Wind, Antarctica ex Ushuaia Roundtrip
Cruise Line Silversea Cruises
Ship Silver Wind
Destination Antarctica
Nights 18
Departure Date 22 Dec 2021
Description 18 Night cruise departing roundtrip from Ushuaia onboard Silver Wind.

Silver Wind is a perfect illustration of how complete a small-sized ship can be. With just 296-guests, luxury suites and spacious public areas, Silver Wind is one of the cosiest and most intimate ships afloat today. Warm welcomes and gracious personalized service inspire our guests to call Silver Wind their “home away from home”.

Highlights of this cruise:

Ushuaia, Argentina
A southerly frontier - on the cusp of wild nature and extraordinary adventures - the excitement in Ushuaia is palpable. Prepare for memorable exploits amid the extremes of this southerly location - as you adventure into the colossal scenery of the fractured Tierra del Fuego and beyond. Known as the 'End of the World' Ushuaia looks out across the Beagle Channel, and is surrounded by the Martial Mountains to the north. Despite its remote location, Ushuaia is a surprisingly busy and lively resort, with lots to keep its visitors entertained. For many people, Ushuaia is their last glimpse of anything resembling a city, before they jump off the map into the wilderness, to answer the call of immense national parks or Antarctic expeditions. One of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet - Argentina's land of fire, National Park Tierra del Fuego, is a place of titanic natural forces and limitless beauty.

New Island, Falkland Islands
The remarkable beauty of the remote Falkland Islands can best be seen on New Island. The westernmost of the inhabited islands of the archipelago, it is a wildlife and nature reserve, and an environmental conservation group protects its many birds and animals. There are rookeries where Rockhopper Penguins and Blue-eyed Shags share the same nesting area. Black-browed Albatrosses can be seen going about their daily routines and it is easy to spot Upland Geese. More than 40 species of birds breed on the island. Near the landing site is ‘Barnard’s barn’ — a restored stone structure going back to the early 19th century. Lying in the sandy shallows in front of the barn is the wreck of Protector III, an old minesweeper used for seal hunting.

West Point Island, Falkland Islands
Located slightly northwest of West Falkland, West Point Island is used for sheep farming and nature observations. Peale’s dolphins and the distinctive black and white markings of the Commerson’s dolphin can usually be seen in the waters around West Point Island. Rolling moorland and steep cliffs make for great photographic opportunities, but the main attraction is the Devil’s Nose, a cliffside colony of Black-browed Albatrosses nesting side-by-side with feisty Rockhopper Penguins. Magellanic Penguins and Magellanic Cormorants can also be found on the island.

Stanley, Falkland Islands
Tiny Stanley, capital of the Falklands, seems in many ways like a British village fallen out of the sky. Many homes are painted in bright colours, adding visual appeal to this distant outpost. Not far offshore, the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth, is one of the many vessels remaining as a silent testimonial to the region's frequent harsh weather conditions. The islands, also known by their Spanish name of Islas Malvinas, are home to arguably more tuxedo-clad inhabitants of the penguin variety than human residents. Various species, such as Gentoo, Magellanic and the more elusive King penguins, either live here permanently or use the Falklands as a stopover on their migration route. Darwin found the islands' flora and fauna fascinating - no doubt you will, too.

South Georgia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia is a breathtaking destination of towering snow-covered mountains, mighty glaciers, and low-lying grasslands that attract an astounding concentration of wildlife. It is possible to find Southern fur seals, Southern elephant seals and a variety of albatross species including Black-browed, Light-mantled Sooty, Grey-headed and the spectacular Wandering Albatross, plus thousands of King and Macaroni Penguins. South Georgia is also linked to the early Antarctic explorers. Captain James Cook first stepped ashore in 1775, but perhaps more famous is Ernest Shackleton’s arrival in 1916 following the sinking of his ship Endurance. Shackleton’s grave and the whaling museum at Grytviken are highlights, as would be a visit to one of the King Penguin colonies at Salisbury Plain or Gold Harbour.

