Classic Antarctica

• Rates Include

• Inclusions for departures between November 2008 and March 2009:
• Hotel accommodation, with continental breakfast, the night prior to embarkation
• Shipboard accommodation from day of embarkation to disembarkation
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage
• Zodiac transfers and sightseeing while aboard
• Education program
• Group transfer between hotel and vessel upon embarkation
• Group transfer between vessel and airport following disembarkation
• Rubber boots loan service
• Complimentary parka on Akademik Shokalskiy and Ocean Nova
• Photographic Journal on DVD
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
• Inclusions for departures between November 2009 and March 2010:
•  One night pre-expedition hotel accommodation with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. (The number of guests per room is the same as cabin occupancy on the ship. Due to limited availability, travelers who reserve a suite on board are accommodated in standard rooms at the hotel.)
•  Shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping.
•  All breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage. (Please inform us of any dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. Unfortunately, the ships’ galleys cannot prepare kosher meals.).
•  All shore landings and Zodiac excursions per the daily program.
•  Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities.
•  Formal and informal presentations by our Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled.
•  Photographic Album on DVD.
•  A pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore landings
•  Hair dryer in every cabin.
•  A Quark Expeditions parka
•  Coffee, tea, cocoa and bottled water available around the clock.
•  Comprehensive pre-departure materials, including a map and an informative Antarctic Reader.
•  Group transfers from the hotel to the ship at the embarkation port, and from the ship to the local airport on disembarkation – plus all baggage handling aboard ship.
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
• Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all passengers to a maximum of $100,000 per person.
•  Not Included:
•  All airfare
•  fuel surcharge ($58 per person per night aboard ship)
•  Passport and visa expenses
•  Government arrival and departure taxes
•  Any meals ashore with the exception of breakfast at the host hotel before embarkation
•  Baggage, cancellation and medical travel insurance
•  Excess baggage charges
•  laundry, bar, beverage and other personal charges
•  Telecommunications charges
•  Customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for stewards and other service personnel (guidelines will be provided).

Day-By-Day Itinerary.

Day   1

Ushuaia, Argentina

Classic Antarctica is for adventurers looking for a satisfying overview of the continent's most appealing features - penguin rookeries, historic sites and beautiful icescapes. Overnight in Ushuaia.

Day   2

Embarkation Day

Our comfortable and well-appointed Expedition Ships are embarked in Ushuaia in the afternoon.

Day   3-4

The Drake Passage

Our Expedition Team will deliver an incomparable education program en route to Antarctica.

Day   5-8

Antarctic Peninsula

Don't forget to pack your binoculars. In the Peninsula, seals will be sunning on ice floes or a raft of penguins may be feeding as you sail past. History, wildlife, scenery - Antarctica has it all. A shipboard historian will recount the development of the region, pointing out the remains of buildings where explorers subsisted on hope and blubber. The ornithologist could take you ashore at Neko Harbour and help you identify different species of birds. You could cruise with a glaciologist through a graveyard of fantastically colored icebergs.

The Expedition Team will arrange frequent activities off the ship, such as visits to penguin rookeries, where you could be welcomed by a committee of curious birds. There will be leisurely Zodiac sightseeing cruises past icebergs or wildlife on the rocky shoreline.

A possible stop during this expedition is at Port Lockroy, we encourage you to read the diaries of the base leaders to learn more about visiting the historic site.

Day   9-11

The Drake Passage to Ushuaia

As you cross the Drake, the ship will be accompanied by Albatross and Petrels. Spend some time on deck learning to identify the different birds.