King Penguins on South Georgia

December 27, 2006 - January 24, 2007
The amazing Cheeseman Expedition to Antarctica

We are full members of IAATO

All meals included beginning with breakfast on December 29 through breakfast on January 23. Please see Payments & Cancellations section at the foot of the itinerary.

All cabin classes are now full. Please let us know if you are interested in being on the wait list for this voyage.

Black-browed Albatross on Steeple Jason, Falklands

Deposit Schedule: Please see "Payments & Cancellations" at the foot of the itinerary.

GROUP SIZE: 72 participants, plus our staff of thirteen, the MV Ushuaia officers and hotel staff, including Hotel Manager, Assistant Hotel Manager, Bartender, Head Chef and Sous-chefs, and the crew of the MV Ushuaia. With fewer than 100 passengers everyone can land at the same time, without ‘shifts’ ashore.

A Non-Smoking Expedition

• Dec 27 - 28: Fly to Ushuaia; overnight the 29th in Ushuaia, a very interesting tourist center.
• Dec 29: Morning in Tierra del Fuego National Park. Embark from Ushuaia on the MV Ushuaia.
• Dec 30: Albatross at our stern and the prevailing current with us to the Falklands. Whale watch!
• Dec 31 - Jan 2: Three days in the Falklands at private reserves on four islands, including Steeple Jason.
• Jan 3 - 4: Cruise the South Scotia Sea to South Georgia across the Antarctic "Polar Front."
• Jan 5 - 10: South Georgia, seven days in a wildlife extravaganza.
• Jan 11 - 13: Cruising the South Atlantic to Antarctica via the South Orkneys to Paulet Island.
• Jan 14 - 20: The Antarctic Peninsula, "banana belt" of Antarctica.
• Jan 21 - 22: The Drake Passage and up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia the following day.
• Jan 23 - 24: Flight to Buenos Aires on January 23 with return on January 24 or stay for extension.

Macaroni Penguins on South Georgia

Macaroni Penguin, South Georgia

Southern Elephant Seal, South Georgia

SUZI ESZTERHAS (Professional Photographer, Lecturer and Zodiac Driver) Suzi currently teaches photography workshops on the coast of California and will assist Tom Murphy in his photography sessions ashore. Suzi has photographed wildlife in various remote regions of the earth including East Africa, Alaska, Manitoba, British Columbia, and California. Her images have been widely published and can be seen at www.eszterhasphotography.com.

SOPHIE WEBB(Ornithologist, Naturalist on Watch, Wildlife Illustrator and Zodiac Driver) Sophie has drawn and painted wildlife since childhood, and has traveled as a biologist studying and painting birds from the Amazon to the Arctic and Antarctic. In 1995 she co-authored and illustrated A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America and in 2000 published an award winning children's book, My Season with Penguins: An Antarctic Journal drawing from her 5 seasons of Antarctic work. Sophie will teach a short wildlife illustration course during the expedition. She is a director of Oikonos: Ecosystem Knowledge and a Research Associate of Point Reyes Bird Observatory in California.

WALT ANDERSON (Ecologist, Lecturer, Photographer and Wildlife Illustrator) Walt has been referred to as "the naturalist of old cast in modern times, the next generation of a proud and ancient lineage." His field experience spans the globe. Walt teaches natural history, ecology, field biology and interpreting nature through art and photography at Prescott College in Arizona.

ANDY McMILLEN (History Lecturer and Zodiac Driver). Andy boasts a history degree from Yale and a lifelong interest in the history of exploration. With experience teaching history in Jackson Hole, conducting float trips on the Snake River in Wyoming, and managing communications for major corporations, Andy brings a wide range of skills and knowledge to our adventure. He currently lives in Colorado and operates a communications consulting practice (www.mcmillencom.com).

And four more leaders.

