Buenos Aires | Ushuaia | Antarctica
The White Continent
Argentina, Antarctica
Nov 15, 2025 - Ongoing
Quick Facts
- Duration
- 1 day
- Countries
- 2
- Best Season
- Varies by route; shoulder seasons are usually best.
- Currency
- Argentine Peso ($) / US Dollar ($)
- Electrical Outlet
- Type C/I, 220V + Varies by vessel/operator
- Visa Notes
- Varies by country and passport; verify entry rules for each stop before departure.
Type C
We took an 11-night Antarctica expedition aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages - World Traveller, sailing round-trip from Ushuaia from November 18-29, 2025.
Route at a glance
- Nov 18-20: Ushuaia embarkation and Drake Passage crossing south.
- Nov 20-26: Antarctic Peninsula / South Shetlands operations with daily landings or zodiac safaris.
- Nov 27-28: Drake Passage crossing north and Beagle Channel transit.
- Nov 29: Disembarkation in Ushuaia.
Landing and cruising sites we covered
- Barrientos Island (South Shetland Islands)
- Portal Point (continental landing)
- Charlotte Bay
- Brown Station (Argentina base area)
- Isla Banck (zodiac safari)
- Goudier Island / Port Lockroy
- Damoy Point
- Neko Harbor (continental landing)
- Orne Harbor (continental landing)
- Wilhelmina Bay (zodiac safari)
- Fournier Bay (zodiac safari)
- Melchior Islands (zodiac safari)
Special experiences we completed
- Antarctic camping at Portal Point.
- Polar plunge on November 22, 2025 at Paradise Bay.
- Sea kayaking in Antarctica across multiple expedition days.
- Port Lockroy landing with strict timed museum/shop flow and postal stop.
Wildlife we logged in our checklist
We had sightings across birds and marine mammals, including:
- Penguins: Gentoo, Chinstrap, Adelie
- Seabirds: Black-browed albatross, Wandering albatross, Cape petrel, Southern fulmar, Blue petrel, Wilson’s storm-petrel, Antarctic cormorant, Kelp gull, Dolphin gull, Antarctic tern, Snowy sheathbill
- Whales/dolphins: Humpback whale, Killer whale
- Seals: Weddell seal, Leopard seal, Crabeater seal
Practical notes from our trip
- Our expedition sequencing depended heavily on weather windows; daily briefings adjusted timings and group rotations.
- Our Drake crossings included mandatory IAATO/zodiac safety and biosecurity workflows before first landing.
- We found it important to keep a buffer around polar sailings for flight planning before/after Ushuaia.
Itinerary
Full Planning BoardTrip window
- Our overall trip window (board): Nov 14-30, 2025
- Our expedition cruise window (Atlas docs): Nov 18-29, 2025
Our expedition timeline (World Traveller)
| Date | Day | Area | Program highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2025 | Tue | Ushuaia | Embarkation, safety drill, expedition intro, 7:00 pm departure into Drake Passage |
| Nov 19, 2025 | Wed | At sea (Drake Passage) | Mandatory IAATO/zodiac briefing, biosecurity inspection, parka/boot distribution, birds of Drake lecture |
| Nov 20, 2025 | Thu | At sea -> Barrientos Island | Camping and kayaking briefings; first expedition operation: zodiac safari landing at Barrientos |
| Nov 21, 2025 | Fri | Portal Point / Charlotte Bay | AM continental landing at Portal Point; PM zodiac safari at Charlotte Bay; campers departed in evening |
| Nov 22, 2025 | Sat | Gerlache Strait / Brown Station | Scenic cruising + lectures; PM Brown Station zodiac safari and Gentoo area; polar plunge operation |
| Nov 23, 2025 | Sun | Isla Banck / Goudier Island (Port Lockroy) | AM zodiac safari at Isla Banck; PM landing at Port Lockroy with strict passenger/shop flow limits |
| Nov 24, 2025 | Mon | Damoy Point / Neko Harbor | AM Damoy landing; PM continental landing at Neko Harbor; whale-focused lecture day |
| Nov 25, 2025 | Tue | Orne Harbor / Wilhelmina Bay | AM continental landing at Orne Harbor; PM zodiac safari in Wilhelmina Bay |
| Nov 26, 2025 | Wed | Fournier Bay / Melchior Islands | AM and PM zodiac safari cruising in glacier/island zones; onboard crew show at night |
| Nov 27, 2025 | Thu | At sea (northbound Drake) | Thanksgiving at sea, multi-lecture day, treaty/history programming |
| Nov 28, 2025 | Fri | At sea -> Beagle Channel | Beagle Channel wildlife watch, final recap/slideshow, captain farewell |
| Nov 29, 2025 | Sat | Ushuaia | Disembarkation by luggage-tag color groups starting 8:00 am |
Special activities we did
- Camping: Portal Point
- Polar plunge: November 22, 2025 (Paradise Bay)
- Sea kayaking: Multiple kayaking groups operated during expedition days
Wildlife summary from our onboard checklist
- Penguins: Gentoo, Chinstrap, Adelie
- Marine mammals: Humpback whale, Killer whale, Weddell seal, Leopard seal, Crabeater seal
- Other birds/seabirds we logged: Black-browed albatross, Wandering albatross, Cape petrel, Southern fulmar, Wilson’s storm-petrel, Antarctic cormorant, Kelp gull, Dolphin gull, Antarctic tern, Snowy sheathbill
Our logistics notes
- Our expedition days were weather-dependent with flexible group sequencing (A/B/C/D) and announcement-driven boarding.
- Our first landing readiness required IAATO/zodiac safety plus biosecurity/gear checks on Nov 19.
- For our return planning, we should keep buffer time around Drake crossing variability before long-haul flights out of Ushuaia/Buenos Aires.
