LIFE IN THE ANTARCTIC
ARCHIPELAGO Once part of a large equatorial land mass that broke off on its own about 180 million years ago – and today the most peaceful place on Earth – the great white continent of Antarctica astounds with glacial landscapes and southern polar wildlife. Cruising aboard Le Soléal or Le Boréal provides the rare opportunity to view these natural wonders up-close, with experts who have spent a lifetime studying them. Due to changing weather and shifting glacial patterns, your day-by-day itinerary will vary depending on conditions present during your visit. Zodiac excursions ashore will include visits to Antarctic Peninsula islands,
Depart for Antarctica from Ushuaia, known as the “End of the World”
you sail these same waters, our team of onboard naturalists begin their presentations on Antarctica’s wildlife, history and geography – helping you to spot seabirds and possibly whales. Anticipation mounts as you approach the Antarctic Convergence, a moving zone where cold Antarctic waters from the south meet warmer currents from the north. Meals BLD
where you’ll find abundant wildlife on beaches and cliffs, and in the waters. You’ll find countless penguins, designed for swimming and with little-to-no fear of humans; they will even spend time observing you! Seals thrive in today’s Antarctic where they have no natural land predators – neither polar bears nor man. And keep an eye out for the magnificent whales who travel here to take advantage of waters filled with enormous quantities of fish, squid and krill.
6 - 10. ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION Your first sighting of the Antarctic Archipelago, where ice, sea, land, and sky effortlessly blend together into a single portrait of spectacular beauty, will be a lifelong memory. While cruising, the Antarctic weather determines your daily schedule so that each departure’s itinerary will differ slightly from the others, but all typically include a visit to one site in the morning and a second site in the afternoon. Landings ashore are preceded by a naturalist’s briefing, providing insights into the discoveries you will make at each site. The landings themselves are guided by our naturalists and lecturers. You’ll explore the world of the fascinating (and highly entertaining) penguin, walking among them on the beaches while observing their rookeries and trails and treks into the sea for food. You’ll have an opportunity to spot numerous seals on ice floes and along the shore and soon learn to identify the many different species of birds at sea and on land. You may find a fur seal or two languidly sunning... their faces endearing with natural smiles, in large part because there are few native predators here. Southern elephant seals, so named for their massive size and the trunk-like nose of the male, prefer to hang out in beach parties; look for them on rocky island shores. By your fourth day cruising the Antarctic Archipelago, you may have passed by Penguin Island – blessed with diverse wildlife such as chinstrap and Adélie penguins, southern giant petrels, Antarctic terns, and skuas – and encountered Hannah Point, one of the best places to see gentoo and macaroni penguins, blue-eyed shags, and Wilson’s storm petrels, with the occasional fur seal or elephant seal among them. Don’t worry if their names sound confusing; you will soon become a pro at identifying the animals with some
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