Thursday, December 28 Ushuaia
Upon arrival in Ushuaia, transfer to Hotel Albatross, an excellent hotel centrally located in this southern most town. Our outfitters will meet you at the Ushuaia Airport for the short transfer to town. Ushuaia has grown from 8,000 to more than 100,000 inhabitants in the last 25 years. Although becoming the largest town in Tierra del Fuego so quickly has resulted in some growing pains, it is a charming town, especially on a sunny day when the towering peaks around the town are visible. Many shops are devoted to tourism. Dinner is on our own on the 28th. Lodging: Hotel Albatross

Friday, December 29 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego National Park
On Friday, the 29th, luggage will be sent ahead to the MV Ushuaia. After a continental breakfast, hope for blue skies for a trip to Tierra del Fuego National Park in Southern Beech forest. Picnic lunch included. Walk up to a lookout, a good spot to sight Andean Condor. Peale's Dolphins are a possibility in the channels within the National Park, and the walk along the shores is fascinating. Land birds include three species of caracara, an incredible diversity of geese, thrushes and other Tierra del Fuegan passerines. On our previous trips we have sometimes found Magellanic Woodpecker and Andean Condor. After lunch, plan to stop at the excellent small natural history and cultural museum near the waterfront in Ushuaia.

By 4:00 p.m. board the MV Ushuaia, which will be waiting at the dock. We'll find our cabins and get ready for embarkation in the early evening. The Ushuaia will pull anchor and head east down the Beagle Channel. As the town of Ushuaia fades in the distance, we will find ourselves cruising largely uninhabited scenic shores. It's hard to believe that all along these shores of the Beagle Channel are hollows where the Hshgans (Tierra del Fuegans) once built their huts. The beautiful evergreen Nothophagus trees (Southern Beech), strongly wind pruned, fill every protected valley between the gently rolling hills with mountains behind. Look for new species, such as Chilean Skua, South American Tern, King Cormorant (Blue-eyed Shag), Kelp Gull, and Black-browed Albatross. Our staff on board will spot and identify these species. Enjoy our first dinner together aboard ship, a very special occasion indeed. Dusk will linger late enticing us to stay up watching for seabirds and the spectacular scenery. After sunset, phytoplankton phosphorescing on the water and a brilliant, starry sky may be the rewards. Saturday, December 30. At Sea

Black-browed Albatross, Falkland Islands

Familiarization on all aspects of ship life and preparations for what to expect the next three days in the Falklands will keep us busy with time in between for viewing from the bridge or stern. Wandering Albatross should be following us today, plus many Black-browed Albatross and always there's a chance of a Royal Albatross in these waters. We should see about 10 species today, mostly in the tubenose family, meaning those birds with tube-like structures on the bill leading to the nostrils, including Kerguelen Petrel (rare), Thin-billed Prion, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Giant Petrel, Sooty Shearwaters and the albatrosses. The weather could be quite balmy, about 15 C, between 50 - 60 F, if the skies are blue. Photographers on the stern will have a field day following birds on the wing in their viewfinders. Tonight, enjoy a welcome with our Captain and our fine staff and crew.

FALKLAND ISLANDS

Sunday to Tuesday, December 31 -January 2 FALKLAND ISLANDS
Out of the 300 or more islands in the Falklands, we plan to land on four of the best for wildlife viewing and photography. The Falklands, a British colony approximately 300 miles east of South America and 700 miles north of Antarctica, about 400 miles from Ushuaia, has a temperate, but very foggy climate where we hope to enjoy some of their rare Austral summer sunshine. On New Island, West Point Island, Carcass Island, and Steeple Jason Island, highlights will be three species of penguins in their colonies, Rockhoppers, Magellanics, and Gentoos. We may walk to seek out the Magellanics and land birds of the Falklands, species that are not to be found on South Georgia. We must pay close attention to staying out of the areas that contain many fragile prion burrows on New Island and Southern Giant Petrels nests on Steeple Jason where they are abundant. We should see most of the birds of the Falklands, including the fantastic flightless Steamer Ducks, Ruddy-headed Goose, caracaras, shorebirds, and passerines, such as Tussock-bird, Dark-faced Ground Tyrant, Long-tailed Meadowlark, and Black-throated Finch. The Black-browed Albatross will be nesting high in the cliffs where we will have amazing views of them courting atop their conical mud nests. Here South American Fur Seal is a good possibility, although their numbers have been declining rapidly. Highlights include the Peale's and Commerson's dolphins that occasionally bow ride on the ship or even alongside the Zodiacs going from ship to shore and back.

