Embark on a 10-night expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula and the remote Weddell Sea, a region of towering icebergs, vast ice shelves, and incredible wildlife. Navigate through dramatic polar landscapes where seals, penguins, and whales thrive in one of the most untouched corners of the planet. Led by expert guides, explore icy channels by Zodiac, step onto the frozen continent for unforgettable hikes, and experience the raw beauty of Antarctica up close. Witness the mesmerizing world of the Weddell Sea, where history, ice, and wildlife create an unforgettable polar adventure.
This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather, sea state and other conditions beyond control.
Antarctica
Classic Antarctica – Discovery and Learning Voyage
11 Days aboard M/V Hondius . From NZD $17,778pp.
Details
Overview
Itinerary Highlights
- Possible visits to Paradise Bay, Neko Harbour and Danco Island
- See Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins living their day to day life
- The opportunity to undertake long hikes that offer a fully immersive experience of the pristine polar landscape
- Come across the multitude of diverse fauna that call the Antarctic peninsula home, including Humpback and Killer Whales, Crabeater Seals and Black-browed Albatross
Itinerary in Brief
- Day 1: Embark ship in Ushuaia
- Day 2-3: Crossing the Drake Passage
- Day 4-5: Exploring the Weddell Sea
- Day 6-7: Orleans Strait and Gerlache Strait
- Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland Islands
- Day 9-10: Return via the Drake Passage
- Day 11: Disembark in Ushuaia
Travelling with Eclipse
Peace of Mind
- Eclipse Travel is Australian owned and run, and an ATAS accredited travel agent.
- 24/7 emergency numbers and local contacts provided for support while you’re abroad.
- We provide all the information you need to organise your visas and vaccinations, making travel preparation stress-free.
- No currency surcharges. Once your deposit is paid, your price is guaranteed.
Specialists
- Our consultants are true destination experts, with firsthand experience and extensive travel in the regions we offer.
- Expect quick, professional responses and dedicated service from our knowledgeable team.
- We conduct regular checks on destinations, hotels, and services to ensure quality for every trip.
Authentic Travel
- Tailor-made itineraries designed around your unique requirements.
- Freedom to select your preferred style and standard of accommodation.
- Unique itineraries that take you beyond the major highlights, immersing you in each location.
- Committed to responsible travel: we reinvest in the environment and local communities across our destinations.
Day 1: Embark ship in Ushuaia
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.
Dinner included.
Day 2–3: Crossing the Drake Passage
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.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 4-5: Exploring the Weddell Sea
Today you enter the wondrous Weddell Sea, a relatively unvisited area in which we hope to carry out activities in Erebus and Terror Gulf. We may also visit such places such as Beak Island and Devil Island, which boast some stunning scenery as well as the pack ice for which the Weddell Sea is famous.
As we continue to explore the area of Erebus and Terror Gulf, we look for new opportunities for landings. You may also visit Vega Island, experiencing the wilderness of Antarctica in its most remote places.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 6-7: Orleans Strait and Gerlache Strait
Now we sail down the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, entering the Orleans Strait and the Gerlache Strait. Here we hope to see humpback and orca whales as we sail toward Mikkelsen Harbor for our afternoon activities.
Sites you may visit include:
Danco Island
Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.
Neko Harbour
An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
Paradise Bay
You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 8: Scenes of South Shetland Islands
The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels).
During our visit, we may visit Deception Island, where the ship can plunge through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.
As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 9–10: Return via the Drake Passage
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.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.
Day 11: Disembark in Ushuaia
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.
This itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change due to weather, sea state and other conditions beyond control.
Breakfast included.
Next Departure Date: 03 Feb 2027
| Dates | Cabin | From | Special Offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Feb 2027 - 13 Feb 2027 | NZD$17778pp | ||
| Quad Porthole Cabin | NZD$17778pp | Contact us | |
| Triple Porthole Cabin | NZD$19907pp | Contact us | |
| Twin Porthole Cabin | NZD$21944pp | Contact us | |
| Twin Window Cabin | NZD$22778pp | Contact us | |
| Twin Deluxe Cabin | NZD$25093pp | Contact us | |
| Superior Cabin | NZD$26481pp | Contact us | |
| Junior Suite | NZD$28148pp | Contact us | |
| Grand Suite with private balcony | NZD$32222pp | Contact us |
**Prices are per person based on twin / shared accommodation.
**Single supplements may apply
Cabin Details
Quad Porthole Cabin
2 portholes, 2 upper & 2 lower berths, small sofa, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe.
Triple Porthole Cabin
2 portholes, 2 lower berths & 1 upper berth, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe.
Twin Porthole Cabin
2 portholes, 2 lower berths, small sofa, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe.
Twin Window Cabin
1 window, 2 lower berths, small sofa, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe.
Twin Deluxe Cabin
2 windows, 2 lower berths, small sofa, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe, minibar
Superior Cabin
2 windows, 1 double bed, small sofa, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe, minibar
Junior Suite
1 double window, 1 double bed, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe, minibar
Grand Suite with private balcony
1 double window, 1 double bed, private balcony, private shower & toilet, flatscreen TV, desk & chair, telephone and wifi, coffee & tea maker, hair dryer, safe, minibar
M/V Hondius Deckplan
Specifications
- Passengers: 170 in 80 cabins
- Staff & crew: Crew 57 | Guides 13 | Doctor 1
- Length: 107.6 meters
- Breadth: 17.6 meters
- Draft: 5.30 meters
- Ice class: Polar Class 6 (equivalent 1A-Super)
- Displacement: 5,590 tonnes
- Propulsion: 2 x ABC main engines; total 4,200 kW
- Speed: 15 knots
What’s included?
- Voyage aboard M/V Hondius
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
- Free internet: daily allowance of 1.5 GB of free internet connectivity
What’s not included?
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights
- Pre- and post- land arrangements.
- Passport and visa expenses.
- Government arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is mandatory).
- Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Price Assurance
At Eclipse Travel, our expert destination knowledge and decades of travel planning experience come at no extra cost to you. While many think booking through a tour operator is more expensive than planning a trip independently, that’s not the case. We’re paid by our travel partners—such as hotels, activity operators, and cruise providers—via commissions, not by our clients.
Our team negotiates the best rates for you and ensures you receive unbiased advice, with no preference for any particular supplier. In fact, where we secure higher commissions, we often pass the savings on to you, giving us a competitive price edge.
Additionally, we lock in exchange rates at the time of your deposit, ensuring no surprise costs when it’s time for final payment. You can rest easy knowing we’ll handle the details with our suppliers. The only exceptions are national park fee increases or fuel surcharges imposed after your booking, though these are rare.
Take advantage of our team’s expertise and let us help you plan the perfect holiday—hassle-free!
Destination: Antarctica
On any cruise to Antarctica you can expect to experience a wide variety of landscapes, unprecedented wildlife viewing opportunities and a healthy mix of historic landing sites. Be astounded by the sensory overload of the huge amount of ice-bergs, glaciers, high mountains and the abundant and tame wildlife.
Downloadable travel guide
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