A Classic Antarctica Cruise

Duration 15 days
Ideal time to visit November–March
Price guide
From
  PP
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Book-ended with stays in sultry Buenos Aires, this 15-day Classic Antarctic Peninsula Cruise will take you on an extraordinary journey to the White Continent. On your exhilarating luxury cruise you will discover glittering icebergs and marine life such as penguins, seals and whales. You’ll be lead on exciting expeditions by specialist guides to uncover the secrets of this wild and largely unexplored continent – kayaking and taking a Zodiac to icebergs, and hiking through frozen lands. You’ll return home with memories to last a lifetime.

Trip highlights

  • Join an expert guide on a tour of Buenos Aires, visiting four of its most distinctive districts
  • Experience Argentine Asado
  • Cross the famous Drake Passage, passing the Polar Front
  • Look out for penguins, seals, whales and glittering icebergs in one of the world’s most pristine natural environments
  • Take a Zodiac trip across Neko Bay, at the foot of a huge glacier
  • Visit the small museum at Port Lockroy and send a postcard at the post office

Bespoke trips with Jacada

We design one-of-a-kind journeys incorporating luxury in all its forms. Our bespoke trips include:

  • Luxury accommodation throughout
  • Expert guides throughout
  • Private transfers in Buenos Aires
  • Meticulously selected experiences
  • Expertise and support from your Jacada Concierge
Black and white illustration of two guides pointing to a building in the distance
  • Days 1–3 Buenos Aires
  • Days 3–5 Ushuaia
  • Days 5–14 Cruising Antarctica
  • Days 14–15 Buenos Aires
Classic Antarctica Cruise
Price guide
  PP
  • Days 1–3 Buenos Aires
  • Days 3–5 Ushuaia
  • Days 5–14 Cruising Antarctica
  • Days 14–15 Buenos Aires

Itinerary in detail

Every Jacada trip is tailored to your personal preferences and interests. Below you’ll find a sample itinerary to inspire your own custom-designed journey.

Days 1–3

Two nights in Buenos Aires

Spend your time relaxing and exploring the wonderful city of Buenos Aires. Our concierge will  recommend the top activities, restaurants, bars and shopping neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires so that you can make the most of your time here. We will organise you one of our privately-guided history, culture or art tours, and there are also more specialist experiences that we can arrange, including personal shopping trips, wine tasting and tango lessons. This is one of the world’s greatest cities and you will enjoy every moment of your exclusive stay.

Make it mine

City tour

Asado

Four balconies city tour

This exclusive tour introduces you to four of Buenos Aires’ most distinctive districts, revealing its rich history and culture. Your expert guide will share extensive knowledge as you explore political centres, artist hubs and European-influenced barrios. Begin at Plaza de Mayo, the capital’s political heart, then move to the vibrant artist district of Parque Lezama and La Boca. Next, experience the transformation at Plaza San Martin and Retiro, showcasing 19th-century European architecture. Finally, visit the sophisticated Recoleta neighbourhood, home to the famous Recoleta Cemetery and Evita Peron’s Mausoleum.

Fogón Asado Experience

Discover the Asado tradition with a twist at Fogón, a closed-door dining experience in Palermo. Watch up close as chefs explore new ways of serving Argentine Asado classics using various grill techniques. Enjoy the best cuts of meat and fire-roasted seasonal vegetables. The tasting menu features innovative grill methods and traditional recipes. Sip on a welcome cocktail, water and end your evening with a coffee before continuing to see what the City has in store.

Days 3–5

Two nights in the southern-most city in the world

Your luxury stay in Ushuaia will be action packed. A private local guide will pick you up to give you a tour of this frontier city and take you on a guided boat trip across the Beagle Channel, following in the (watery) footsteps of Charles Darwin on his famous expedition. You’ll also spend time onboard the Austral Fuegino (known as the “train at the end of the world”); a historic, narrow gauge steam train that will take you along a scenic route into the Lapataia National Park. At the end of each day you’ll return to Ushuaia to rest at a top class hotel.

Days 5–14

10-day Antarctica Cruise

Spend your time exploring the magnificent Antarctic Peninsula on your choice of Jacada’s selected luxury expedition cruises. Part of the continent of Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula consists of a 500-mile-long mountain chain and numerous off-lying islands, offering the most dramatic scenery and the biggest variety of wildlife in Antarctica. Penguins, seals, whales and glittering icebergs inhabit these waters and on land, you’ll get to explore one of the world’s most pristine natural environments. There’s an abundance of exhilarating activities to enjoy during your cruise.

 

Your Cruise

The Drake Passage

Your journey to the “White Continent” begins by crossing the famous Drake Passage, considered by many as a rite of passage on a voyage to Antarctica. Named after the celebrated explorer Sir Frances Drake who first sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage extends between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands and takes about 2 days to cross in favorable conditions. You’ll pass the Polar Front, a fascinating area of the sea where waters from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans meet. Keep your eyes open for seabirds and gulls such as albatrosses and petrels. It’s near the South Shetland Islands that you’ll spot your first icebergs.

Neko Bay

At the bottom of Andvord Bay, lies a little corner of paradise at the foot of a huge glacier. Neko Bay is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sites in the Antarctic Peninsula. Wildlife is also abundant here, with seabirds such as gulls, Cape petrels, cormorants, and marine mammals such as seals, orcas and whales. Your guides will take you aboard the Zodiacs to get closer to the icebergs or land nearby to the penguin colonies, to observe a sea leopard, lounging on the beach or watch swoop of the Antarctic Terns.

Port Lockroy

On reaching the small island of Goudier, we will head for Port Lockroy which was discovered by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1903. Originally a base for whaling boats, Port Lockroy became a British base in 1944. Here you’ll find a small museum detailing life on the base in the 1950s and research on Papua penguins. The port is the most visited place of the White Continent and is also the only port with a post office where you can send letters to loved ones. Close to Port Lockroy is Jougla Point where Gentoo penguins and Blue-eyed shags can be found and leopard seals, crabeater seals and whales inhabit the waters.

Deception Island

Nestled in the heart of the Shetland Islands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula, Deception Island is easily recognisable by its horseshoe shape. On the black volcanic sand beaches, the ruins of the abandoned cabins now give way to a rich wildlife. The largest colony of chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula has taken up residence on these beaches. Trips aboard the Zodiacs allow you to land here to observe the 100,000 pairs of penguins, elephant seals and fur seals up close.

Days 14–15

A final night in Buenos Aires

Enjoy your final night back in Argentina’s capital, warming up with a day of exploring this fiery city and an evening of scintillating entertainment in the form of a tango show and dinner at an exclusive venue.