We hope to see our hosts, Tony Chater and Ian Strange on New Island, Lilly and Roddy Napier who own Westpoint Island, and on Carcass, owners, Lorraine and Rob McGill. These islands are privately owned and open to ecotourism on a very limited basis. Carcass Island has the best species diversity, due to never having rats on the island. The owners of these islands are keenly working to protect the resident wildlife. Both the owners on New Island, Ian Strange and Tony Chater, are artists and have designed many of the wonderful Falkland postal stamps, real collector's items. Ian Strange is also author of the excellent field guide to the natural history of the Falklands.

King Penguin

We'll celebrate New Year's Eve this evening while anchored in the well protected harbor at New Island. Two fantastic landings are planned on Monday: in the morning on Westpoint Island and in the afternoon on Carcass Island. On Tuesday we hope to land on the outermost northwest island, Steeple Jason, a reserve now owned by the NY Zoological Society, where more Black-browed Albatross nest than anywhere else on earth! The vast colony of albatross is mind-boggling. All the other Falkland specialties are there also. Landings are always subject to weather conditions, so we will hope for calm weather characteristic of this season.

Wednesday to Thursday, January 3 -4 At Sea Southeast to South Georgia
By Wednesday morning we will be far from the Falklands, southward bound, heading southeast to South Georgia! In these waters we cross the Polar Front (aka the Antarctic Convergence) and officially enter Antarctic waters. The birds appearing, although not in great numbers, will be outstanding, especially the large albatrosses. The richness of these waters is evident in the marine mammal life, especially the fur seals on fishing forays. There is a chance of sighting whales such as Fins and Minkies. Fin Whales are very difficult to approach, as they are the fastest of the rorqual whales and can quickly leave us behind. We have counted in these waters eight species of petrels (Cape, Soft-plumaged, White-headed, Atlantic, Blue, White-chinned, and Southern and Northern giant petrels), three species of storm-petrels (Gray-backed, Black-bellied and Wilson's), Common Diving-Petrel, six species of albatross, (Grey-headed, Light-mantled Sooty, Wandering, Northern and Southern Royal, and of course, Black-browed), thousands of Antarctic Prions, plus Greater and Sooty shearwaters and Southern Fulmars.

At the ever-changing Polar Front two bodies of water meet. As the salty, cold Antarctic water mixes alongside warmer, fresher water from the north, water temperatures plummet from about 4 to 6 degrees C down to 0 degrees C in a period of about eight hours cruising. With this change the bird population begins to include more Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars, and even Snow Petrel as we come around the northeast end of South Georgia. One year Snow Petrels were sighted further north than the normal 55 degrees latitude south, at 53 degrees south. There is excellent birding in this area. During this time at sea, crossing about 1000 nautical miles from the Falklands, we will have slide lectures on the wildlife, wildlife photography, ecology, geology, and history of the Scotia Sea and South Georgia. The prevailing current will be in our direction.

Friday to Thursday, January 5 -11 SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND
Arrival time at South Georgia will depend on weather conditions and could be by mid-day on the 5th. One of the most remote islands in the world, South Georgia provides a magnificent highlight of our trip, as we spend six to seven days in this wild landscape of penguins and seals. The mountainous rugged interior, a geologic continuation of the Andes Chain, is carved by more than 150 glaciers into spectacular fjords and ringed by islands. South Georgia has incredible possibilities for landings all along the eastern coastline, which we will explore during these six days. At Cooper Bay we will strive to get close to the marvelous Macaroni Penguins, the more southerly equivalent of the Rockhoppers, which nest at this accessible landing. Macaronis, the most numerous of all the penguins at South Georgia, nest in the most inaccessible areas down fairly steep cliffs. The easiest penguins to see and photograph, as long as the weather cooperates, are the King Penguins which nest on the uplifted beach terraces, such as at Gold Harbour and Fortuna Bay. Viewed from the ship, they look like tightly packed white dots flowing from the hills like glaciers. At Salisbury Plains in the Bay of Isles, an estimated 250,000 King Penguins nest. South of Grytviken, St. Andrew's Bay is also high on our list of possible landings to experience a huge King Penguin colony, the largest colony at South Georgia.

