Discovering the emperor penguin with Quark Expeditions

On arrival in this fascinating city, renowned for its architecture and rich European heritage, you’ll make your own way to your group’s hotel (the pre-shipment night is included in your charter flight and hotel package).

After breakfast at the hotel, your group will be transferred to the airport to board the private charter flight to Ushuaïa, Argentina, already included in your package. On arrival, a transfer will take you from the airport to a central point in the city, where you’ll have free time to explore charming Ushuaïa – the southernmost city in the world – at your leisure before heading to the dock.

In the late afternoon, after boarding, you’ll sail along the mythical Beagle Channel, which crosses the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America.

The Drake Passage, at the junction of the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans, is an adventure in itself. Well looked after by the team of experts on board, you’ll have plenty of time to observe the immensity of the ocean, photograph the seabirds swirling around the ship and get to know your expedition team and fellow passengers.

Onboard lectures by world-renowned specialists will enhance your polar adventure, recounting the daily lives of the brave pioneers who explored these unknown lands over a century ago. You’ll also learn more about the majestic emperor penguins, the emblematic inhabitants of the pack ice.

The journey to Snow Hill Island will plunge you into explorer mode, while the captain and expedition leader keep you informed with regular weather reports and updates on ice and sea conditions. The thickness of the pack ice will determine how close the Ultramarine ship can get to Snow Hill, then twin-engine helicopters will take over to lead you to the Emperor penguin colony, like a final ascent from a base camp.

As experienced by the November 2023 passengers on two expeditions to Snow Hill, the adventure begins with a long helicopter transfer offering views of snow-capped peaks and huge tabular icebergs the size of buildings. The colony lies on the pack ice off the south coast of Snow Hill Island, and the landing will be as close as possible to the penguins, keeping a safe distance to avoid disturbing them, before walking over the ice to this legendary colony.

The wind, the ice beneath your feet, the paths carved in the snow by the penguins, and soon the sounds of the colony in the distance will lead you to one of the world’s rarest wildlife experiences: a colony of around 8,000 rarely seen emperor penguins. The aim of the expedition is to enable every passenger to reach this isolated colony at least once, with the expedition team and experts at your side to answer your questions and help you observe everything in detail.

Passengers in November 2023 were able to see first-hand how emperor penguins live in close-knit communities, care for their young and glide over the ice body-surfing in ways as astonishing as they are effective, making this helicopter expedition a potentially once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Once back on board, you can experience the polar atmosphere of the Weddell Sea to the full, with daily Zodiac outings among the icebergs, surface kayaking or privileged moments to observe the ship’s operations and weather forecasting work up close.

A particularly rewarding part of your trip will be the tailor-made educational program, combining classic lectures with hands-on activities to better understand this fascinating region. Each day, polar experts – including penguin specialists, biologists and historians – will discuss the behaviors of emperor penguins, the formation of the tabular icebergs you’ll see from the deck, and the stories of the explorers who tackled the Weddell Sea over a century ago.

As the day progresses, you can also choose to try your hand at “polar diving”, try your hand at paddleboarding, or treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the ship’s facilities: spa, sauna and workout room. The Snow Hill emperor penguin colony remains the ultimate goal of this expedition, but if weather or ice conditions don’t allow you to get there or stay for long, other alternative sites will be explored. Any landings in Antarctica will take place on the east coast of the peninsula, an extension of the Transantarctic Mountains and the northernmost part of the Antarctic continent.

On the way home, Drake Passage offers you one last opportunity to enjoy the invigorating fresh air of the Southern Ocean. Spend time on deck watching seabirds and watching for whales, attend presentations by your expedition team and celebrate exceptional moments shared far off the beaten track, in the heart of the fascinating world of Antarctica.

You’ll arrive in Ushuaïa in the morning and disembark after breakfast. Your charter flight and hotel package includes a transfer to the airport for the return group charter flight to Buenos Aires.