4821 Lankershim Blvd. Suite F-479, Los Angeles, CA, 91601
Phone: 818-766-6850
Email: info@1000treks.com
Antarctica!
Location: Antarctica
ONLY TWIN WINDOW CABINS AVAILABLE NOW.
A dream of every travel lover: Antarctica, the ice continent, the southernmost continent on the planet. You have seen (or will see) the other 6 continents, now let's go on a cruise/expedition to experience the 7th and most intriguing one of all!
On this expedition, the ship will cross the Antarctic Circle and we'll go as far south as we can. By the way, we will also be organizing an Arctic expedition soon, so you will be able to brag that you have been to the highest latitudes and lowest latitudes on the plant. We will get to see thousands of penguins, whales, leopard seals and countless other amazing animals, in a land truly like no other in the world. Besides zodiac tours on that expedition, we will be able to go kayaking, hiking camping for a night on land, do the polar plunge (I know, not for everyone, but I think YOU will... ;-)), and scuba dive (experienced dry suit divers only).
DETAILS AND ITINERARY
Ship: m/vPlancius
Embarkation: Ushuaia
Disembarkation: Ushuaia
Language: English speaking voyage
Important: Camping, kayaking and diving are optional activities. Experience with cold-water diving and dry-suit dives (at least 30) is a must!
PLEASE NOTE: All itineraries are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on ice, weather and wild life conditions. Landings are subject to site availability, permissions, and environmental concerns per IAATO regulations. Official sailing plans are scheduled with IAATO prior to the start of the season, but the expedition leader determines the final plan. Flexibility is paramount for expedition cruises. The average cruising speed of the vessel is 10.5 knots.
This Polar Circle and Antarctic Peninsula cruise passes through waters travelled by Humpback, Minke and Fin whales. Anchoring in various spots around the region, the expedition offers the chance to hike, kayak, and dive in the iceberg-heavy waters.
Day 1: End of the world, start of a journey
Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.
Day 2 - 3: Path of the polar explorers
Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.
Day 4 - 9: Sights of late summer Antarctica
Options for Antarctic Peninsula activities are many, and no less great during the late summer. Humpback whales are prolific in this region, gorging themselves on krill before their migration north. The penguin chicks are also fledging, stirring up activity on the beaches while sleek leopard seals lie in wait, poised to attack the less fortunate ones.
Sites for your Antarctic adventures may include:
Livingston Island – Here you find a wide variety of gentoo and chinstrap penguins on Hannah Point, as well as southern giant petrels and elephant seals hauling out onto the beach.
Deception Island – Actually a subducted crater, this island opens into the sea and creates a natural harbor for the ship. Hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and multiple bird species – cape petrels, kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns – can be seen here. Wilson’s storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
Cuverville Island – A small precipitous island nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Rongé Island, Cuverville houses a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas.
Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. You might also be able to set foot on the continent here.
Paradise Bay – You could take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where you have a good chance of seeing humpback and minke whales.
Pléneau & Petermann Islands – If the ice allows it, you may sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There’s also a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales as well as leopard seals.
Crystal Sound – Your journey takes you south along the Argentine Islands to this ice-packed body of water, and from here across the Polar Circle in the morning.
Detaille Island – You may make a landing at an abandoned British research station here, taking in the island’s lofty mountains and imposing glaciers.
Fish Islands – Further north you encounter one of the southernmost Adélie penguin and blue-eyed shag colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Melchior Islands – These islands offer a beautiful landscape rich with icebergs. Leopard seals, crabeater seals, and whales are found here, and there are excellent opportunities for kayaking and diving.
Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Day 10 - 11: Familiar seas, familiar friends
Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.
Day 12: There and back again
Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.
HIGHLIGHTS YOU MIGHT EXPERIENCE
Zodiac Cruising & Shore Program
- Voyage aboard the vessel indicated in the itinerary .
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee, and tea.
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material.
- Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights.
