Young Pioneer Tours
Antarctica Frozen Continent Expedition – January 2027
Our classic Antarctica cruise is, for all travellers who have been on it, the trip of a lifetime. We have been running trips to the seventh continent for many years now, as well as Greenland and Svalbard, and each one of them have been magical. For country and continent collectors, photographers, penguins fans and actually just anyone with an adventurous spirit, a cruise to Antarctica is not to be missed.
Even before boarding, the trip is already an adventure as it sails from Ushuaia (Argentina), at the End of the World. We recommend arriving a few days early to explore the Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), the southernmost inhabited land on Earth, where there are multiple hiking opportunities.
You’ll travel on the M/V Hondius, the first registered Polar Class 6 ship in the world, which means it is one of the most efficient and comfortable boat able to reach the frozen sea surrounding Antarctica. It also exceeds the requirements of the IMO Polar Code, which keep track of the impact of ships in the polar region.
The journey will start through the Beagle Channel and after two days on the infamous Drake Passage, you’ll finally see your first icebergs, then gray stone peaks sketched with snow, and abundant wildlife below and above. Albatrosses, whales, orcas… You’ll feel like the Antarctic explorers of the past, only in a safer and more confortable ship.
You will first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands, before setting foot on the 7th continent. You will see gentoo penguins nesting on the island, colonies of chinstrap or Adelie penguins, wedell and crabeater seals, but also epic landscapes of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow. You will also take Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.
The scenery does not get boring even after 9 or 10 days, the open seas, the glaciers and icebergs, alpine mountains covered in snow, all make for photographs that will trump any of your other trips. Be careful: we’ve had passengers coming back from Antarctica with severe post-travel blues!
For more information on our budget cruises to Antarctica and other departure dates, visit our Antarctica Tours and travel page.
| Cost per person | Cabin type |
| €8145 | Quadruple Porthole |
| €9145 | Triple Porthole |
| €9995 | Twin Porthole* |
| €10,495 | Twin Window* |
| €11,495 | Twin Deluxe* |
| €24,495 (for two people) €20,995 (for one person) | Superior cabin with double bed. Price for one/ two people. |
| €25,995 (for two people) €21,995 (for one person) | Junior Suite with double bed. Price for one/ two people. |
| €29,995 (for two people) €25,995 (for one person) | Grand Suite with private balcony. double bed. Price for one/ two people. |
On a trip like this, we cannot guarantee the itinerary, it will depend on the weather and the condition of the ice. The final say for routes is with the captain of the ship.
Wednesday 6th January – Ushuaia, the end of the world!
- Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, the largest in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. YPT can advise on the best way to get here and arrange pre-tour accommodation. If you arrive a few days early, we can also advice you on the best way to discover this incredible place.
- In mid-afternoon, we will board the m/v Hondius from Tierra del Fuego
- For the rest of the day we will be sailing through the Beagle Channel, flanked by the southern reaches of the Andes Mountains. Those first hours at sea will be quite busy, as we settle in our cabins, learn about the safety rules on the ship, and attend the traditional welcome cocktail ceremony.
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Thursday 7th January – Across the Drake Passage
- Today we’ll be sailing the Drake Passage and get our first hint of what it’s like to be out at sea heading towards the Antarctic. We’ll have our mandatory briefings about how to behave in Antarctica. Our cruise follows IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) regulations to help conserve it as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. We’ll also receive our boots and clean our clothes to make sure we won’t bring seeds to Antartica!
- Lunch on the ship
- Our ship offers good options for wildlife watching, both outside on the panoramic deck, at the bow or in the comfort of our lounge. Watch out over the seas for several species of marine mammals (whales, orcas, dolphins…) and sea birds. The expedition crew is always on the lookout and will make announcements when they spot interesting wildlife.
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Friday 8th January – the Antarctic Convergence
- We will pass through the Antarctic Convergence, the border into Antarctica proper. Here, the temperature cools considerably within the space of a few hours, and nutritious water rises to the surface of the sea due to colliding water columns. This phenomenon attracts a multitude of seabirds near the ship, including several species of albatross, shearwaters, petrels, prions, and skuas.
- Lunch on the ship
- The naturalists on the ship will offer a program of lectures about various topics: the geography of Antarctica, penguins, whales, icebergs, the race to the South Pole… Those lectures are not mandatory: you can pick those that interest you most. And if you feel like it, you can even offer to give a lecture yourself!
- In the afternoon, we may see our first icebergs. It’s always a magical moment bringing a lot of excitement on the ship!
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Saturday 9th January – Finally in Antarctica
- Today we will arrive at the Antarctic Peninsula and pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands.
