THE AURORA OF ANTARCTICA 2025 - Fly, Cruise & Stay from Australia

Cruise Line

Aurora Expeditions

Ship

Greg Mortimer

Package Departs

05 Dec 2024

Other Dates

Package Duration

17 Nights

Embark Ship

Ushuaia, Argentina

Disembark Ship

Ushuaia, Argentina

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Fly, Cruise & Stay 15 nights with Aurora Expeditions on a trip like no other to Antarctica in 2025.

Fly cruise & stay from

^{AU $}32,695Per person

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10 Night Cruise sailing from Ushuaia roundtrip aboard Greg Mortimer. Hotel stay pre-cruise in Ushuaia.Day 1 Arrive Ushuaia/HotelDay 2 EmbarkationThis morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or at check-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.Your morning is at leisure to explore Ushuaia.Those wishing to join our afternoon catamaran cruise, meet back at the hotel lobby at 12.45 pm ready to transfer to the port at 1.00 pm. Here we board our catamaran and sail the Beagle Channel, towards the city’s iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. Crossing the Bridges Archipelago we’ll slow down to watch colonies of sea lions and imperial cormorants sun themselves on the rocky outcrops, while gulls, rock cormorants, skuas, petrels, albatrosses and cauquenes are often sighted. Our cruise offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding mountain range, in addition to hearing tales of the people and communities of the region.Alternatively, enjoy your day at leisure and meet at your hotel lobby at 3.45 pm to be transferred to the pier for embarkation.Once onboard, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, we’ll gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego.This evening get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.Day 3-4 Drake Passage CrossingAs we commence the Drake Passage crossing, we make the most of our time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Our expedition team prepare you for our first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start our lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment.Our wildlife experiences begin as we enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels following our vessel. On sea days, you may can enjoy the facilities on board the vessel including the gym, wellness centre or the relaxing in one of the observation lounges.Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the afternoon of day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks watching for our first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. Time and weather permitting, we may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.Day 5-9 Antarctic PeninsulaIt is almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you will have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place at any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life!In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain’s discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent.Day 10-11 Drake Passage CrossingEnjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before we re-enter the Drake Passage for our return journey to South America.With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. We hope you become ambassadors for Antarctica telling your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.Day 12 Disembark UshuaiaDuring the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where we will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as we all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.

Package Summary: 15 nights Fly, Cruise & StayPackage Starts: 5th December 2024 - with flight from AustraliaCruise Starts: 9th December 2024 - from Ushuaia, ArgentinaCruise Ends: 19th December 2024 - into Ushuaia, ArgentinaPackage Ends: 20th December 2024 - with flight from Buenos Aires to Australia__________________ENJOY THE SAVINGS!Twin Cat B Balcony - was $35,595 - your special price: $32,695*ppTwin Cat C Balcony - was $37,775 - your special price: $34,580*ppTwin Superior Balcony - was $40,750 - your special price: $37,175*ppTwin Junior Suite - was $49,520 - your special price: $44,795*pp__________________Embrace the spirit of polar exploration on this classic expedition to the coveted white continent. Sail across the famed Drake Passage, admiring spectacular seabirds and approaching the ice as the explorers of old did: by sea. With a chance to Zodiac-cruise through pack ice, set foot on the continent, choose from a range of adventure options and even perhaps camp under pastel polar skies, this is the quintessential Antarctic voyage for adventure-lovers.Highlights:- Hone your ice and wildlife photography skills- Search for orcas and minke whales in the icy bays- Observe busy penguin colonies building their nests, and perhaps catch a glimpse of penguin chicks as they hatch- Join the exclusive polar plunge club and dive into the beautiful Antarctic waters__________________THE AURORA OF ANTARCTICA - Fly, Cruise & Stay package prices include:- Return economy class airfare from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne to Ushuaia (via Buenos Aires in both directions) inc tax- Return airport - hotel - airport transfers in Buenos Aires before and after cruise- 3 nights pre and 1 night post cruise hotel stay in Buenos Aires with breakfast- Half day tour of Buenos Aires with English speaking guide-1 night`s hotel accommodation in Ushuaia with breakfast plus welcome reception at group hotel (dinner not included)- Half day city tour in Ushuaia prior to embarkation including transfer to the port- Luggage transfer from your hotel in Ushuaia to ship - 10 night Antarctica expedition cruise aboard the Greg Mortimer from Ushuaia return- Daily cabin service- All meals, snacks, tea and coffee onboard- Beer, house wine and soft drinks with dinner onboard- Captain`s Welcome and Farewell reception including four-course dinner, house cocktails, house beer and wine, non-alcoholic beverages - All shore excursions and Zodiac cruises- Educational lectures and guiding services from expedition team- Complimentary access to onboard expedition doctor and medical clinic (initial consult)- A 3-in-1 waterproof polar expedition jacket (yours to keep)- Complimentary use of muck boots during the voyage - Comprehensive pre-departure information- Port surcharges, permits and landing fees Exclusions:-Passport, visa, reciprocity and vaccination charges-Travel insurance or emergency evacuation charges-Hotels and meals not included in itinerary-Optional excursions not included in the itinerary-Optional activity surcharges-All items of a personal nature, including but not limited to alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), gratuities, laundry services, personal clothing, medical expenses, wi-fi, email or phone charges.Note: A $15 USD per person per day gratuity for the crew is automatically added to your onboard account. It is at your discretion if you would like to remove the tip (or adjust the amount) when you settle your bill. It is not necessary to tip the expedition team members. This gratuity amount is included for suites as part of their ‘Suite Benefits’.