whale-watching is a feature of Antarctic cruises and we are likely to enjoy some spectacular views of these leviathans breaching and sounding right next to our ship.

Our journey starts in earnest at Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world, situated on the windswept shores of Tierra del Fuego. Here we join our ship and sail out into the South Atlantic en route to the Falkland Islands.

After enjoying the attractive scenery and marvellous birdlife of these rugged, wind-swept islands we sail onwards to South Georgia, enjoying some wonderful pelagic seawatching en route. This most mountainous of the sub-Antarctic islands appears like a series of snow-covered peaks rising from the sea, scalloped with fjords carved by more that 150 glaciers. Here we will experience some of the most unforgettable wildlife spectacles of our journey amidst dramatic scenery, walking amidst huge colonies of stately King Penguins, standing close to gigantic Southern Elephant Seals and enjoying superb views of nesting Wandering Albatrosses.

To the south across the Scotia Sea lie the bleak, ice-mantled South Shetlands, home to millions of penguins and petrels. Steaming even further south we come at last to our ultimate goal, the Antarctic Peninsula, an icy finger of land pointing towards South America and first seen by human eyes only last century. Here we will watch seals, penguins and whales amidst the ice floes, visit Adelie and Chinstrap Penguin rookeries, experience the awesome scenery of the ice-choked Antarctic channels, watch Snow Petrels soaring around giant icebergs, and visit the shores of the Antarctic continent itself.

From the Antarctic Peninsula we sail northwards across the deep waters of the Drake Passage to the southernmost tip of South America, where the turbulent waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific meet at lonely Cape Horn, before very reluctantly returning to ‘civilization’ with memories that only a lucky few can ever hope for. A visit to Antarctica is like no other journey on earth; it is indeed about as close to visiting another planet as any of us are likely to get. We can say without hesitation that this is the ultimate wildlife adventure, a wilderness experience that is truly uplifting, that makes the heart sing with the joy of being alive. If you ever have the chance to go to South Georgia and Antarctica then take it, for you will surely never regret it!

Now that the era of the 50-80 passenger Russian expedition ships is sadly passing into history, larger vessels are becoming the norm for expedition cruising. We shall be sailing on the Plancius, a converted Dutch naval vessel operated by the well-respected Oceanwide Expeditions, who are based in The Netherlands. Significantly more comfortable and more modern than the old Russian ships, the Plancius is still not a ‘cruise ship’ in the traditional manner and is designed for exploring wild places and enjoying wild nature, rather than enjoying luxurious surroundings and ‘black-tie’ dinners with the officers.

Plancius can accommodate up to 114 passengers in 53 passenger cabins, all with private toilet and shower. Cabins consist of 4 quad cabins with two lower single beds and two upper single beds, a total of 39 standard twin and deluxe cabins (with two lower single beds) and 10 twin superior cabins (almost 50% larger, with one queen-sized bed). Cabins have storage space and an outside view. Public facilities include restaurant/lecture theatre, an observation lounge/bar with panoramic views, a library and a small shop. Food is plentiful, of good quality, waitress-served and prepared by European, North American or Australasian chefs. The ship carries a small complement of expedition staff who, as well as guiding zodiac cruises and excursions ashore, double up as guest lecturers and give informal talks on the environment, wildlife and history of the areas visited. The bridge is normally open to all (except when the ship is docking) and the big ‘picture’ windows provide a great viewpoint whenever it is too breezy to stand comfortably at the bow.

Much of the sailing is done at night (or what passes for ‘night’ in summer in high latitudes), thus maximizing opportunities for going ashore and enjoying the harsh but beautiful Antarctic landscape to the full. Landings are carried out by means of a fleet of Zodiacs, the rugged, fast-moving inflatables developed by Jacques Cousteau for expedition work which allow safe landings on remote coastlines in all types of conditions. The sheer speed and efficiency with which the crew and expedition staff carry out these landings allows everyone plenty of time ashore, a key factor when considering any cruise of this type. Further information about the cruise, including photographs and details of the ship layout, including cabin layouts, are available on the Oceanwide Expeditions website: www.oceanwide-expeditions.com.

