Antarctic Expedition | Argentina & Antarctica | 18 nights

This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips that will stay with you forever. The frozen continent is home to whales, seals and thousands of penguins as well as awe-inspiring scenery, spectacular sunsets and magnificent ice formations. We include a few nights in Buenos Aires as well as some time to relax at an Argentinean wine lodge after the expedition.

Perfect for… shackleton wannabes and ice queens.

When to go… between December and March.

Consider… this itinerary features Quark Expeditions, but we also work with Silversea, Marco Polo and the Antarctic Dream. Call a travel expert to find out the difference!

• Fly to Buenos Aires, where we check you into the divine Alvear Palace in the Recoleta district for three nights to explore one of our favourite South American cities.
• We now fly you south to Ushuaia, the world’s most southernly city and jumping off point for Antarctica. Over night in this friendly frontier town and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure.
• Today you’re transferred to the port to set sail on the Quark Expeditions icebreaker to begin the journey along the Beagle Channel and into the Drake Passage to Antarctica.
• Your first full day at sea finds on in the Drake Passage in the safe hands of the Quark Expedition team, who will point out seabirds that glide alongside the ship for sometimes miles at a time.
• You awake in the Antarctic peninsula, where the extremely experienced guides on board will organise shore landings to penguin rookeries, research stations and vast icy wastelands.
  The Quark ships are some of the smallest to go into the region, meaning passengers can visit all of the main sites in smaller and more manageable groups.
• In the evenings during your 9-night cruise, naturalist guides will deliver presentations to explain some of Antarctica’s mysteries and its incredible wildlife. Food is particularly good with three top quality meals a day and all the ships have a sauna on board – very welcome after a plunge in the icy waters.
• Back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, where you will have time to connect with an evening flight to Buenos Aires. Check in to the lovely Alvear for one night.
• This morning you take a short flight to Mendoza, a handsome town in the foothills of the Andes and Argentina’s most famous wine-producing region. We transfer you to the wonderful Cavas Wine Lodge, 20 minutes outside the town, for four nights of superb food, wine and plenty of pampering.
• At the end of your stay, we fly you back to Buenos Aires where you can connect with your return flight home.

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