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From One End of the World to Another- Cape Town to Ushuaia
MS Hanseatic - December 17, 2012 - January 10, 2013
Voyage HAN1300
5% early booking discount if booked before May 21, 2012!
The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn form the cornerstones of a quite unusual kind of Christmas
story - one where remote islands feature along with famous explorers, table icebergs and a
richly varied animal world. Right across the South Atlantic you draw closer to the bizarre ice
formations and glacier landscapes of Antarctica. Look forward to celebrating the New Year in
the homeland of seals, penguins, whales and elephant seals.
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| Date |
Destination |
| 19-Dec-2012 |
Embarkation in Cape
Town/South Africa, departure 17.00 hrs |
| 20 Dec - 23 Dec -
2012 |
Relaxation at
sea |
| 24-Dec-2012 |
Tristan da Cunha
(subject to weather conditions) |
| 25 Dec - 28 Dec -
2012 |
Relaxation at
sea |
| 29 Dec - 31 Dec -
2012 |
South
Georgia |
| 1-Jan-2013 |
Relaxation at
sea |
| 02 Jan - 05 Jan -
2013 |
South Orkney Islands
, South Shetland Islands , Antarctic Peninsula |
| 6-Jan-2013 |
Sailing through the
Drake Passage |
| 7-Jan-2013 |
Cape
Horn/Chile |
| 8-Jan-2013 |
Ushuaia/Argentina,
arrival 6.00 hrs. Disembarkation and
charter flight to Buenos Aires. |
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In the Middle of Nowhere
Setting out from
Cape Town, this expedition takes you to a very remote island indeed:
Tristan da Cunha. About 2500 kilometres from the nearest settlement,
this volcanic island rises from the midst of the South Atlantic Ocean. On its
slope lies the village Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, which, weather permitting,
you can reach with the Zodiacs. Barely 300 people are living here. A
conspicuous feature of the landscape are the potato fields, representing a kind
of life insurance for the inhabitants, as only very few ships with provisions
call at the island. |
South Georgia: In the Animal Kingdom
Precipitous peaks on the
horizon announce the animal paradise. Hundreds of thousands of king penguins live
on the coasts and mountain slopes of the island in their endless rows. To make it
possible for you to land at the most beautiful spots on the gashed north coast, the
Zodiacs will constantly be in operation. In Salisbury Plain, for instance,
you will witness a gigantic colony of more than 50,000 king penguin couples waiting
for their eggs to hatch. On subsequent landings you may meet elephant seals and fur
seals, for example in Gold Harbour. Chinstrap penguins, macaroni penguins
and Adelie penguins as well as southern giant petrels also fill the unpeopled
island with abundant life. In Grytviken, you will discover the old wooden
church from the days of the whalers. Here, you can make your tribute to the great
polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who found his last resting place in this
cemetery. Deep in the sub-Antarctic south you come to the South Orkney
Islands. In favourable weather and subject to official authorisation, you will
be able to visit the Argentinean research station Orcadas with the Zodiacs. Orcadas
has been continuously inhabited since 1904. |
Adventure South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
The further
south the HANSEATIC advances, the thicker the ice becomes. The HANSEATIC is
equipped with the highest ice class (E4) for passenger ships, so she can play out
her strengths - and will make her way through the drift ice to the South
Shetland Islands with ease. The Zodiacs will take you to the lonely bay of
Elephant Island. Between the cliffs and the glaciers, this was where
Shackleton's men were marooned in 1916 after their ship sank in the pack ice.
Seeking shelter from the Antarctic winter under upturned boats, they had to wait
for 128 days before they were finally rescued from their desperate situation by the
Chilean captain Luis Pardo. A statue commemorates the dramatic rescue mission which
Shackleton organised after sailing to South Georgia in an open lifeboat.
The HANSEATIC continues on her way and augurs memorable hours in Paradise
Bay. Mighty glaciers, icebergs and peaks measuring more than 2000 m in height
frame the bay, which you will explore on a Zodiac ride. Glorious landscape
panoramas present themselves to your view. When you set foot ashore, this will be
your first step on the Antarctic mainland. In the land of ice, Deception
Island offers a surprising contrast. The crater of this impressive volcanic
island has a narrow passage which only a small ship like the HANSEATIC is capable
of negotiating. You can walk on the black lava beach inside the crater and take a
swim in the hot springs. Enjoy the pristine air before the HANSEATIC sets sail for
South America again. Having arrived at Cape Horn and provided the weather is
favourable, you may wish to embark on one last Zodiac excursion and climb up to the
Albatross Monument. Finally, you can look back once again on the unforgettable days
that you have experienced on your Antarctica expedition. |
| * These arrangements are not included in the cruise price.
The shore activities listed here are in the planning stage and are
subject to changes. |
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5% early booking discount if booked before May 21, 2012! ²
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Each month our cruise experts select great itineraries that will be sailing within the next
6-8 months.
Check back next month to see what itineraries have been added to our 'top picks' list.
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