EXCITING NEWS! Family Travel Concierge is partnering with Swan Hellenic expedition cruises to offer UNIQUE adventures to Antarctica and Arctic regions.
To get more information or arrange your UNIQUE adventure, send us an email to info@familytc.com.
Here is a sample of our Classic Antarctica expedition.
Fulfill your dreams on this bucket-list cruise aboard our boutique expedition ship and experience epic landscapes and phenomenal wildlife on a life-changing adventure. This voyage takes you across the notorious Drake Passage straight to the frozen Antarctic Peninsula where you discover mesmerizing icy scenes of both the Gerlache Strait and exceptionally beautiful Antarctic Sound. You will step ashore onto beaches crammed with penguins for fabulous photo opportunities before returning via the South Shetland Islands. This unforgettable journey will leave you with remarkable tales of how you achieved your life goal by visiting one of the most remote places on the planet.
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Trip Highlights
Dare to brave the notoriously rough two-day Drake Passage sea crossing Listen to our engaging polar experts and learn tips from our team of experienced photographers Keep an eye out at sea for breaching whales and huge albatross overhead Get up close to hundreds of penguins as they gather in their thousands in their natural habitat
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DAY 1 Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbor and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.
AT SEA DAY 2-3 Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
ANTARCTIC SOUND DAY 4 As you sail quietly past house-sized, free-floating tabular icebergs and pancake ice, you may be able to hear the sounds of creaking and popping as huge chunks break off and crash into the sea. While Gerlache Strait is filled with ice, the Antarctic Sound takes it up a notch with even more impressive bergs and ice cliffs. Possible landing points where you will meet thousands of breeding Adélie penguins include Brown Bluff and Paulet Island.
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA DAY 5-6 Among captivating glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy islands, the Antarctic Peninsula is where most visitors to the White Continent will live out their Antarctica dream. The Antarctic Peninsula, the most accessible area of the continent, hosts several scientific bases and some of the most interesting wildlife scenery, such as the extremely photogenic Lemaire Channel. Shore excursions might include Petermann Island, where among Adelie penguins, blue-eyed shags and skuas, huge, lumbering elephant seals haul out.
SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS DAY 7 While the South Shetlands’ proximity to Antarctica makes the ice-bound sea impassable during winter (April to October), these are the first islands to see snow melt in spring (November) and the slightly warmer temperature means that the fauna is also different from what you see in Antarctica proper. As we go ashore by Zodiac, notice ferns, grasses, lichens and native flora that have more in common with Patagonia than they do with Antarctica.
AT SEA DAY 8-9 Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.
USHUAIA DAY 10 Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbor and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.