Wildlife & Landscapes of Antarctica

No matter how well you prepare yourself for a Southern Ocean voyage, Antarctica will surprise and astound, surpassing your expectations! Our Wildlife & Landscapes of Antarctica photography expedition will seem as though it was extracted directly from a nature documentary or the pages of the journals of the great naturalists and explorers.

From the "Southernmost City in the World," our trusty ship enters the historic Beagle Channel in the evening and cruises eastward towards the blue Atlantic. The urbanized world of Ushuaia disappears on the horizon and gives rise to shoreline forests of wind-sculpted southern beech trees, grassy rolling hills and towering snowcapped mountains. At dusk we peer over the bow and see phosphorescent phytoplankton glowing green in the turbulence of our wake.

After leaving the southern tip of South America behind, we are met by squadrons of albatrosses, prions, shearwaters, skuas, gulls and terns that we view from the ship's bridge, lounge, stern and foredeck. Excitement grows along with the number of ship-following seabirds, building to a crescendo as we cross the cold Antarctic Convergence and get our first distant glimpses of colossal icebergs!

Amidst the flotilla of icebergs, we sight land and focus our attention on preparations for the adventure to come. For nature photographers, Antarctica is the gold standard against which all other destinations are measured and we want everyone prepared so we don't miss a single moment. On our Wildlife & Landscapes of Antarctica voyage we visit the small islands of the Antarctic Archipelago as well as setting foot on the frozen continent. Colonies of penguins dwell here in almost uncountable numbers. These represent some of the largest and most spectacular seabird colonies found anywhere on Earth.

In the Weddell Sea, just off the northern tip of the peninsula, lies Paulet Island—a conical volcano with a massive Adélie penguin colony that, in some areas, rises several hundred feet from the island's periphery to its lower slopes. Here, we'll find many penguin-covered icebergs and areas where some of the penguins roost on a picturesque jumble of crystalline ice on shore. At this time of year, birds are incubating eggs and the first of the fuzzy gray chicks are hatching and being carefully brooded by their parents. The colony is still relatively clean (and photogenic) as the chicks are not large enough to broadcast guano on their parents and neighbors!

Along the shore, masses of seagoing birds tumble into the water in an effort to confuse their main predator, the leopard seal. Photography at Paulet can be incredible!

If the wildlife isn't enough, the scenery will bowl you over. The sheer walls of towering icebergs burn chill blue and the slanting “evening” polar light infuses everything in rich pastel tints, sharpening the etchings in the ice. Subtle polychrome “sunsets” last for hours in December, and the moody gray outlines of the serrate maritime peaks can give rise to a spectacular “dawn” that elicits an almost mystical fervor in those who gaze upon them.

Cruising the beautiful Lemaire Channel provides yet another exceptional Antarctic experience. This narrow channel is one of the most visually impressive areas of the Antarctic Peninsula and embodies the quintessential Antarctic landscape in the photographer's mind's eye. At the end of the channel lies Pleneau Island. Here a stunning labyrinth of grounded icebergs offers extraordinary Zodiac cruising. Glistening white, statuesque and architecturally-spectacular bergs stand as sentinels against a clear blue sky, while crabeater, Weddell and leopard seals allow close approach. The day will be dreamlike—and a great way to bring our photo expedition to a close.

Our Wildlife & Landscapes of Antarctica voyage is truly crafted to be a photography travel highlight to one of the ends of the Earth!

When we set out to create this one-of-a-kind expedition voyage, this is the question we asked ourselves most often: What does it take to offer our clients an expedition that draws from our broad experience and avoids some of the pitfalls of other Antarctica voyages?

A few of the attributes that sets our Antarctica Wildlife & Landscapes cruise apart from others are highlighted below.

More Leaders per Client. This may be one of the most important differences between our cruise and others. Why is it important? There are several reasons. First, our clients are very inquisitive and intent on learning photography tips and natural history of the area. With one leader for every 9 clients, you'll have excellent access to leaders when questions arise—and you'll have 8 different leaders to interact with throughout the cruise. Second, other tours often have only 3 or 4 expedition staff members for a group the size of ours, and they often have to double as Zodiac drivers and boat handlers during landings. This means there are extended times when most leaders on other trips are not accessible on shore because they have to ferry clients to and from the ship. Our leaders are always accessible on shore.

