Discover, Plan & Go!

Our journey to the “White Continent” offers six days of exploration on the incomparably beautiful Antarctic Peninsula and the surrounding islands and waterways. The sights, sounds and emotions will stay in your mind forever — enormous tabular icebergs, hillsides covered with thousands of penguins and the excitement on deck as someone shouts, “Whales!”

Explore the vibrant capital city of Santiago, round Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, and sail past the islands of Tierra del Fuego. Learn about the Lindblad legacy of exploration in Antarctica as you travel with our experienced expedition staff, which includes an Undersea Specialist. Zodiacs and kayaks further our ability to examine this remote wilderness.

Day 1 - Miami/Santiago Chile

Leave Miami this evening on an overnight flight to beautiful Santiago.

Accommodations: Santiago Hotel

Included Meals: none

Day 2 – Santiago

We arrive in Santiago this morning. With the soaring Andes as a backdrop, Santiago makes a spectacular and welcoming first impression — as does our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Santiago, located in a gracious residential neighborhood. The morning is free for resting up or exploring on your own. Santiago offers an intriguing blend of European, Spanish Colonial and innovative modern architecture. Its sun-mellowed facades and stately palms invite leisure walks. After lunch, join a guided excursion of Santiago, including the Presidential Palace and historic cathedral area. We’ll head up into the San Cristobal hills for a panoramic city view, sure to inspire photographers. We return to the Hyatt for a relaxing dinner.

Accommodations: Santiago Hotel

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 3 - Santiago, Ushuaia - Argentina, Embark Ship

The morning's flight offers some fascinating and rare views as we fly over the vividly rugged terrain of Patagonia before landing in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. This windy and desolate outpost is awe inspiring in its starkness. As our luggage is transferred to Endeavour, we'll head to the nearby El Restaurante Relincho for a lunch that includes Argentina's traditional barbecue. Tierra del Fuego National Park at Lapataia Bay is our afternoon destination. Bordering the Beagle Channel, it is home to an array of plants and animals that are rarely seen anywhere else in the world, including the Tierra del Fuego red fox and the chungungo otter. After our walk, return to town and board the Endeavour, your seafaring home for the next several days. As you step aboard, surrounded by Ushuaia's soaring mountains, you'll be aware, in an exciting way, of the fact that you're a long way from home. Settle into your cabin before joining your first dinner onboard. It's time to start our voyage toward Antarctica.

Accommodations: Endeavour

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Days 4-5 - At Sea

We leave Ushuaia with Argentina and Chile behind us, and head to the Drake Passage. Lying between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula, the Drake holds a unique place in maritime lore and legend. From the Endeavour's bridge, observe expert navigation at work as our skilled Captain and officers sail these historic waters. Sometimes misty and gray, other times calm and clear, crossing the legendary Drake Passage is unforgettable — a milestone in any adventurer's personal travel history.

Endeavour's library, gym and guest e-mail station become welcoming haunts. Watching for seabirds on deck in the fresh air, socializing in the Lounge, as well as attending informal lectures given by the naturalists onboard, are among the opportunities that make your time at sea an active and engaging preparation for the adventure ahead.

Accommodations: Endeavour

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Days 6-10 – Antarctica

With nearly 24 hours of daylight at this time of year, we are able to luxuriate in our six days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and its surrounding islands. And what a light it is — ranging from brilliantly blue-skied to the famous "golden hour" light prized by photographers, and the shades of gray, from pearly to pewter.

Our expedition style of travel means that our schedule is completely flexible, adapting to give you the best experience during your time with us. Out there, amid the splendor of the ice, surrounded by penguins and snow-capped mountains, our ship will freely roam in the most spectacular environment on earth. Our expedition team is a veteran one, and their knowledge of Antarctica's waters enables us to take advantage of prime conditions as we find them. Perhaps, to explore an inlet this year that was blocked by ice last season, or drop kayaks in a small cove for a more personal, "penguin level" expedition. Sometimes we're even able to take you places where no one has ever been before — places for which our Captain and Ice Master might make a "mud map" that will eventually be published by maritime authorities as a guide for other mariners. We may also be able to enter Lindblad Cove, named in memory of Lars-Eric Lindblad, a pioneer in Antarctic tourism.

Sail through the incomparable Lemaire Channel, also known as Iceberg Alley, where a hush falls over onlookers as bergs of beauty and scale drift by. Cruise in Zodiacs to make landfall on Deception Island, where we'll walk along the beach, in the shadow of high black hills, through the spectral ruins of an abandoned whaling factory which once employed 100 men. And visiting historical places such as Elephant Island, a name known to anyone familiar with the story of Ernest Shackleton, and his legendary feat — bringing every member of his crew safely back home after the wreck of his expedition ship Endurance and a two-year ordeal.

As we voyage, we'll see all the creatures that thrive in this polar habitat. View seabirds from Pintado Petrels, to albatross with their magnificent wingspans. We may see orcas and minke whales, Weddell seals and fearsome leopard seals. And we will see — penguins. We'll see gentoos, Adélies and chinstraps in unimaginably large numbers, visiting their colonies and observing their antic hunting, gathering and parenting behavior firsthand. We'll be out daily — experiencing Antarctica with all our senses as we walk, cruise in Zodiacs, and paddle kayaks through berg fields, hearing the "Antarctic seltzer" (gases escaping from dissolving icebergs) around us, the cries of the penguins, and the huge, nurturing silence of this perfectly pristine place.