Elephant Island, Antarctica
Awesome glaciers flecked with pink algae can be seen approaching Elephant Island — so named either for its elephant-like appearance or for sightings of elephant seals here. Elephant Island is home to several Chinstrap Penguin rookeries, as well as 2,000-year-old moss colonies. Weddell seals and Macaroni Penguins can also be spotted. In 1916, when Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was crushed in pack ice in the Weddell Sea, the crew was stranded here for more than 4 months finding shelter under two upturned lifeboats on the spit of land Shackleton’s men named ‘Point Wild’. The bust of the Chilean captain Luis Pardo has been erected here to commemorate the successful rescue in the tug Yelcho.

Antarctic Sound
The Antarctic Sound is a stretch of water named after the first ship to have passed through this body of water from the Bransfield Strait to the Weddell Sea in 1902. The Antarctic eventually sank and crew and scientists had to spend quite some time in this area before they could be rescued. Sites that have to do with this story - like Hope Bay or Paulet Island - are sometimes visited. At Paulet, Hope Bay and Brown Bluff Adelie and Gentoo Penguins breed, as do Kelp Gulls and Cape Petrels, Snow Petrels and Skuas. The Sound’s main attractions are the spectacular tabular icebergs that come from the Larsen Ice Shelf further south.

Antarctic Peninsula
Remote and otherworldly, Antarctica is irresistible for its spectacular iceberg sculptures and calving glaciers, and for the possibility of up-close encounters with marine mammals and the iconic penguins. The Antarctic Peninsula – the main peninsula closest to South America – has a human history of almost 200 years, with explorers, sealers, whalers, and scientists who have come to work, and eventually intrepid visitors coming to enjoy this pristine and remote wilderness. It is a region of protected bays, unscaled snow-capped mountains, vast glaciers and a few places where whalers or scientists have worked. Just as irresistible are the many Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguin colonies, the seals basking on ice floes, the whales and orcas.

South Shetland Islands
Some 770 kilometers (478 miles) south of Cape Horn, the South Shetland Islands are usually the first land seen in Antarctica. Separated from the Antarctic Peninsula by the Bransfield Strait, nine major islands make up the group. The region was the first to be exploited by sealers in the early 19th century, and because of its proximity to South America, it still is the most visited by scientists and tourists. Chinstrap, Adelie, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins all breed here. In addition, because it is the warmest part of the continent, large moss beds as well as orange, black, grey and green lichens grow –even hair grass and pearlwort manage to survive. Leopard seals, Weddell seals, crabeater seals, Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals can be seen in the water and on the beaches.

Drake Passage
The Drake Passage has a notorious reputation for its turbulent seas due to the westerly winds and the funneling effect of the passage. The Antarctic Convergence, a natural boundary where cold polar water flows northward and warmer equatorial water moves southward, is within the Drake Passage. When these two currents meet, nutrients are pushed to the surface, often attracting a multitude of seabirds and whales. Black-browed Albatross, Sooty Shearwaters and White-chinned Petrels glide in the air currents alongside and in the wake of the ship.
Sailing Dates
  • 22 Dec 2021
Prices
Category Twin Per Person Single Per Person
ME - Medallion Suite AU $58,100 Request Price
G1 - Grand Suite 1 Bedroom AU $94,400 Request Price
O1 - Owner's Suite 1 Bedroom AU $118,100 Request Price
Itinerary

Cruise Itinerary

DayDateActivityArriveDepart
1 22/12 Ushuaia, Argentina 05:00 PM
2 23/12 At sea    
3 24/12 New Island, West Falkland Islands 06:00 AM 11:00 AM
3 24/12 West Point, Falkland Islands 02:15 PM 08:00 PM
4 25/12 Port Stanley, Falkland Islands 08:00 AM 02:00 PM
5 26/12 At sea    
6 27/12 At sea    
7 28/12 South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean 10:00 AM overnight
8 29/12 South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean overnight
9 30/12 South Georgia, South Atlantic Ocean 07:00 PM
10 31/12 At sea    
11 01/01 At sea    
12 02/01 Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands 09:30 AM 02:00 PM
13 03/01 At sea    
14 04/01 Antarctic Peninsula
15 05/01 Antarctic Peninsula
16 06/01 South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
17 07/01 Drake Passage
18 08/01 Drake Passage
19 09/01 Ushuaia, Argentina 08:00 AM
All itineraries and ports of call at the discretion of the cruise line subject to local weather conditions and may change without notice.

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