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 From one of the gayest cities in South America Buenos Aires to one of the most remote and pristine place on earth, this tour is really about contrast. We explore the city of Eva Peron and Tango, with a lively gay scene before flying to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Crossing the Drake Passage we explore the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula on board M/V Ushuaia, our luxury sailing ship and zodiac speedboat trips to land! You will be amazed by the sheer amount of wildlife and spectacular scenery before finishing up with a cracking night back in Buenos Aires.
 • Day 1 Buenos Aires
• Day 2 Buenos Aires
• Day 3 Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
• Day 4 Start Sailing
• Day 5 to 6 Drake Passage
• Day 7 to 10 Antarctica & the South Shetland Islands
• Day 11 to 12 Drake Passage
• Day 13 Buenos Aires
• Day 14 Tour ends (or extend your stay to Iguazu Falls)
• Accommodation:
4 nights in a centrally located hotel (4 star), 9 nights on board the Ushuaia cruise ship
• Meals:
15 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 12 dinners
• Welcome and departure dinner in Buenos Aires
• Wine tasting
• Excursions:
All excursions mentioned as per the itinerary
• Transport:
Private car, private air-conditioned coach, flight, ship, taxi, on foot
• Flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia return
• Staff:
Yellow Brick Road Tours Tour Leader, local guides
• International flights and departure taxes
• Domestic flight taxes if applicable
• Tips on included excursions, visas, travel insurance, personal items
• Pre & post tour accommodation
• Departure transfers
• Spending money allow approximately US$30 - $40 per day to cover snacks, meals not included, drinks, limited souvenirs, laundry, tips etc
• Optional excursions
The Blue Cruise sets sail Friday, so you will need to arrive the day your gulet cruise is due to depart for your first night.
Please note:
The captain may change the route due to weather conditions. There will be plenty of swim stops everyday for you to take the opportunity to swim, snorkel and fish in the crystal blue waters of the Aegean.
Day 1 - Thursday, February 23, 2012
 • Welcome to Buenos Aires! In this city you will find a mix between the elegance of the Europe capitals and the spirit of South America . The city was founded by immigrants that came mostly in the XIX century from Italy, Spain, France, Germany, UK, etc. Visiting Buenos Aires, you will experience a sort of "deja vu" of Europe while you explore the grand boulevards, expansive parks, magnificent architecture, and ever-changing fashion of Argentina's beautiful capital. • We pick you up at the airport upon arrival and transfer you to the hotel.
• The remainder of the day is free to explore however we have a welcome meeting at 18:00 where we meet each other and head out for a welcome dinner to get to know each other better and 'break the ice'.
Day 2 - Friday, February 24, 2012
 • This soulful and seductive city, which stretches south-to-north along the Rio de la Plata, has been the gateway to Argentina for centuries. Buenos Aires is as richly varied as its culture, a jumble of grand boulevards, sleek skyscrapers, graceful parks and vibrant inner city markets. Glass-sheathed skyscrapers cast shadows on 19th century Victorian houses and tango bars hum with music.
• Spend the following morning on a sightseeing tour visiting the National Congress building, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Government House and Plaza de Mayo area. Visit San Telmo which is famed for Tango, the colourful artists district of La Boca, and the elegantly exclusive Recoleta cemetery.
• After lunch, time at leisure to explore.
• In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with an 'Asado' (Argentinean barbeque) and wine tasting, with the option of watching an authentically spine tingling Tango show.  • Do not get confused by the architecture of the city, you are still in South America. It may appear in some areas to be a civilized city with an European scent, but you will soon notice porteno`s evident behavior. Specially in issues like the traffic (they drive like hell, I think that was inherited from Italians / Spaniards), the warm way they live their relationships with family and friends (Portenos boys give a kiss to greet other males -even straight guys-), the passionate way they speak using their hands to talk, the importance they gave to family and friends, and principally the social and political structure of this beautiful city.
• While exploring Buenos Aires, you will find a city of contradictions. Great wealth exists alongside considerable--if often hidden--poverty. The economy was terrible for some years after 2001 crisis, but now is recovering very fast (and you can notice it in shops, bars, restaurants and clubs). Anyway during the crisis hotels and restaurants remained inexplicably full. Portenos can be self-assured, even though the population is highly image-conscious. And Buenos Aires defines Argentina, but has little to do with the rest of the country. All these elements demonstrate the complexity of a city searching for identity among its South American and European influences. And they make Buenos Aires an unusual and fascinating place.
Day 3 - Saturday, February 25, 2012
 • We fly from Buenos Aires early morning into the southernmost city in the world on the shores of the Beagle Channel and surrounded by the Martial Mounts.
• It is the capital of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and Southern Atlantic Islands Province, and its superlative location allows you to enjoy sea, mountains and forests at the same time.
• Besides, it is a great place for shopping: the whole island is a tax free zone.
• We have free time to explore the surrounding area or you may wish to head out to the National Park.
Day 4 - Sunday, February 26, 2012
 • We board our ship, the M/V Ushuaia around 4pm at the Tierra del Fuego Port of Ushuaia and sail at around 7pm through the Beagle Channel, the Mackinley Pass and pass the Logos shipwreck. • Ushuaia, with a population of about 42,000, is in Argentine Tierra del Fuego. The world's most southerly town, Ushuaia is surrounded by snow covered peaks, a beautiful bay and the Beagle Channel; named after Charles Darwin's 1830's exploration ship. Ushuaia's history is still visible in many of its old buildings and there are several excellent museums. If you are arriving a few days before your voyage you can take an excursion on the Beagle Channel to visit the Isla de los Lobos (Island of Wolves) where you will see colonies of sea lions and aquatic birds You also have the option to visit the Tierra del Fuego National Park where there are various trails along the lakeside and the surrounding snow covered peaks.
