Antarctic Peninsula And South Shetlands

8-10 nights from £2,888

You do not have to travel deep into the continent to see and feel the sheer scale and majesty of Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula, a slim finger of land pointing up towards the southernmost tip of South America and defined by mountains considered to be the extension of the Andes, is the ultimate destination of many Antarctic expeditionary cruises.

It is the most accessible and mildest region, adorned with hundreds of tiny islands, and a rich breeding ground for Antarctic wildlife: seabirds, penguins and seals. Ships edge their way south through the slush and abstract patterns formed by the fractured ice and, like the early whalers, visitors may be excited to spot a humpback, orca or Minke or two. Place names recall the early explorers: Neumeyer Channel, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island.

On the way there ships pass close to - or drop anchor at - the South Shetland Islands, much visited long ago by scientists and whalers, where towers of black rock shield the flooded caldera of an active volcano and wildlife abounds.

Travelling by sea, to get here - and to all Antarctic destinations - you must cross through the Drake Passage where conditions range from lake-like placid to stormy, where a multitude of birds are likely to accompany the vessels.

Visits to the Peninsula typically include Port Lockroy, Cuverville Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumeyer Channel , Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay and the Melchior islands. Stops on the South Shetlands may include Deception Island.

Return by ship to Ushuaia.