Accommodations: Endeavour

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Days 11 & 12 - At Sea

As we sail back to Ushuaia, an albatross or two may join the avian escort of fulmars, petrels and other seabirds that cross our bow in a mesmerizing, balletic display. There'll be plenty of time to enjoy a massage, log some time in the gym, or catch up on the book you haven't had a minute to read. If you did manage to finish it, you'll find hundreds of others to peruse in Endeavour's extensive library. During our time at sea, our Expedition Leader and naturalists offer talks and presentations that add depth and dimension to your experiences. And our Undersea Specialist will show rare footage of the seldom-seen creatures that inhabit these icy waters.

Accommodations: Endeavour

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 13 - Cape Horn

Today, we round Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. This legendary seafaring spot marks the point where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. Standing on deck, marking our passage through and marveling at this historic, even infamous, locale, the mind plays over what we've seen and where we've been. How comfortably and with what apparent ease we traveled to a place legendary for its hardships and danger. And perhaps, even think: How easy it would be to simply stay put in one's ordinary routine. How enlivening not to do so and to continue to live adventurously — putting oneself in the right place to experience exceptional moments.

Accommodations: Endeavour

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 14 - Ushuaia, Disembark, Santiago

As we disembark in Ushuaia, a location that mere days ago seemed wild and remote, is now, in contrast to the "farness" of Antarctica, cozily familiar. After our time at sea, our visit to the Maritime Museum in Ushuaia will have a richer context. We then proceed to the airport for the flight to Santiago, and the subsequent overnight flight to Miami. br />

Accommodations: n/a

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 15 – Miami

Arrive in Miami at sunrise. As we board connecting flights home, we will each carry vivid memories of our adventure.

Accommodations: n/a

Included Meals: breakfast

Notes on Itinerary: Read this itinerary as a guide only; our exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife we encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition. Visits to research stations depend on final permission.

Single Travelers: We will make arrangements for roommate shares for solo travelers at the double occupancy rate in categories 1 and 2. We match you with a cabin mate(s) of the same gender. Even if we are unable to find a cabin mate for you, no single supplement will be charged.

Land Cost Includes: Roundtrip flight Santiago/Ushuaia/Santiago. One night pre-cruise hotel in Santiago; Shipboard accommodation, meals, shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage; Leadership by experienced expedition staff; Presentations by noted naturalists and other experts; Zodiac cruising and transfers to and from the ship for shore excursions; Comprehensive pre-departure information kit and Antarctica handbook; Group transfers and baggage handling as per itinerary; All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges.

Not Included: Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; meals in Santiago; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (strongly recommended); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for those who have served you aboard (guidelines will be provided).

Payment and Cancellation Policy: A deposit of approximately 10% of your voyage cost per person is required to confirm a reservation with final payment due 90 days prior to departure. All prices and payments are in US dollars and no other currencies can be accepted. A special cancellation policy applies to all Antarctica trips, which is stricter than the AdventureSmith Explorations policy. All requests for cancellations must be received in writing.

Cancellations received 120 days prior to departure are fully refunded less an administrative fee of $250 per person ($150 of which is a Travel Certificate).

-Between 119-90 days, per person deposit amount is forfeited.

-Between 89-60 days, per person cancellation fee of 25% of trip cost.

-Between 59-30 days, per person cancellation fee of 50% of trip cost.

-Between 29-0 days, no refund.

For your party of 8 or more, you will each receive 5% off your expedition. A 10% deposit is due at time of reservation, and an additional 25% is required 120 days in advance. Please see AdventureSmith Explorations Terms and Conditions. We highly recommend our travelers protect their investment with

Accommodations Aboard: The Endeavour accommodates 110-passengers in comfortable twin and triple cabins each with a desk and ample storage space. Public areas include a Lounge and bar with facilities for slide shows and lectures; Library; Swimming pool; Fitness Center; Sauna; Hair Salon; Gift Shop. Views are excellent from the large, open decks and the navigation bridge, where we are always welcome. The chefs produce a varied menu and the comfortable bar is stocked with a good selection of wine. The ship officers and crew are all highly experienced in ice navigation. The atmosphere aboard is relaxed and informal, more like a private expedition than a cruise.

Qualifications: This trip will be enjoyed by anyone who is in good health, has full mobility, and leads an active life. Passengers must be able to navigate the 30-stair gang-way un-assisted both down and up. Daily excursions from the boat will be made in Zodiacs. Trip members will take excursions to specific areas for wildlife observation. Hiking time for most landings will be a couple of hours roundtrip with lots of time to stop to study, photograph and enjoy the flora and fauna. Some landings are dry but many are "wet", requiring cautious footing on slippery rocks. The boat staff will be on hand to assist.

General Information: This trip is subject to AdventureSmith Explorations 'Terms & Conditions'. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A packing list, extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation. We strongly recommend the purchase of Trip Insurance through AdventureSmith Explorations. If purchased within 14 days of sign-up, the pre-existing condition exclusion is waived.

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Call today