The great advantage of taking this particular cruise, if you are especially interested in seeing Antarctic wildlife in all its glory, is that the itinerary and day to day schedule are strongly wildlife-orientated, and the group will greatly benefit by having an experienced ornithologist guide. There will be more landings made and more time spent ashore in total than is the norm on those Antarctic cruises which cater for those less keen on maximizing time ashore and those less interested in seeing a great deal of the region’s remarkable wildlife. Furthermore, the period November to January is the best time for seeing Antarctic wildlife.

Birdquest has operated tours to Antarctica and the Subantarctic Islands since 1990.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotel in Ushuaia is of normal Birdquest standard. For details of the ship, see the introductory section. Road transport is by small coach and the few roads we will use are fairly good.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are a few optional harder walks.

Climate: Quite mild at this season. Around the Antarctic Peninsula the temperature is generally a little above freezing point (around 4-5°C, or 39-41°F at South Georgia) and on sunny days it can feel relatively warm if there is no wind (but it feels decidedly cold on windy days at sea). Sunny spells are interspersed with (often longer) overcast periods and some rain or snow are to be expected. In southern Argentina and in the Falklands conditions are typically cool, but considerably warmer than further south.

Bird/Sea Mammal Photography: Opportunities are outstanding.

Important: Adverse weather conditions may prevent landings on exposed coasts. It is, however, unusual for more than two or three landings to have to be called off during a cruise. The information given about possible landing sites should be taken as a general indication about what is likely to be achieved: every Antarctic cruise is different, being dependent on the amount of time available, sea and ice conditions, and the weather, and so it is likely that some of the sites visited will be different from those described.

Tour Price: (provisional); For Ushuaia/Ushuaia cruise-only arrangements: $11450 in a quad-berth cabin with private bathroom; $13650 in a twin-berth cabin with porthole and private bathroom; $14190 in a twin-berth cabin with window and private bathroom; $15250 in a deluxe cabin with private bathroom; $16750 in a superior cabin with private bathroom. Supplement for shore-based arrangements at Ushuaia as per the special Birdquest itinerary, including 2 nights accommodation: $760. (Ushuaia/Ushuaia cruise-only prices cover the cruise arrangements from embarkation on the ship at Ushuaia port to disembarkation from the ship at Ushuaia port.) Price includes all transportation, all accommodations, all meals, bottled water during shore-based stays, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants ashore, leader services. Gratuities for the expedition staff and crew are not included in the tour price. Gratuities are entirely at your discretion. The staff work very long hours to make such cruises a success, including a great deal of night sailing, and we have been told that most passengers give gratuities of around US$300-400 for such a 20 days cruise.

Important: Owing to the possibility, however small, of a severe airline delay, we would recommend that all participants who are joining the tour on a ‘cruise-only’ basis have two nights at Ushuaia prior to the cruise. Kindly note that in the event you do not arrive in time, the ship will not wait and neither the cruise operator nor ourselves can make a refund in such circumstances. Arriving early also has the advantage that your luggage could still catch up with you, should it go astray. We can make hotel bookings for you in Ushuaia on request, should you not wish to take our standard pre-cruise land programme in Tierra del Fuego.

Single Cabin/Room Supplement: (provisional): Single occupancy of twin-berth cabins can be obtained in return for an 80% supplement on top of the Ushuaia/Ushuaia cruise-only price (deluxe and superior cabins are available for single occupancy for a 100% supplement). Please note that if you are willing to share but no cabin-mate is available you will not have to pay the single occupancy supplement. Single room supplement in Ushuaia: $130. (Please note that if you are sharing a cabin on board ship but there is no room-mate available at Ushuaia, then you will have to pay the supplement for a single room ashore.)

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (including any single supplement), rounded down to the nearest $.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.