An unforgettable experience will be on Prion Island in the Bay of Isles. Each pair of Wandering Albatross has a private estate with at least 30 meters square of open space around the nest site for courtship and take-offs and landings, a real contrast with the King Penguin's territory of one meter square. Here also are the Southern Giant Petrels, quietly incubating, as long as you keep your distance. The beautifully torpedo sculptured Light-mantled Sooty Albatross nests on the cliffs and glides by, calling its eerie vocalization. The most southern land bird is here, the South Georgia Pipit, endemic to only South Georgia. South Georgia Pintails reside in freshwater ponds among the tussock grass. These ducks survive the winter months by scavenging at carcasses. Also on Prion Island, we'll keep our distance from the Antarctic Fur Seals. We provide walking sticks for anyone who does not carry a tripod in case you need to tickle their whiskers, a safe way to keep an aggressive seal at bay. Female Antarctic Fur Seals control males by snapping at their whiskers. At Grytviken whaling station, which thrived for over 50 years, we will absorb whaling history. The museum has excellent natural history exhibits as well. South Georgia is now a British Antarctic Territory. The history of Antarctic exploration comes alive as we listen to our historian tell of the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton. This famous explorer crossed the rugged backbone of South Georgia from the west to arrive at the Stromness Whaling Station on the east side seeking help for his men stranded on Elephant Island. The Endurance crew, hand picked by Sir Ernest Shackleton in England for his 1914-1917 expedition, survived on the nutritious, though unappetizing, meat of penguins and seals while waiting for rescue on Elephant Island. Their ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea. Shackleton and his men had set off in small boats and landed at Elephant Island with hardly any landing room below the steep cliffs along the shore. From here, Shackleton and a handful of men continued in a small boat to South Georgia, returning to Elephant Island 105 days later to rescue the men. Alongside the graveyard in Grytviken where Shackleton is buried, many young Southern Elephant Seals, no longer hunted for oil, now snooze together.

Macaroni Penguins are abundant at Cooper Bay and Gentoo Penguins in many small colonies all along the northeast coastline. At this time they are nesting at the height of their breeding activities and are frequenting the beaches. Penguins porpoise alongside the ship, as we travel the wild and rugged coastline. There may even be a Fairy Prion if you have an eye for searching through the large prion flocks circling the ship. Unfortunately the whales have not yet made a comeback at South Georgia. On previous charters we have had excellent looks at Fin Whales on the way to South Georgia and near the South Orkneys, so we are hopeful that more will be seen in the future. Also on our previous charters two species of beaked whales, Southern Bottlenose Whale and Cuvier's Beaked Whale, were seen. The bones of Blue Whales and other cetaceans are often seen on shore at South Georgia and on the Peninsula, but we still have never seen a Blue Whale in Antarctica waters. Southern Right Whales are beginning to make a comeback in this area.

Humpback Whale

Friday to Sunday, January 12 -14 Cruising South via the South Orkneys to Paulet
Our route to Antarctica will be dictated by the pack ice and will be most interesting. Icebergs will be scattered throughout our path as we approach the South Orkney Islands. We'll also have two days at sea to gather on the bridge to search for Humpback, Fin and Minke whales, also Southern Fulmars, and hopefully Antarctic Petrel, Kerguelen Petrel, and Snow Petrel, one of the most beautiful birds of the Southern Ocean. Look for blue icebergs with penguins aloft. For the first time Juan Fernandez Petrel was sighted on our 2000 charter between South Georgia and South Orkneys. Some of the lectures onboard ship during this time will be on skuas, penguins, whales and seals, on geology and climate change, on drawing wildlife, and on photo techniques in the ice. The Observation Lounge will be a great place to view spectacular iceberg scenery as we travel further south.

At the South Orkneys we plan one landing if ice conditions permit at 60 degrees latitude South. Shingle Cove in the NW corner of Iceberg Bay on the south coast of Coronation Island was named for the shingle on the landing beach at the south shore of the cove. The cove is beautifully colored with orange lichens, green grass and moss and has nesting Snow Petrels and Pintados nearby. (In this area of Antarctica and south we follow a strict eco-code: maintain 15 feet from all wildlife, except if you are approached by an animal, meaning both birds and mammals, and absolutely avoid walking on lichens, moss and the one species of grass.)

