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Home , Wildlife of Antarctica

PRISTINE ABOARD THE MV HONDIUS

Explore Antarctica early in the season. This magical time allows to admire vast swathes of , a large quantity of expanded icebergs and an abundance of wildlife such as , seals and .

DEPARTS: 22 NOV 2019 DURATION: 11 DAYS Highlights and inclusions: Sail aboard the MV Hondius for an expedition cruise in waters. This new brand vessel is available for the first time from 2019 and is one of the strongest ice-strenghtened vessels in the Polar regions. Explore deep into the White Continent and encounter an incredible variety of wildlife. Wander on the spectacular shores of the , completely blanketed in pure white snow. Take advantage of the early season and admire large quantities of extensive icebergs, glaciated mountains and volcanoes. Enjoy regular zodiac excursions and on-shore landings. Benefit from a variety of on-board activities including educational lectures on the history, geology and ecology by the expedition team. Enjoy the amenities on board including expedition lounge, restaurant, bar, pool, jacuzzi, library, gym and sauna. Your cruise is full-board including all breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Take advantage of optional activities during the voyage such as kayaking, camping and snowshoeing. See below for more information. PRISTINE ANTARCTICA

collide with warmer seas. Not only does the DAY 1: ARRIVE USHUAIA marine life change, the avian life changes too: a variety of albatrosses and show up, along with Cape pigeons On arrival, please make your way through to the arrivals hall and southern fulmars. Then, near the South Shetlands where our representative will be waiting for you to transfer Islands, the first icebergs flash into sight – always an you to your hotel. They will be holding a sign with your name exciting moment for those aboard. on it. Should you not be able to locate them, please refer to the front of your itinerary for emergency contact details of Our lecture program will commence during this time and our representative office. continue for the duration of the cruise. Be prepared to be astounded by legendary tales, find out more about the There will be an evening a briefing at 7:30pm to run through unique flora and fauna of this part of the world, and learn details of embarkation the following day. Ushuaia is the about the geology of the Antarctic. most southerly city in the world and the capital of Tierra del Fuego, with a dramatic setting overlooking the Beagle Channel, surrounded by mountains. It is a major port for DAYS 5-8: ENTER THE ANTARCTIC Antarctic bound vessels and an interesting city to explore. We arrive to Antarctica. The world’s most pristine wilderness. Grey stone peaks greet us, sketched with snow, DAY 2: EMBARKATION towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. This morning is free for you to explore Ushuaia and pick up any essential supplies before boarding the ship in the mid- afternoon. Highlights of Ushuaia include the award-winning You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Museo Marítimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia, (Maritime & Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Prison of Ushuaia Museum), located in Ushuaia’s former Islands. Sites you may visit during your time here include: prison, in buildings dating back to 1906, and nearby Tierra Cuverville Island – Stabbing up between Rongé Island and del Fuego National Park that can be reached by the “End the Peninsula, Cuverville houses a colony of several thousand of the World Train”. Stroll along the main street of Avenida gentoo penguins, as well as breeding brown . San Martin with its many cafes, shops and restaurants, – Activities here may focus on the gentoo explore the Argentinean leather markets and maybe taste penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and a succulent lamb dish for which Patagonia is famous. crabeater seals that may be found nearby. Crystal Sound – If conditions permit, you may enjoy a landing This afternoon, you will be transferred together with your in this ice-packed body of water. fellow expeditioners to the pier to board your vessel. On – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, embarkation you will meet the expedition crew and be we may get a chance to visit the former British research shown to your suite. In the early evening we sail down station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on the majestic Beagle Channel past magellanic , Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities rock cormorant and sea lion colonies as we head towards around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue- Antarctica. We will enter the legendary Drake Passage just eyed shags. There are great opportunities for kayaking and after midnight. camping here. Paradise Bay – You may be able to walk on the Continent DAYS 3-4: PATH OF THE POLAR EXPLORERS again at this location, or to take a Zodiac cruise in the sprawling, ice-flecked waters. Here you have a good chance of Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you catch a seeing humpback and minke whales. taste of life from the perspective of the polar explorers who & Guvernøren – A great place to spot first braved these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling waves, humpback whales, and you also may embark on a Zodiac maybe even a fin whale blasting up a column of sea spray. cruise. Around the ghostly wreck of Guvernøren, a vessel that caught fire here in 1915. Around the Melchior After passing the – Antarctica’s Islands you may encounter even more whales, Leopard seals, natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters and Crabeater seals. PRISTINE ANTARCTICA

King George Island – Heading to the South Shetlands, the aim is a landing at the Chinese Great Wall Station. There are Russia, Argentine & Uruguayan research stations in area. Onboard your adventure you will have plenty of free time, as well as enjoy some fantastic famed Chimu hospitality!

DAYS 9-10: RETURN VIA THE DRAKE PASSAGE

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.

The return crossing is always a great time to relive the EXTENSIONS TO YOUR ANTARCTIC CRUISE experiences with your fellow passengers, and check through some of the incredible photography taken by the There are many incredible places to explore in South group. America either before or after your Antarctic cruise.

DAY 11: RETURN TO USHUAIA We offer a huge range of personailised tailor-made itineraries with daily departures, as well as a range of Small Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually Group Tours that connect with your cruise. come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, after the journey of a life time. We wave goodbye to our new Please refer to our Beyond Antarctica, South America Add- friends and continue on our journey or home. Transfer to Ons brochure or speak to your booking agent for more the airport is included. information.

