Diving & snorkelling
Optional activities · from $515Drysuit diving and polar snorkeling reveal a cathedral of translucent blue sea ice, giant sea spiders, and penguins darting underwater with bird-like agility.
Available
January 2027
Antarctic Explorer Express
From
$16,326
Arrival
Jan 15, 2027
⚓ Punta Arenas
Duration
9 days
8 nights
Ice class
1A / PC6
Dual-rated: Finnish-Swedish 1A/1A+ and Polar Class 6 for navigating medium first-year polar ice.
Year built
2025
Day by day
Route:
Itinerary and landing sites are indicative and subject to change based on weather, sea ice, and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 — Ushuaia
Arrive in Ushuaia, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred with your fellow expeditioners to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, we ask you to make your way to your hotel. Check-in is from 3.00 pm. This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the hotel lobby, between 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm, to collect your luggage tags, and confirm if you wish to join our Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour tomorrow. Our team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minute items. Expeditioners arriving after 7.00 pm will find a welcome pack waiting for them at check-in. We ask you to visit our hospitality desk tomorrow between 8.00 am – 10.00 am. The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense. Assigned accommodation: To be advised
Day 2 — Embarkation
This morning, enjoy breakfast and check-out. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or at check-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day. Those wishing to join our Lake Escondido tour today, please meet in the hotel lobby at 8.45 am. This tour offers us an unforgettable panoramic drive through big valleys of glacial origin, evergreen and deciduous forests, waterfalls and rivers, in the vastness of the Andes Mountain Range. We will leave Ushuaia city to the northeast of Tierra del Fuego, driving through peat bog valleys to reach Garibaldi Pass, only accessible by a winding road that will take us to a panoramic point. From here we will have amazing panoramic views of Lake Escondido and, if weather conditions allow, of Fagnano Lake. We will start our descent towards the northeast to reach Fagnano Lake’s shore where we will visit a local ranch. After appreciating the landscape, you will have the chance to enjoy the typical Fuegian Lamb barbecue. Enjoy some free time there before returning to Ushuaia for ship embarkation. Alternatively, enjoy your day at leisure and meet at your hotel lobby or from the meeting point at the parking lot near the pier (details will be given by our ground staff at the hotel), to be transferred to the pier for embarkation. Once onboard, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, we’ll gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.
Day 3-4 — Drake Passage crossing
Settle into your stateroom and make yourself comfortable! The onboard gym, wellbeing centre and well-equipped library are yours to discover, and your expedition team will offer a series of presentations on Antarctica’s history, wildlife and environment to help enrich your experience. You will also be invited to collect your Muck Boots and attend important briefings on biosecurity, wildlife-watching guidelines and Zodiac safety, in preparation for your first landing in Antarctica. On day four the excitement is palpable as you near the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, with everyone converging on the observation decks to spot their first iceberg. Now that you’re south of the Antarctic Convergence the ocean takes on a whole new character, as you’re surrounded by porpoising penguins and dramatic icebergs. The memory of your first iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a lifetime. Time and weather permitting, we may attempt our first Antarctic landing in the late afternoon.
Day 8 — Fly King George Island to Punta Arenas
As we approach Frei Base on King George Island, it is time to farewell Antarctica and our amazing adventure before boarding our flight (approximately one hour and forty-five minutes) to Punta Arenas, Chile. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. We hope you become ambassadors for Antarctica telling your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here. In Punta Arenas, you will be transferred to our group hotel for an overnight stay.Note: King George Island is located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands and is one of the most remote places on Earth. A clear sky with perfect visibility is required for safe take-off and landing. We apologise in advance for any possible delays.
Day 9 — Depart Punta Arenas
After breakfast, bid a fond farewell to your fellow travellers as we continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature (breakfast included). A transfer to the airport is included in the voyage fare.Note: Should your flight not proceed due to local conditions; you will remain on the ship until it is deemed achievable to return to Punta Arenas. Refer to our terms and conditions for further details.
