Weddell Sea Explorer
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Expedition Notes WEDDELL SEA EXPLORER CHILE Atlantic Ocean Stanley ARGENTINA Welcome! Falkland Islands/ Malvinas Punta Arenas Ushuaia South Thank you for choosing Aurora Expeditions for your voyage to the Georgia Puerto Williams Island Weddell Sea and the Antarctic Peninsula. Drake Passage These notes have been designed to help you prepare for your upcoming King Elephant South George Island Orkney expedition and what you are likely to experience. Our emphasis is on Island Islands Livingston lands unique wildlife encounters, exploring pristine landscapes, visiting sites Island nd Is etla Sh uth So of historical and scientific significance. Your safety is our priority, closely Deception Island followed by showing you the best Antarctic experience possible! Weddell Sea Lemaire ANTARCTIC Please remember that the enclosed itinerary is merely a guide. All of our Channel PENINSULA ANTARC TIC CI RCLE voyages are expeditionary, which means no two voyages are ever the same and there is always an element of the unexpected. Our itineraries will vary due to weather and sea conditions, as well as to take advantage Voyage Code: ANP114 of spontaneous opportunities and impromptu wildlife displays. Dates: 7 to 18 February 2017 Please take the time to read this pre-departure information prior to Duration: 11 nights / 12 days departing for your voyage. If you have any further questions or wish to Embark: Punta Arenas book flights, accommodation, tours and transfers not included with the Disembark: Ushuaia voyage, please do not hesitate to contact your dedicated Reservations Ship: Polar Pioneer Consultant or your travel agent. Important information Aurora Expeditions NEW! Complimentary Terms and Conditions Please read our terms and P +61 2 9252 1033 Polar Jacket for every passenger! conditions carefully to ensure you understand what F +61 2 9252 1373 is included in the voyage cost as well as any fees that E [email protected] may be applicable in case you are required to cancel your voyage. Itinerary overview Day 1 Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams Please remember that the enclosed itinerary is merely a guide. While every effort will be made Days 2-3 Drake Passage to follow the itinerary provided, in the event of Days 4-6 Weddell Sea political problems or natural disturbances which Days 7-9 Antarctic Peninsula are beyond our control and prevent our travelling Days 10 -11 Drake Passage to a particular area, we reserve the right to Day 12 Ushuaia substitute an alternative activity for that section of the voyage. It is unlikely to happen, but itineraries are subject to change and this is all part of the adventure of travelling. PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION Cruising to the heart of nature 1 Expedition Notes WEDDELL SEA EXPLORER Voyage Highlights • Accommodation during the voyage Puerto Williams • All meals, snacks, tea and coffee during the voyage • Spend time exploring the southern-most town in the world • All shore excursions and Zodiac (inflatable boat) cruises • Visit the UNESCO declared Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve • Educational lectures and guiding services from our expert • Enjoy a guided walk to Brass Waterfall for view of the expert team Beagle Channels • Access to our on board doctor and basic medical services • Visit Puerto Williams' Macalvi Yacht Club and enjoy time to • Free gumboot hire during the voyage explore the town and museum • Daily cabin service • Absorb the birds’ eye view over the breathtaking landscape • An Aurora Expeditions' multi-purpose waterproof jacket of Cordillera Darwin with its magnificent glaciers, narrow • Comprehensive pre-departure information austral channels and hidden coloured lagoons. • Professionally produced voyage journal (one per booking) Antarctica • Port taxes and charges All entry fees to historic landings sites. • Explore the most accessible & wildlife-rich region of Antarctica • • Daily shore visits and Zodiac cruises offer close encounters with penguins, whales, seals and sea birds Voyage Exclusions • Visit historic research huts and working scientific stations • International or domestic flights to or from ship, unless specified • Witness amazing geological sites and ancient fossils • Transfers not mentioned in the itinerary • Be surrounded by massive icebergs and cruise past glaciers • Airport arrival or departure taxes • Enjoy the pristine beauty and vast landscapes • Visa, passport, and vaccination charges • Witness the endless sunlight of the midnight sun • Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges • Learn about Antarctica’s unique geology, history and wildlife • Hotels and meals not included in itinerary from our expert team • Optional excursions not included in the itinerary • Kayakers will glide through narrow sheltered waterways and • Optional activity surcharge. Please contact us if you wish fjords, paddle amongst ice floes and drift quietly alongside to book any optional activities, such as sea kayaking wildlife. • All items of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, laundry services, Complimentary