Join me on the best learning voyage, in Dec 2026– Jan 2027

ANTARCTICA

Antarctica - Discovery and learning voyage

27 December 2026 – 06 January 2027 (10 nights)

Classic Antarctica including Deception Island

 
 
 

VOYAGE OVERVIEW: Pure adventure and learning!

This Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands cruise delivers you into a landscape of dark rugged rock, pure white snow, and a fantastic variety of wildlife. Come say hello to whales, seals, and thousands of penguins.


Highlights at a glance

  • One-off kayak experience – Discover the thrill of kayaking for beginners, guided by our experts in breathtaking polar seas.

  • Antarctic Camping – Few things get you closer to the Antarctic expedition experience than making camp, settling into your bivouac bag, and sleeping under the Southern Hemisphere stars.

  • Paradise Bay – A breathtakingly beautiful bay offering classic views of colossal ice formations and iconic Antarctic wildlife.

  • Cuverville Island – Home to thousands of gentoo penguins, this island lies just off the Antarctic mainland.

  • Neptune's Bellows – An iconic Antarctic landmark, Neptune's Bellows mark the entrance to the sunken caldera that forms Deception Island.

  • Leopard Seal – These "slender-clawed water workers" spend much of their lives submerged, though it's known they are the only member of their family to consume other seals.

  • Gentoo Penguin – These hygienic divers are the only penguin species whose population is currently increasing along the Antarctic Peninsula.

  • Chinstrap Penguin – Though armed with the "stonebreaker" nickname and a quarrelsome reputation, these gentoo relatives are fading from the Antarctic – probably due to climate change.

  • Onboard educational program – Gain insights through expert-led lectures covering wildlife, geology, polar history, and more.

  • Photo Workshop – On select voyages, professional photographers will help you get the most out of your personal camera equipment.


Itinerary

  • Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America. Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening. 

  • Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

  • Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands. 


    Sites you may visit include: 

    Danco Island – Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.

    Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks. 

    Paradise Bay – You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.

    Port Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.

  • The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they do offer subtle pleasures: There’s a wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and no small amount of fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels).

    In Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you find an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels – along with kelp gulls, brown and south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns. A good hike is a possibility in this fascinating and desolate volcanic landscape.

    As an alternative, you may be able to engage in activities near Half Moon Island. Here chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

  • Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

  • Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.


The Ship

M/V Hondius is the first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel in the world, meeting the latest and highest Lloyd’s Register standards for ice-strengthened cruise ships. Surpassing the requirements of the Polar Code adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Hondius represents the most flexible, advanced, innovative touring vessel in the polar regions, thoroughly optimized for exploratory voyages that provide you the utmost first-hand contact with the Arctic and Antarctica.

M/V Hondius offers an exploratory educational travel program in the polar regions spending as much time ashore as possible. Click here for more information about the ship.


Need help with photography?

Join me on this adventure, and let’s capture the beauty of one of the wildest and purest places on Earth together.

For those who are interested, I can reveal my secrets for taking beautiful photos. As we explore this incredible environment, I’ll help you see every detail of the beauty around you. I’ll guide you through various (technical) aspects of photography, tailored to your skill level, so you can better understand your camera and settings. I am also happy to give you feedback on the photos you take on this expedition. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, this journey will inspire and elevate your photography skills. Let’s make unforgettable memories—one shot at a time!

If photography isn’t your passion, that’s perfectly fine! Let’s share in the wonder of this incredible place together!

 
 

CABINS & PRICES

Quadruple Porthole

For a berth in a Quadruple Porthole

9,650 USD,- per person

Quadruple Porthole

  • Cabin size between 15,3 m² and 16 m²• 2 portholes

  • 2 upper & lower berths

  • Small sofa

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

  • This cabin is suitable for families traveling with children, or passengers who do not require a twin or more luxurious cabin

Twin Porthole

For a berth in a Twin Porthole

Sharing berth: 11,900 USD
Single cabin: 20,230 USD

Twin Porthole:

  • Cabin size between 13,3 m² and 16 m²

  • 2 portholes

  • 2 single beds

  • Small sofa

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

  • Please note that all cabins will not necessarily have the same layout and surface area, nor will they be identical to the examples used in the photos

Twin Window

For a berth in a Twin Window

Sharing berth: 12,350 USD
Single cabin: 20,995 USD

Twin Window:

  • Cabin size between 12,1 m² and 14,3 m²

  • 1 window

  • 2 single beds

  • Small sofa

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

  • Please be aware that the view from some windows might be partially obstructed due to the design requirements of the ship

  • Please note that all cabins will not necessarily have the same layout and surface area, nor will they be identical to the examples used in the photos

Twin Deluxe

For a berth in a Twin Deluxe

Sharing berth: 13,600 USD
Single cabin: 23,120 USD

Twin Deluxe:

  • Cabin size between 19,4 m² and 21,3 m²

  • 2 windows

  • 2 single beds

  • Sofa

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Refrigerator

  • Coffee & tea maker

  • Bathrobe

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

Superior room

For a berth in a Superior room

Single cabin: 24,395 USD
Complete cabin: 28,700 USD

Superior room:

  • Cabin size between 20,7 m² and 21,3 m²

  • 2 windows

  • 1 double bed

  • Sofa

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Refrigerator

  • Coffee & tea maker

  • Bathrobe

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

Grand Suite with private balcony

For a berth in a Grand Suite

Single cabin: 29,750 USD
Complete cabin: 35,000 USD

Grand Suite with balcony:

  • Cabin size 26,7 m²

  • 1 double window

  • 1 double bed

  • Sofa

  • Private balcony

  • Private shower & toilet

  • Flatscreen TV

  • Desk & chair

  • Telephone and WiFi (supplemented)

  • Refrigerator

  • Coffee & tea maker

  • Bathrobe

  • Hair dryer

  • Cabinet

  • Safe deposit box

  • Wardrobe

 

Included in this voyage

  • Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary

  • All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea.

  • All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.

  • Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.

  • Free use of rubber boots and snowshoes.

  • Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia.

  • Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation).

  • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.

  • Comprehensive pre-departure material.

Excluded from this voyage

  • Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights

  • Pre- and post- land arrangements.

  • Passport and visa expenses.

  • Government arrival and departure taxes.

  • Meals ashore.

  • Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended).

  • Excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar, beverage charges and telecommunication charges.

  • The customary gratuity at the end of the voyages for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).

 

IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A BOOKING,
PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW :

See you in Antarctica!

 

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