Hapag-Lloyd's Antarctica

Antarctica is classed among the most sensitive ecosystems in the world and is under special ecological protection. The Hapag-Lloyd Cruises expedition ships Hanseatic and Bremen have been using the more environmentally compatible diesel oil in the polar regions for years and long before a corresponding law entered into force in the year 2011. 

Beyond this, a code of conduct for Antarctica stipulates behavioural guidelines for visitors. These include that visitors are required to protect sensitive mosses, lichens and grasses and respect a safe distance to animals, for instance five metres in the case of penguins. These rules are communicated by experienced lecturers on board and in the context of time spent ashore.

Expedition Highlights in Antarctica:

• Zodiac tour in Paradise Bay and setting foot on the Antarctic mainland
• Landings in colonies with hundreds of thousands of penguins on South Georgia
• Bathing in the hot springs of Deception Island
• Whale watching
• Cruising through the pack ice and to huge table icebergs
• Sailing though the Lemaire and the Neumayer Channel
• Visit to a scientific station
• Landing at Cape Horn

Cruise Example: Expedition Semi Circumnavigation Antarctica with the Hanseatic from Ushuaia/Argentina to Bluff/New Zealand, 25.1.2014 – 21.2.2014, 26 days, from $20,550 per person cruise-only, including charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's adventure-cruise specialists. 

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Seabourn's Antarctica & Patagonia Quest

More than 20 years after the company pioneered an entirely new style of small-ship, ultra-luxury cruising, Seabourn is extending its repertoire to include Antarctica for the very first time. 

Passengers can now book a series of four 21-24-day voyages in 2013 on Seabourn’s newest ship Quest, sailing between Valparaíso, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The all-suite ship will cruise the Chilean coast, including visits to Puerto Montt for the Chilean Lakes District, Castro on the huge island of Chiloé, and Puerto Chacabuco for the Rio Simpson Valley and Coyhaique. It will also call at Punta Arenas, from where guests can tour the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park.

The ship will then thread the glaciers, peaks and channels of the Chilean Fjords, culminating in a transit of the Beagle Channel and its spectacular Glacier Alley. Weather permitting, following a call at Ushuaia in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, Seabourn Quest will cruise by Cape Horn bound for the Southern Ocean.

Guests on board will experience five days in Antarctica, including scenic cruising of highlights such as the breathtaking Lemaire Channel, picturesque Paradise Bay and the Gerlache Strait. An experienced Antarctic expedition staff will ensure guests enjoy the best of the hundreds of available sites for landings and cruising in smaller inflatable boats, based on real-time weather and wildlife reports during their Antarctic adventures. Scientists, naturalists and other lecturers in a number of disciplines will speak on board and accompany guests ashore to add insights to their once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

During the South Atlantic portion of the voyage, guests will enjoy visits to Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, and Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, en route to or from Buenos Aires. A 24-day Holiday version will include two days exploring the sub-Antarctic wildlife Eden of South Georgia Island, renowned for its beauty and its vast, teeming rookeries of king penguins  and other seabirds, as well as breeding elephant and fur seals.

For bookings follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's luxury cruise specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.