- Pre and post-land arrangements.
- Passports and visa expenses.
- Governmental arrival and departure taxes.
- Meals ashore.
- Travel Insurance (required).
- Excess baggage charges and items of personal nature, such as laundry, bar, beverage charges, and telecommunications charges.
- The customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for the stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
Flights are NOT included. Flights are very easy to book on your own, and some people want to do side trips, so it becomes impractical to include flights. Besides, many of you can use miles or other ways of making your flight free or save money if you book it yourself. So instead of including air, we will give you guidelines as the date approaches so you can book your own.
- Quad porthole cabin (you and 3 more people of the same gender in a cabin): Price= 8,740.00. Deposit=1,748.00 SOLD OUT
- Twin porthole cabin(you and one more person of the same gender in a cabin): Price=10,810.00. Deposit=2,162.00 SOLD OUT
- Twin window cabin (you and one more person of the same gender in a cabin with a large window): Price=11,270.00. Deposit=2,342.00
- Single room (your own cabin with a large window): Price=22,540.00. Deposit=4,508.00
- In order to save you money, we don't add the cost of credit card processing to the price of the trip, so this price is for check, bank transfer, or any form of payment that does not incur a fee. We can take the deposit via credit card, but need the remaining balance to be paid by a direct form of payment. If you want to pay for the remaining balance with a credit card, we can accept it, but have to add a 5% fee.
- A deposit (non-refundable) starts your reservation. Once we receive your deposit, we'll send you a questionnaire and a contract that will need to be returned to us in 72 hours to guarantee your spot. You can read the contract in advance HERE.
- Once you return the filled out questionnaire and signed contract, we will send you an invoice for the remaining amount. You will have until November 25, 2023 (three months before departure) to finish making your payment.
- DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE, NON-TRANSFERRABLE AND NON-MOVABLE FOR THIS TRIP. We normally have a policy of movable deposits on 1000 Treks, but for this trip we're limited to the stipulations of the expedition company. The good news is that final payment will be due only three months before the trip, so you have almost TWO FULL YEARS to make sure you will be able to save, get the time off, get ready, or anything you need in order to make sure you will go. Also, remember, insurance is required for all 1000 Treks trips, so you will have to get insurance. If you get your insurance within 14 days of your deposit, you can get the "cancel for any reason" addition to cover you in case you need to cancel the trip (by the way, we're not giving you insurance advice, or guaranteeing details in regards to insurance, we're just sharing the fact that such option exists for some insurance companies).
- When you make your deposit, you will be asked for your email. MAKE SURE YOU LIST AN EMAIL YOU CHECK DAILY WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PAYMENT. THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL RECEIVE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE, INVOICE, AND ALL THE EMAILS IN REGARDS TO THE TRIP.
- Full payment is only due on November 25, 2023 , three months before the trip. You can make payments in any way you prefer so long as you are fully paid by the due date.
- If you make payments or pay in full before the due date, your payments (minus the deposit) are refundable before the due date. After that, all payments are entirely non-refundable.
- All trips are governed by our comprehensive contract. You should familiarize yourself with it prior to signing up for any of our trips. You can access it by clicking HEREor visiting https://www.1000treks.com/contract/. A link to the contract can also be found at the bottom of all our webpages under "CONTRACT".
- Insurance is REQUIRED. You may purchase insurance with any company you wish, but we require that your policy covers personal injury, death, medical expenses, emergency evacuation and treatment, repatriation, and personal liability, with a minimum coverage of USD$200,000. You will be required to submit proof of insurance no later than (seven) 7 days prior to the start of the trip or you will not be allowed to participate in the Trip and will forfeit all your payments.. Although not part of the requirement, we STRONGLY suggest that you get insurance right away (within 15 days of making your deposit), and that you buy a policy that will cover you in case you need to cancel your trip for any reason.
- Because of the adventurous nature of this expedition, the itinerary and some locations are subject to change due to weather, tides, logistics, and other unforeseen circumstances.