Day 5 - 6 - Monday, February 27 - Tuesday, February 28, 2012
 • Named after the renowned explorer, Sir Frances Drake, who sailed these waters in 1578, the Drake Passage also marks the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar water sinks beneath the warmer northern waters. This creates a great upwelling of nutrients, which sustains the biodiversity of this region. The Drake Passage also marks the northern limit of many Antarctic seabirds. As we sail across the passage, Antarpply Expeditions' lecturers will be out with you on deck to help in the identification of an amazing variety of seabirds, including many albatrosses, which follow in our wake.
• The M/V Ushuaia's open bridge policy allows you to join our officers on the bridge and learn about navigation, watch for whales, and enjoy the view. A full program of lectures will be offered as well. • The first sightings of icebergs and snow-capped mountains indicate that we have reached the South Shetland Islands, a group of twenty islands and islets first sighted in February 1819 by Captain William Smith of the brig Williams. With favorable conditions in the Drake Passage our lecturers and naturalists will accompany you ashore as you experience your first encounter with the penguins and seals on.
Day 7 - 10 - Wednesday, February 29 - Saturday, March 3, 2012
 • The South Shetland Islands are a haven for wildlife. Vast penguin rookeries, beaches ruled by Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals make every day spent in this amazing island group unforgettable. • Sailing through the narrow passage into the flooded caldera of Deception Island and the chance to swim in the hot springs of Pendulum Cove is truly amazing.
• King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, features colonies of nesting Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Cormorants, Antarctic Terns and Southern Giant Petrels and is home to scientific bases of many different countries.
• Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins as well as elephant seals await you at Livingston Island. • The Antarctic Peninsula's remarkable history will provide you with a type of excitement often only associated with the early explorers.
• You will have plenty of time to explore its amazing scenery, a pristine wilderness of snow, ice, mountains and waterways, and an incredible wide variety of wildlife.
 • Apart from penguins and seabirds you are very likely to see Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer (orca) and humpback whales at close range. • We hope to navigate some of the most beautiful waterways (depending on the ice conditions): the Gerlache Strait, the Neumayer Channel, and the Lemaire Channel, the latter are narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. • We plan to make at least two landings per day. • Paradise Bay is perhaps the most aptly named place in the world and we attempt a landing on the continent proper.
• After negotiating the iceberg-strewn waters of the Antarctic Sound, we hope to visit the bustling Adelie Penguin (over 100,000 pairs breed here) and Blue-eyed Cormorant colonies on Paulet Island. The Nordenskjold expedition built a stone survival hut here in 1903. Today its ruins have been taken over by nesting penguins.
• Further exploration may take you to Melchior Island, Cuverville Island, Portal Point, Neko Harbour, Pleneau Island and if ice conditions permit, to Petermann Island for a visit to the southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins.
Day 11 - 12 - Sunday, March 04 - Monday, March 05, 2012
 • We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage.
• Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales and enjoy some final lectures.
• Take the chance to relax and reflect on the fascinating adventures of the past days on the way back to Ushuaia.
Day 13 - Tuesday, March 06, 2012
• After arriving back in Ushuaia we transfer to the airport ready for our flight back to Beunos Aires.
• Upon arrival we transfer back to the hotel and check with the rest of the day at leisure.
• In the evening we dust off our nice clothese for warm weather and head our for our farewell meal and our drinking in the gay district.
• This is a great time to reflect on the past days and also have a good laugh with new life long friends.
• The guys I went on this trip with are still very close. What a great end to a superb tour.
Day 14 - Wednesday, March 07, 2012
 • The tour ends after breakfast and you head off with a bag full of new memories and new friends. You are one of the lucky few who have experienced the white continent and also one of the hottest cities in South America.
• If you wish to extend your stay in Buenos Aires or book on to our Iguazu Falls extension (highly recommended) please contact us.
Please note:
The above itinerary is a guide only. Our exact route and program will vary to take best advantage
of local weather and ice conditions and opportunities to view wildlife. Changes will be made by the Captain and/or Expedition Leader to facilitate the best results from the prevailing conditions. A daily program sheet
will be issued on board. Flexibility is the key to success.
Our group will not be the only group on board this schedualed sail to Antarctica however, whilst in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia we will be a private group.
The Ushuaia is a steel hulled, ice-strengthened vessel built originally for oceanographic research. She was recently converted to passenger voyages. Navigation and communication equipment has been newly upgraded and cabins were refurbished to accommodate a maximum of 84 passengers in 41 comfortable cabins, and to provide comfortable accommodations for Antarctic passengers. The vessel is very well appointed and provides ample deck space and an open bridge policy.
You will often make 2 or 3 landings a day via our fleet of zodiac craft. The constantly changing weather, scenery and colors will leave you awestruck and sometimes overwhelmed - sprawling "cities" of breeding penguins, elephant seal harems, magnificent whales, breathtaking mountain ranges, cathedral-sized icebergs and stunning hanging glaciers will be on show.
 All cabins include ample storage space. Public areas feature a large dining room (one sitting), an observation lounge and bar, a conference room with modern multimedia equipment, a well-stocked library, a changing room and a small infirmary.
An expert captain, officers and crew are highly experienced in Antarctic navigation and have a great love of nature. A specialist team of international expedition leaders and lecturers, all extremely knowledgeable, are enthusiastic, helpful and dedicated to the protection of the environment. Chefs prepare excellent cuisine including many local specialties and the bar is well-stocked with carefully selected wines and spirits.
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Antarctica & the South Shetland Islands 