- Our goal during the trip is to be off the vessel as much as possible. While our planned schedule and activities are always subject to change due to local conditions (ice, weather, wildlife spotting opportunities), a typical day involve a zodiac cruise and a landing in the morning, and another cruise and landing in the afternoon.
- On Danco Island, we hope to see the gentoo penguins nesting on the island, in addition to the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.
- Lunch on the ship
- The site we’ll visit will depend on the circumstances, but we arranged in advance the possibility to visit the most beautiful landings sites in Antarctica. This is important as the Antarctica Treaty regulations forbid ships to arrive at the same place at the same time, not to disturb the wildlife. There can never be more than 100 people landing on each site.
- One of those beautiful landscape is Neko Harbour, surrounded by mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow. It offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
- We also plan to do a Zodiac cruise in the sprawling, ice-flecked waters of Paradise Bay, where there’s a good chance you’ll encounter humpback and minke whales.
- Will you dare plunge into the Antarctic Ocean? Yes, this is on the program – and is of course optional. If you do it, you may get a certificate!
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Sunday 10th January – The Antarctic Peninsula
- Depending on the ice, we’ll be trying to sail through the Lemaire Channel on the Pléneau & Petermann Islands looking for Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags, as well as scanning the seas for whales and leopard seals.
- Petermann island hosts one of the northernmost Adélie penguin colonies, as well as one of the southernmost Gentoo penguins colonies. Vibrant green and red algae, known as cryoplankton, colors the snow in bursting clouds, especially when the snow is melting in summer.
- Lunch on the ship
- Once we’ve passed through the Neumayer Channel, today we can hopefully visit Port Lockroy, a former British research station which is now a museum and post office so we can send postcards from the edge of the world!
- You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.
- Dinner and overnight party on the Hondius to celebrate the New Year under the Midnight sun
Monday 11th January – The Antarctic Peninsula
- Today we’ll try to spot humpback whales in Wilhelmina Bay. Wilhelmina Bay is high in the ranks of must-see Antarctic sights, and for good reason: the bay’s sheer ice cliffs and glacial sculpturing epitomize much of the Antarctic experience. Its waters are also sheltered, usually enabling Zodiac cruises between the islands and icebergs.
- Wilhelmina Bay is sometimes called “Whale-Mania Bay,” as it is one of the best places in Antarctica to spot them, as its waters are filled with krill, the staple food of many whale species. Sadly, however, it also explains why Wilhelmina Bay was once a top whaling location.
- We’ll hop into our Zodiac to cruise around and also see the wreck of the Guvernøren – a whaler ship that caught fire in 1915. This is a fantastic spot for photos of an eerie ghost ship
- Lunch on the ship
- Possible sites for landing and Zodiac cruises include Cuverville Island, but also the lesser known (though equally picturesque) Orne Island and Georges Point on Rongé Island. About 6,500 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins call Cuverville home, composing the largest rookery on the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Tuesday 12th January – The Antarctic Peninsula
- We’ll continue to explore among giant icebergs that will dwarf our ship. A range of Antarctic wildlife like humpback whales, fur seals, Adélie penguins, and maybe even one or more Ross’ seals may appear.
- We usually visit Brown Station, a small but pleasant research station. There is a nice hill and view behind Brown Station, though it is quite steep (84 meters or 276 feet high), and there are a few lower areas that also offer great scenery. The staff at Brown Station sometimes provide short talks to our guests, but there are no formal tours.
- Lunch on the ship
- As you’ve read, there is a large number of sites to visit in Antarctica, and we’ll do landings and Zodiac cruises until the last minute, before heading North to the South Shetland Islands.
Wednesday 13th January – South Shetland
- We’ll arrive at the volcanic islands of the South Shetlands, which are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but 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 will plunge through Neptune’s Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here, you’ll 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.
- Lunch on the ship
- 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.
- Dinner on the Hondius
Thursday 14th January – the Drake Passage
- Depending on the seas in the Drake Passage, we will be departing frozen Antarctica for the long voyage home
- Lunch on the ship
- Take our last proper Antarctic photos as the Hondius takes us away from the continent
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Friday 15th January – Heading home
- We’ll take the time to look out for seabirds and marine mammals and taking in the views and experience of the Antarctic seas as we head back to terrestrial life
- Lunch on the ship
- Enjoy the final evening on the ship with your newfound friends from the tour
- Dinner and overnight on the Hondius
Saturday 16th January – Ushuaia
- Our ship will arrive back at the end of the world at Tierra del Fuego where we disembark and say our goodbyes
- End of tour, YPT can assist with onward travel plans
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