Although it is the Austral Summer, it may seem to be a Winter Wonderland and the perfect place to celebrate Christmas and the Holiday Season. On this magical journey explore the World’s largest wilderness with historic sites and wildlife – see penguins, seals, seabirds and whales in their natural environment. Each day will also celebrate one of the different holiday traditions from around the world. This seems fitting while in a land effectively owned by no one, yet collectively managed and protected by the Antarctic Treaty Nations.

Board the M/V Polar Star in Ushuaia to celebrate the greatest holiday season of the year in the appropriate whiteness of the icy south.

While en route across the Drake Passage, take time onboard to learn about Antarctica, the wildlife and the Antarctic Treaty.

Our first landings are planned at the volcanic islands of Deception Island and Aitcho Island where rookeries are inhabited by Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. The landscape is a dramatic combination of steaming black lava sands and vast expanses of snow and ice.

These days are spent exploring part of this vast continent with continental and island landings as well as Zodiac cruising. The wildlife in this untouched wilderness include Gentoo, Adélie and Chinstrap penguins, Fur, Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals, as well as Minke, Humpback and other whale species. Visits are planned to sites such as Petermann Island, Port Lockroy, Paradise Bay, Pleneau Island, Neumeyer Channel, Lemaire Channel and Neko Harbour.

Heading back to Ushuaia, take time while at sea to review recent experiences and learn more during informative lectures.

We disembark after breakfast in the charming town of Ushuaia.