| VOYAGE |
PLA32 Ushuaia to Ascension |
| DURATION |
31 days /30 nights |
| START DATE |
Ushuaia 29 March 2012 |
| END DATE |
Ascencion Island April 28 2012 |
| LANGUAGE |
English |
| VESSEL |
MV Plancius |
| PRICES |
from NZD9,613 per person share quadruple private cabin |
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| Day 1 |
Ushuaia (March 29) - In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia and sail through the Beagle Channel. |
| Day 2 - 3 |
At sea - In the Drake Passage we witness a multitude of Albatrosses, Petrels and Fulmars. |
Day 4
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Deception Island - At Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of ten thousands Chinstrap Penguins (please note this landing is not always guaranteed and is only possible in good weather conditions). Good walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune’s Bellow into the ring of Deception Island. Deception itself is a sub-ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, many Dominican Gulls, Brown Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. |
Day 5
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Antarctica – continental landing - If the sea ice conditions allow we will try and reach Hope Bay or Brown Bluff at the Northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. In this area chances are good for encounters with Gentoo Penguins, Weddell Seals, Leopard Seals and Orcas. |
Days 6
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Paulet Island - If ice conditions allow, we will sail to Paulet Island where we will observe the last individuals of a large Adelie Penguin colony near the ruins of the Nordenskjöld Expedition from the beginning of the 20th century. Depending on the sea ice we sail east or west of the Danger Islands to the north. |
Days 7
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At sea - At sea, we will sail towards the South Orkney Islands. Our exact navigational course will be determined by the prevailing ice conditions, in terms of both extent of sea ice and density of icebergs, which vary from year to year. |
Day 8
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South Orkney Islands - We are planning on a visit to Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding glaciers.
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| Day 9 |
At sea - At sea, on our way to South Georgia, we witness a multitude of Albatrosses, Petrels and Fulmars.
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| Day 10 - 12 |
South Georgia - In South Georgia we begin our visit with zodiac excursions in the magnificent Drygalski Fjord and Larsen Harbour. In Cooper Bay we will observe Chinstrap Penguins and Macaroni Penguins and breeding Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses.
On Salisbury Plain we will see a huge King Penguin colony, elephant seals and fur seals. On Prion Island in the Bay of Isles we can see breeding Wandering Albatrosses. At the end of our time in South Georgia we will visit the abandoned whaling settlement in Grytviken, where now the penguins walk through the streets, and King Edwards Point where the grave of Shackleton lies.
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| Day 13 - 17 |
At sea - In the Westerlies we have a pleasant tailwind. On both sides of the Antarctic Convergence, we observe many species and great numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds. |
| Day 18 |
Gough Island - Today we plan to approach the unique Gough Island for zodiac cruising around the island, as always weather permitting. In previous years we managed to circumnavigate all but four miles of the 33 mile circumference of the island in the ship, saw spectacular scenery and an unprecedented abundance of wildlife. We felt very privileged to be among the few visitors who have been able to experience Gough and in particular, to see it at such close quarters and in such favorable conditions. We hope to be lucky to repeat this unique experience with you. |
| Day 19 - 21 |
Tristan da Cunha - In the Tristan da Cunha archipelago we plan to call on the settlement at the west side of the main island. We will also try to make landings at Nightingale Island and Inaccessable Island with millions of seabirds ranging from Yellow-nosed Albatrosses to Brown Noddies. We allow one day in reserve for bad weather. Please note that we will try and approach for landings, however due to the weather conditions this is not always possible.
Since we began our Atlantic Odyssey's (1998) we failed during 30% of the voyages to make landings in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, due to adverse weather. |
| Day 22 - 25 |
At sea - At sea, we now enter sub-tropical waters with their own species of seabirds and dolphins. |
| Day 26 - 28 |
St. Helena - St. Helena has a good anchorage and landing site. On this island, we will have ample opportunities to enjoy local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic plants and birds. We will visit the place where Napoleon lived in exile. There will be opportunities to explore the Island on your own and for snorkelling; in the shallow surf where we can find a lot of fishes. |
| Day 29 - 30 |
At sea |
| Day 31 |
Ascencion Island ( April 28 ) - Ascension Island is a dry volcanic island with a moist and richly vegetated top. The Sooty Tern (wide-awake) colony sometimes consists of more than 1 million breeding pairs. We will try to climb the moist summit of Ascension Island and make a zodiac-cruise around Boatswain Bird Island offering also great opportunities for snorkelling. We may witness egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore at night. Some of our passengers may disembark and fly with the scheduled RAF (Royal Air Force) flight to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, UK. Others may proceed with a second day on Ascension and their voyage to the Cape Verdes. |
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| INCLUSIONS |
- Santiago de Chile on 03 December 2011), voyage PLA24 (single flight Santiago de Chile - Port Stanley on 17 December 2011) and a return flight on voyage PLA23 (Santiago de Chile - Port Stanley on 03 December 2011 and Port Stanley - Santiago de Chile on 17 December 2011).
- All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.
- Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes aboard ‘Plancius’.
- Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation)
- All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
- Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
- All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
- Comprehensive pre-departure material
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| EXCLUSIONS |
- Any airfare (except for the above mentioned included flights on voyages PLA22, PLA23 and PLA24), whether on scheduled or charter flights; pre- and post land arrangements;
- transfers to the vessel;
- passport and visa expenses;
- Government arrival and departure taxes;
- meals ashore; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended);
- excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges;
- the customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).
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| NOTES |
All rates are quoted per person in New Zealand Dollars and based on conditions and exchange rate prevailing in June 2011.
5% discount will be granted for bookings for one or more consecutive voyages (except on legs within the Atlantic Odyssey).
Please note that all dates & rates are subject to change.
All voyages aboard 'Plancius' will operate subject to a minimum of 70 participants.
Single occupancy: All cabins 1.7 times the share price
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| FUEL SURCHARGE |
It is agreed that if world fuel prices will reach or exceed US Dollar 80 per Barrel Brent 90 days prior to departure Oceanwide Expeditions reserves the right to levy a fuel surcharge of US Dollar 25 per passenger per night, to be paid by the contracting party of Oceanwide Expeditions.
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