New Year Antarctic Air - Cruise

Enjoy New Year in the Antarctic by flying in from Punta Arenas to join the expedition ship right in the Antarctic, cruise around the Peninsula, and then fly back without spending Days crossing the Drake Passage.

A completely novel cruise, where you fly in a commercial jet from Punta Arenas across to the Antarctic, join the expedition ship and start cruising the continent immediately without Days crossing the Drake Passage. At the end you simply fly back.

Day 1: Arrive in Punta Arenas
Arrival at the city of Punta Arenas where you will be met by Antarctica XXI staff, to be transferred to the selected hotel. During the afternoon, you will meet your expedition mates and you will receive instructions concerning the guidelines that should be followed in Antarctica and the procedures for Zodiac boat embarkation. Later, you will enjoy our welcome dinner at the José Nogueira Hotel, a French-style mansion that is over one hundred years old.

PLEASE NOTE: Passengers should be in Punta Arenas by 15:00, hours at the latest.

Day 2: King George Island
The Antarctic adventure will begin with the flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island (South Shetland Islands). The flight takes a little less than two hours. Upon arrival, we will be able to tour around the area where the Frei Chilean Base and Russian Base Bellingshausen are located. We will gather on Fildes Bay for embarkation by Zodiac boats on board the M/V Grigory Mikheev (2008) & M/V Professor Multanovskiy (2009). We will celebrate our first Antarctic experience with a memorable New Year’s Eve on board our ship in one of the most suggestive environments ever seen.

Days 3 - 4: South Shetland Islands - Antarctic Peninsula
While cruising between the South Shetland Islands and the western coat of the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing along ice-filled fjords and between spectacular icebergs, we will enjoy the company of sea birds, penguins, seals and whales. The adventure will be very active, with several daily landings and cruises in Zodiac boats, lectures and a very enjoyable time on board.

Day 5: Drake Passage
After a last visit in the region, in the afternoon the M/V Grigory Mikheev (2008) & M/V Professor Multanovskiy (2009) will set sail northwards across the famous Drake Passage en route to Ushuaia.

Day 6: At Sea
We invite you to relax and enjoy life on board and to take the time to watch wildlife from the bridge or outside decks. We may spot magnificent birds such as albatrosses and petrels, as well as Humpback and Minke whales swimming on their way down to Antarctica.

Day 7: Cape Horn - Beagle Channel
After spending the last hours sailing through the Drake Passage, we will finally have Cape Horn and the American continent in sight. The Professor Multanovskiy will sail along the calm waters of the Beagle Channel towards the southernmost Chilean settlement of Puerto Williams, located on Navarino Island. Here, we will have the time to tour around before sailing during the in the night towards Ushuaia.

Day 8: Disembark in Ushuaia
In the morning, arrival at the port of Ushuaia and disembarkation.

Note about the flights
You will be flying with a 60 passenger British Aerospace BAe 146-200, designed for short take off and landings and suitable for Antarctic conditions. It is operated by Aerovias DAP, a Chilean commercial airline with over 25 years of commercial experience flying around Patagonia, to the Falklands, and to Antarctica.