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As of the southern hemisphere’s spring the Antarctic seas attract tourists who are seeking to enjoy adventures on their holidays. Large ocean liners cross waters where enormous icebergs float and where penguins, seals and whales can be seen.
Who hasn’t occasionally thought of how nice it would be to go to where the end of the world looms? To take a cruise and travel thousands of kilometers to get to the most beautiful and rarely visited places of the world: this can now be done by whoever wishes to do it. The cruise season has already started in Argentina during which tourists from all over the world can see the splendour of the Antarctic, its wildlife, colours, and the magic of its eternal ice.
Before landing on the Antarctic peninsula the liners usually travel around islands, fjords and canals that are framed by marvellous landscapes. During the one to three week cruises naturalists and scientists give the tourists a basic knowledge of the places they are visiting, as well as of their animal and plant life. Passengers can make contact with the coastlines by crossing over in rubber boats. This is a unique and unforgettable experience for every tourist, and more of them take it in every year.
The usual port of entry to the Antarctic is the Argentine city of Ushuaia. From this settlement, the southernmost in the world, ocean liners take off for the Cabo de Hornos, diverse spots on the Antarctic peninsula, the Malvinas Islands or the Chilean fjords. Other cruises take off from the Chilean town of Puerto Natales.
The cruise liners are equipped with cabins in several price categories: all of them feature normal beds, panoramic view, private bathroom, heating, wardrobes and safes to store valuables.
A tour on an icebreaker equipped for tourists may sail along the following itinerary:
After leaving Ushuaia the ship crosses Pasaje Drake (named as a tribute to the famous 16th century English seaman Sir Francis Drake ) where several bird species may be observed, albatrosses and petrels among them. After sailing across 1000 kilometers the ship reaches the Islas Shetland del Sur (Southern Shetland Islands). Here the scientists tell the passengers about different aspects of the life of the penguins and show them bird species, such as the Barbijo, the Papúa and Adelia penguins, the Penacho Amarillo (yellow crest), the Weddell seals, crab nests, the southern elephant seals, all of which spend time resting on the beaches.
The passengers leave the icebreaker and travel among the icebergs in rubber boats and visit the islands. While they sail through the Gerlache strait they can watch the hunchback whales. Several Antarctic scientific encampments are visited, like the Base Argentina Almirante Brown located on Bahía Paraíso (Paradise Bay), considered to be one of the most beautiful spots on the Antarctic peninsula.
The cruise continues along the Canal Neumayer and, more to the south, the Canal Le Maire, better known as the “Antartic’s Kodak”. The narrow straits are framed by high mountains, and glaciers and icebergs can be seen floating in their waters. The Pasaje Drake is crossed once more on the tour’s return trip, which ends in the port of Ushuaia.