* Important - Please be sure not to book flights out of Ushuaia before 12pm (noon) on the day of disembarkation. THE WILDLIFE OF ANTARCTICA

This frozen frontier is home to an incredible variety OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES of wildlife. Penguin species include Adélie, Chinstrap, The following activities are available, subject to availability: Macaroni and Gentoo. You should encounter Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals as well as Antarctic fur seals KAYAKING - US$650 PER PERSON, paddling in small and Southern elephant seals. Then of course there is the groups, you’ll glide between ice floes, brash ice and icebergs huge variety of seabirds including , blue-eyed dotted with wildlife. Previous experience required. cormorants, Antarctic , Southern Giant petrels, Shearwaters and the wandering with a wing SNOWSHOEING - US$150 PER PERSON, an excellent span up to 3 metres. opportunity to explore Antarctica and llows you to discover places others struggle to reach in boots alone.

CAMPING - US$290 PER PERSON, a true outdoor adventure, experience the sights and sounds of being in the Antarctic elements at night.

EXPEDITION GEAR - Rubber boots are provided for shore excursions. Upon booking you will receive more information about what you need to pack for your voyage. MV HONDIUS

M/V Hondius is being built in Croatia by shipbuilder Brodosplit and will be available to customers in 2019. Hondius will be the first vessel to be built to class “LR PC6”, meeting the latest and highest demands of Lloyd’s Register for “Polar Class 6” vessels, the highest Polar Class notation for ice-strengthened vessels. Hondius will be the strongest ice-strengthened vessel in the Polar Regions and will be equipped with stabilizers, and very suitable for advanced, innovative exploratory quality voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions.

Why Choose This Ship? Deck Plan Technical Information “The MV Hondius is top of its class (1A), the Built: new build 2019 closest thing to an icebreaker. A brand new Breadth: 17.6 meters (57.7 ft) generation of Expedition ships, eco-friendly, very Length: 107.6 meters (353 ft) comfortable with well-appointed deluxe cabins.” Max Draft: 5.3 meters (17.4 ft) Greg Carter, Co-Founder Cruise Speed: 15 knots Ice class: 1A Passenger capacity: 176 passengers Amenities Crew: 72 • Observation lounge Electric Outlet: 220v, European 2 pin plug • Dining room • Bar ∙ Restaurant with fine dining • Dedicated lecture room • Indoor embarkation platform • Infirmary Safety Features ∙ Library Equipped with the mandatory ∙ Reception area requirements of the Polar code, adopted ∙ Lobby by the International Maritime Organization • Boutique / Gift Shop (IMO), for safe ship operation and the protection of the Polar environment. CABINS

Quad Porthole (19 sq.m) • Located on Deck 3 • Phone for internal calls • Two upper and two lower • Flatscreen TV berths • Wi-Fi access • Private ensuite bathroom • Hair-dryer Two portholes • Private ensuite bathroom • Individual temperature • Wardrobe controls • Writing desk

Triple Porthole (19 sq.m) • Located on Deck 3 • Phone for internal calls • Two lower berths and one • Flatscreen TV upper berth • Wi-Fi access • Private ensuite bathroom • Hair-dryer Two portholes • Wardrobe • Individual temperature • Writing desk controls

Twin Porthole (12-18 sq.m) • Located on Deck 3 • Flatscreen TV • Two separate lower berths • Wi-Fi access • Private bathroom • Hair-dryer • Two portholes • Wardrobe • Individual temperature • Writing desk controls • Phone for internal calls

Twin Window (12-14 sq.m) • Located on Deck 4 • Flatscreen TV • Two separate lower berths • Wi-Fi access • Private bathroom • Hair-dryer • Window • Wardrobe • Individual temperature • Writing desk controls • Phone for internal calls CABINS

Twin Deluxe (19-21 sq.m) • Located on Deck 6 • Flatscreen TV • Two separate lower berths • Wi-Fi access • Private ensuite bathroom • Hair-dryer Double windows • Wardrobe • Individual temperature • Writing desk controls

Superior (20-21 sq.m) • Located on Deck 6 • Flatscreen TV • Double bed • Wi-Fi access • Double windows • Hair-dryer • Private ensuite bathroom • Sitting area • Individual temperature • Living room controls • Wardrobe • Phone for internal calls

Junior Suite (19-20 sq.m) • Located on Deck 7 • Phone for internal calls • Double bed • Flatscreen TV • Private ensuite bathroom • Wi-Fi access • Double windows • Hair-dryer • Individual temperature • Sitting area control • Wardrobe • Turndown-service • Writing desk

Grand Suite with private balcony (27 sq.m) • Located on Deck 7 • Phone for internal calls • Double bed Lounge area • Private ensuite bathroom • Private facilities • Private balcony • Wardrobe • Individual temperature controls • TV CABINS

Hondius Suite (35 sq.m) • Located on Deck 6 • Phone for internal calls • Double bed • Flatscreen TV • Large panoramic windows • Wi-Fi access • Private bathroom • Hair-dryer • Sitting area • Private ensuite bathroom • Individual temperature • Wardrobe controls • Writing desk COMMON AREAS

Lobby Observation Lounge

Restaurant Bar

Lecture Room Library