- A passport is required for all international travel. Your passport must be valid for 6 months after your return date. If you don't have a valid passport, or if you passport expires before 6 months after the date you will arrive back in the U.S., make sure to get started on a new one ASAP. Here's the link for the Department of State Passport section: http://travel.state.gov//content/travel/en.html
- The ship sails out of Ushaia, Argentina. As of the time of this posting American citizens don’t need a visa for Argentina. If you have a foreign passport, you may need a visa. Here's the Argentinian Embassy website so you can look into that: https://eeeuu.cancilleria.gob.ar/en. We also recommend that even American citizens periodically check to make sure visa requirements have not changed.
- If you need to take care of any those issues, make sure to get on them ASAP so you don't get held up because of some unexpected delay. We've had people missing trips and losing their money because they waited too long or had unexpected issues come up and couldn't take care of them before the trip started.
- Having a valid passport and all the required visas is your responsibility. Please make sure you have those, and any other necessary issues are resolved well ahead of time. 1000 Leagues Travel and its affiliates are not responsible for any problems resulting from you not taking care of issues ahead of time.
COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS
This trip will happen around a time in which a potential resurgence of COVID-19 could affect our plans. COVID-19 has become a tricky element because of the unpredictable nature of the virus. It appears that insurance companies have been very restrictive on their coverage; we know insurance companies do offer coverage for the Coronavirus at an additional premium, but this still remains limited and with caps on reimbursement. Additionally, local suppliers have found themselves in a difficult situation because they often have to make their plans and respective reservations for different activities in advance. Therefore, all they can possibly offer in case 1000 Treks needs to cancel the trip after the final payment due date is a credit for the exact same trip for next year. At the same time, because of the virus's effect on local economies, we have been able to secure pricing that at any other time would be notably more expensive.
We believe it is extremely unlikely that we will have to cancel this trip altogether, even if there is a resurgence of COVID-19 at that time. However, it is a possibility, and we want to be completely transparent about the possible outcome. We also want to be 100% upfront that there is the possibility that a resurgence and extreme measures similar to the ones taken in response to the initial outbreak may drive some of the suppliers out of business. If that's the case, they may be unable to provide us with credit or services. This could alter the itinerary, or even render the trip impossible to take and without refunds or credits provided for a future date. We will always do our best to make everything happen, and, again, although the outlined scenarios are extremely unlikely to occur, ultimately we cannot guarantee they won't.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all travelers.?Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all travelers. You will be required to show proof of current vaccination and all required boosters of a Center for Disease Control and/or World Health Organization approved vaccine to 1000 Leagues Travel at least seven (7) days before the first day of the Trip, or you will not be allowed to participate in the Trip and will forfeit all your payments. The type of vaccine accepted by different countries might vary, and all our groups will have to comply with all the requirements from all the countries we will be visiting, traveling through, or returning to. Noncompliance with any of the vaccinations requirements at any time may result in your removal from the trip without any refunds or compensation. 1000 Leagues Travel will not be held responsible for any circumstances resulting from failure to provide proof of vaccination.
Proof of a negative COVID-19 test might also be required. All travelers must be ready to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test if required by any of the locations we will be visiting, travelling through, or returning to. Noncompliance may result in your removal from the trip without any refunds or compensation, and furthermore may result in imposed quarantine, which might result in loss of airfare and other financial consequences. 1000 Leagues Travel will not be held responsible for any circumstances resulting from failure to provide a negative COVID-19 test whenever required.
Please refer to section 7 of the contract titled "COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS (“VIRUS”)" for the limitations of our liability.
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2 person cabin please for me and Brooke Ethington
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just gave deposit for 2
michelle johnson
Theresa O is upgrading to a double. She will be may roomate
A dream trip
Marcia & I are interested in finding out more
Bucket list item!
Christos and I
Me and My Daughter