Activities
Kayaking & paddling
Optional activities · from $480Paddle in near-silence through mirror-calm glacial bays, drifting alongside iridescent ice sculptures and listening to the deep exhales of surfacing humpback whales.
Expedition Overview
Operator
Aurora Expeditions
Active AdventureAurora Expeditions operates dedicated polar expedition voyages to the White Continent with seasoned expedition teams.
Month
January 2027
High Summer · Playful ChicksWarmest temperatures, fluffy penguin chicks forming crèches, and surging whale arrivals.
Playful Chicks
Whale Watching
Warmest Weather
Regions
Visited Regions
7 regions on this voyage
Beagle Channel
Scenic Fjord • Sea Lion Colonies & Les Eclaireurs
Drake Passage
Rite of Passage • Albatross Alley
King George Island
Fly-Cruise Hub • Multi-National Stations
South Shetland Islands
Volcanic Isles • Penguin Rookeries & Calderas
Deception Island
Flooded Volcano • Geothermal Steam & Polar Plunge
Antarctic Peninsula
Classic Antarctica • Towering Peaks & Wildlife
Lemaire Channel
Kodak Gap • Kilometer-High Glaciated Chasm
Cabin offers
| Cabin | Occupancy | Price (per person) | Promo | Availability | Source | detail.action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| triple | $13,806 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| double | $14,256 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| double | $15,066 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| double | $15,516 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| double | $16,326 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator | |
| double | $17,586 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator | |
| single | $18,695 | — | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
Balcony Stateroom Superior
Larger balcony staterooms on Decks 4 & 6 with full-size window; 27.77–36.27 m². Some are wheelchair accessible.
In your cabin
|
double | $19,296 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator |
| single | $19,595 | — | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| single | $20,595 | — | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator | |
| single | $21,634 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| single | $22,849 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
Junior Suite
Suite on Deck 7 with private balcony, full-size window and separate lounge area; 41.47–41.87 m².
In your cabin
|
double | $23,076 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator |
| single | $23,524 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | ||
| single | $24,739 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator | |
Captain Suite
Top suite on Deck 4 with private balcony, full-size window and separate lounge area; 45.22 m².
In your cabin
|
double | $26,496 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions | |
| single | $26,629 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator | |
|
Balcony Stateroom Superior — Solo
Larger balcony staterooms on Decks 4 & 6 with full-size window; 27.77–36.27 m². Some are wheelchair accessible.
In your cabin
|
single | $29,194 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator |
|
Junior Suite — Solo
Suite on Deck 7 with private balcony, full-size window and separate lounge area; 41.47–41.87 m².
In your cabin
|
single | $46,651 | Save up to 10% | available | Aurora Expeditions | View at operator |
|
Captain Suite — Solo
Top suite on Deck 4 with private balcony, full-size window and separate lounge area; 45.22 m².
In your cabin
|
single | $53,491 | Save up to 10% | sold out | Aurora Expeditions |
Prices are captured from operator websites and may change — the operator's site is authoritative. Captured Sep 3, 2026 06:13 UTC.
Getting ready for this voyage?
Everything worth bringing on an Antarctic expedition — an interactive checklist you can tick off as you pack, keep as a personal link and download as a PDF.
Wildlife on this route
Wildlife
Gentoo Penguin
A stocky, orange-billed penguin of the genus Pygoscelis, closest kin to the Adélie and Chinstrap. Its loud, trumpeting call, delivered with head thrown back, carries across the shoreline colonies where expedition landings are made.
Wildlife
Humpback Whale
A 14–17 metre baleen whale known for breaching and long pectoral fins, often seen feeding on krill in loose groups along the ice edge.
Wildlife
Orca
Black and white apex predator instantly recognizable by its pale eye patches, the orca is the largest of the dolphins and one of the ocean's most capable hunters. Sightings often involve a tight-knit family pod working the ice edge together.
Wildlife
Wandering Albatross
The snowy albatross, better known as the wandering albatross, has the widest wingspan of any living bird alive today. Watch for it riding the wind for hours behind the ship without a single wingbeat.