Polar Jacket personal clothing, medical expenses, gratuities, and email or phone charges. NEW! Each passenger will receive their very own Aurora Expeditions waterproof multi-purpose jacket to use on your voyage. You will receive a link via email prior to your departure to Getting To and From Your Voyage view sizing options and to order your jacket, which will be ready Our Reservations Consultants or your travel agent can assist you and waiting for you at the start of your voyage. with booking your flights to and from your voyage, as well as any additional pre and post touring options around South America. Voyage Inclusions To discuss your options or for a quote contact your travel agent or Aurora Expeditions on +61 2 9252 1033 or free call (Australia only) • Flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams 1800 637 688 or email us to [email protected] • Transfer from Puerto Williams airport to Polar Pioneer, including Puerto Williams town and surrounds tour. PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION Cruising to the heart of nature 2 Expedition Notes WEDDELL SEA EXPLORER Flights Detailed Itinerary For international flights please ensure you arrive at the airport Please Note: Itinerary may endure changes depending on at least three hours before your scheduled flight. For domestic weather, ice conditions and the movements of other vessels. flights please arrive at least two hours before your flight. Day 1 - Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams Please check with your Reservations Consultant or travel agent Expeditioners will gather in Punta Arenas, Chile. Punta Arenas regarding your airline’s baggage allowance. is the southern-most city on Earth, overlooking the Straits of Arriving in Punta Arenas Magellan. Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes, We strongly recommend you arrive into Punta Arenas the day its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas prior to your voyage departure date to avoid any possible flight enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, or luggage delays. To organise any accommodation, transfers or when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the tours in Chile contact your travel agent or Aurora Expeditions on port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama +61 2 9252 1033 or free call (Australia only) 1800 637 688 or email Canal, the city reached even greater prosperity early in this [email protected] century as the center of Chile's international wool trade. Our preferred hotel in Punta Arenas is: Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English Hotel Cabo de Hornos sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly Plaza Muñoz Gamero 1025 fascinating testament to Chile's rich history. Punta Arenas is also Punta Arenas, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena the starting point for excursions to some of the most spectacular 6200000, Chile scenery in the world. www.hotelcabodehornos.com The best spot to gain an introduction to Punta Arenas is the Cerro Please contact us for rates. La Cruz promontory, which provides breathtaking views of the city's orderly streets, colourful tin roofs, and the strait beyond. Departing Ushuaia Among the city's most interesting attractions are the Museo Please note that onward flights are not to be booked from Salesiano de Mayonino Borgatello, started by an order of Italian Ushuaia prior to 12 noon on the day of disembarkation. To missionaries, and the Centro Cultural Braun-Menendèz, housed organise any additional accommodation, transfers or tours in the mansion of one of the city's most prosperous families. The in Ushuaia post-voyage contact your travel agent or Aurora museum provides visitors with an extraordinary and eclectic Expeditions on +61 2 9252 1033 or free call (Australia only) introduction to virtually every aspect of the region. Its collection, 1800 637 688 or email [email protected] accumulated by the missionaries during their extensive travels in Departure Tax the area, is composed of artifacts of all sorts-from ceramics to rare You will be required to pay approximately US$20 departure tax at animal species The Centro Cultural is equally engaging, offering the airport in Ushuaia. You may also be subject to an international an intimate glimpse of the life of a prosperous Punta Arenas airport departure tax of approximately US$30, which may or may trading family. Furnished with fine European antiques, Italian not be included in your ticket price. Departure tax payments and marble floors, and grand ceiling frescos, this grand mansion gives procedures may vary during the season and may vary from the a good indication of the economic stature of Punta Arenas before time of issue of this information. the Panama Canal was completed. PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION Cruising to the heart of nature 3 Expedition Notes WEDDELL SEA EXPLORER Our midday charter flight from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams Kayakers will be introduced to their waterproof drysuits and will take approximately thirty-five minutes. The flight will provide be briefed for their paddling adventures.