Destination of the Month: Antarctica

December 2019

Us homo sapiens have been lucky enough to be born in just the right era to be able to catch these celestial miracles. After all, at one point solar eclipses were an astronomical impossibility; the moon is ever drifting further away from planet Earth, so several million years ago it was simply too close for an eclipse to take place. We specifically have all been born in such an era that we are able to predict just where in the world they’ll occur next. So, if global averages are correct, it’s very likely this opportunity won’t occur in the same area for another 360 years, so it’s no exaggeration to say that this expedition truly is a generational once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, this isn’t where our good fortune stops...
 

Antarctica is so remote that it was discovered just over 200 years ago. It has long since been a final bastion of terrestrial exploration, and it wasn’t until 2018 that Colin O’Brady was the first person ever to have crossed this vast continent solo and unassisted. In recent opportunities for tourism, we are pleased to be able to present a much more comfortable and less arduous version of Antarctic exploration that will still make you something of a pioneer in your own right. Antarctic Solar Eclipse offers not just the opportunity to visit a destination as precious and extraordinary as this, but also to view a solar eclipse in the Scotia Sea in the company of icebergs and penguins.

 

Another unique feature of this expedition is the variety of locations visited. After all, it’s not just vast white desert of Antarctica on the itinerary.

The faraway British outpost of the Falkland Islands will be the most cosmopolitan place you experience. With pubs and fish and chips it is a little chunk of England in exile.

A breathtaking natural harbour that goes by the name of Deception Island is another stop. The bay is actually a flooded caldera, as evidenced by the several hot springs that you're able to try out for yourself. That's if you don't mind sharing with the local 'residents' of the penguin variety.

Of course this trip wouldn't be complete without the archipelago of South Georgia. For fans of Antarctic exploration, this is where you’ll find Shackleton’s grave framed by crags and ghostly peaks. The ghostly whale stations are there to be explored, along with the king penguins and Antarctic fur seals that have rightly claimed these rusting hulks for their own.

One of the crown jewels of this expedition is that the various Antarctic archipelagos you visit are so remote that they harbour some of the planet’s largest wildlife populations. South Georgia has the largest Southern elephant seal colony in the world. These beasts can weigh up to 4000kg and share the same stomping grounds with the small number of 300,000 king penguins.

This may already sound vast, but numbers like this are small-fry in comparison to the 50 million seabirds that can be found on this tiny island. Fin whales, second only in size to its cousin the blue whale, can also be seen. They pockmark the horizons as skuas and petrels bring up the rear, following the vessel in the ongoing search for food.
 

All aboard the Janssonius...! Well, you’ll have to hold off until 2021 as she’s still in the construction stages. Named after the famous Dutch cartographer, she will carry you in comfort across the once-feared Drake’s Passage and glide gently through the Antarctic seas with state-of-the-art safety features. Of course, these comply with the latest standards of the International Maritime Organisation so you can sleep in your quarters soundly, knowing safety is always the priority. 

The Janssonius may be comfortable, what with staterooms, balconies observation lounges, but the focus is on spending the vast majority of time offshore. But whilst on board you will be treated to lectures from world experts and interactive workshops and exhibitions focusing on Antarctica and its surrounding areas.

Click here for a 360​° view of the ship!

Departure: 25th November 2021
Duration: 20 days
Price from: €13,350 per person*

*Terms and conditions apply

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