Time, Time and More Time! When you've made the effort to travel to a place as remote as Antarctica, you'll want time to explore this spectacular environment at your own pace instead of moving from landing site to landing site to keep a “forced-march” schedule. Our 11-day cruise allows plenty of time to slow down and enjoy each stop along the way. Where possible, we offer extended shore landings without skimping on the number of locations we visit.

Expert Planning with Built-in Flexibility. After operating more than 30 expeditions to Antarctica we have acquired the expertise needed to plan a nature itinerary that is second to none. We know the wildlife hotspots and have included them in our planned itinerary. We also know when and how to be flexible in our itinerary, both to ensure your safety and to take advantage of unexpectedly good weather and wildlife. Unlike other Antarctica itineraries, we try to be as flexible as possible when it benefits our clients.

Smaller Group. Cruise ships carrying 400 or more passengers are more common in Antarctica each year. The logistics of getting such large groups ashore are difficult since IAATO rules only allow a maximum of 100 passengers (including expedition staff) on shore at any location in Antarctica. Even ships carrying 100 passengers cannot bring all their clients and expedition staff on shore simultaneously. With only 77 passengers, 8 expedition staff members, and plenty of Zodiac landing craft, we can get our clients to shore quickly, often, and with minimal hassles. Once ashore, there are fewer in our group so it's much easier to find personal time away from the group (following IAATO guidelines). These days, the trend on many Antarctica cruises is for more shipboard cruising and less time ashore. By contrast we offer as much shore time as we can to allow you the flexibility to explore, photograph and observe wildlife, or return to the ship at your leisure.

Photography and Nature Guides. Whether you're serious about photography, or just want to learn a few tips to take better photos, our photography leaders can help. Darrell Gulin, Wayne Lynch, Joe Van Os, John Shaw, Art Wolfe and James Martin are all professional photographers who have led hundreds of nature photography trips all over the world. Photographing nature and wildlife are our primary goals. And to provide the best in nature interpretation we have three dedicated expert naturalists on board—Chris Edwards and Anna Sutcliffe. They'll help you understand the incredible diversity of life we'll see around the Southern Ocean. And many of the staff are both accomplished interpretive naturalists AND professional photographers.

The Antarctic expedition ship Ushuaia was originally commissioned as the R/V Researcher for the US National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 1995, while in the service of the US government, the ship was the first NOAA vessel to circumnavigate the globe on a scientific voyage carrying out baseline studies to gather data critical for later comparison on the ocean's role in global climate change, the Antarctic ozone hole, and the El Niño phenomenon, among other projects.

Now, as the newly renamed Ushuaia, the 278-foot-long ship has been converted for passenger travel and refurbished as a privately-owned expedition/research/Antarctic supply vessel to accommodate a maximum of 85 passengers and expedition staff in 43 comfortable twin cabins and suites. Navigation and communication equipment have been upgraded and passenger email access on the ship's bridge has also been installed. Cabins on this ice-strengthened polar vessel are nicely appointed and feature two lower berths in the Suite and Superior cabins and some Twin cabins, and upper and lower berths in all others. Depending on the cabin category selected, rooms provide private or semi-private facilities. A desk, wash basin and ample storage space is standard in all cabins. Public areas feature a large dining room, an observation lounge and bar, a conference room with modern multimedia equipment, a well-stocked "Antarctic" library, a changing room and a small infirmary. Because Ushuaia was built in the US, electrical outlets onboard are 110 V/ 60 Hz with American style plugs.

The ship has a large bridge with an open bridge policy. Ushuaia is staffed by an Argentine captain and crew, highly experienced in the art of Antarctic navigation. A large amount of outside deck space is available to passengers for photography, wildlife viewing or gazing at Antarctica's spectacular scenery. A full complement of inflatable Zodiacs is available for use for shore landings and for cruising to view wildlife and explore Antarctica's amazing icy coastline.

 View Ushuaia's deck plan