Monday to Saturday, January 15 -20 ANTARCTIC PENSINSULA
At this end of the Earth, one senses a deep spiritual presence. Great respect must be given to the fragile vegetation and to the wildlife colonies. Each participant is requested to keep the protocol information fresh in mind during all landings! We will hope for magnificent sunsets, sculpted blue icebergs, and close penguin and whale encounters, each with the potential of an in-depth experience that we will never forget. We will be cruising historical waters where the Swedish Expedition led by Nordenskjold and the British Expedition led by Shackleton passed in their attempts to reach the continent via the Weddell Sea. Theirs are the most amazing true survival accounts that one could imagine. We hope to visit sites where the penguins and seals that sustained these explorers have taken over leaving no clues, or only faint clues, of the makeshift homes where the men spent many months before being rescued. If ice conditions permit, we will arrive at the Peninsula via Paulet Island, site of a large Adelie Colony and another island that supplied sustenance to stranded sailors from the Nordenskjold Expedition, an equally exciting survival story to Shakleton's experience.

A warming trend has been experienced in the Southern Ocean during the last few decades, showing clear evidence of climate change. The Antarctic Peninsula has been feeling this warming the most, with an amazing 9 degrees warming in average winter temperatures over the last 50 years. This has dramatically changed and reduced ice distributions. But we will still be among a world of spectacular icebergs! Normally while we are here, in the Antarctic summertime on the Peninsula, the coldest temperatures we will experience during landings will be in the 30s F. It is more like winter temperatures at west coast ski resorts, very pleasant with a jacket on, and certainly nothing like wintertime temperatures in Antarctica.

Our first Antarctic Peninsula landing, we hope, will be Paulet Island in the Weddell Sea, an excellent place for penguins on icebergs. It is the largest Adelie Penguin colony that we will encounter, located on a very interesting volcanic island. On the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula we will enter Bransfield Strait, and then head southward into Gerlache Strait. Here the Humpback Whales have made a tremendous comeback. We can expect wonderful whale behavior in the summer feeding grounds here. The krill swarms are sometimes enormous, visible on the ship's fathometer (depth sounder). We will find many Gentoo Penguin colonies and Chinstraps, often in mixed colonies on our Antarctica landings, and their attendant scavengers, Snowy Sheathbills, Brown and South Polar skuas, and Kelp Gulls.

Paradise Bay, Lemaire Channel, Neumeyer Channel, the South Shetland Islands
Paradise Bay, one of the most beautiful areas in Antarctica, is one of our favorite places for Zodiac cruising in the inner part of the bay near the spectacular glaciers and ethereal mountains. Conditions permitting, we may walk up for an unforgettable view of surrounding mountains and glaciers at Almirante Brown, an Argentine station in Paradise Bay on the Peninsula. Don't try the ship's satellite phone while in these bays; it won't penetrate the high peaks! Here we are completely surrounded with ice-draped peaks soaring out of the water for several thousand feet. While cruising in bays along the Antarctic Peninsula, hope to discover Weddell, Crabeater, and maybe Leopard Seals on ice floes.

Cruising onboard ship down to Petermann Island will certainly be an unforgettable experience. Hanging ice cliffs, the fronts of highly fractured tidewater glaciers, back most of the shoreline. Petermann Island, at 65 degrees S in the southern part of the Lemaire Channel, has a large colony of Adelies and Gentoos with Blue-eyed Shag colonies on the edges. We will plan an evening landing here in beautiful light hopefully taking full advantage of the continuous daylight. Weather and ice conditions permitting we will continue south possibly, not not likely as far as Crystal Sound at the Antarctic Circle, 66 degrees 33' south -a crossing to be celebrated -and even beyond to Detaille Island. A historic British Antarctic Survey hut remains here, abandoned to the thousands of nesting Adelie Penguins. Even if we are likely stymied in our southward progress, the jagged walls of the Transantarctic Mountains will reward us with fantastic scenery behind a fairyland of ice temples.

After a memorable southernmost navigation, we begin our return north, on the lookout for more cetaceans, including Killer Whales and even rare beaked whales. We plan to visit the sprawling Gentoo Penguin colony at Port Lockroy, located at the end of the very narrow, beautiful Peltier Channel close to the Neumeyer Channel. We'll try a landing at tiny Cuverville Island with Gentoo Penguins on the headlands and/or at adjacent RongeL Island near a Chinstrap Penguin colony. Perhaps cruise with Humpbacks swimming among the icebergs offshore, although this happening is quite unusual.

Deception Island in the South Shetlands is one of the most exciting islands, as it is very active volcanically. We hope to land on both the outside wall and inside the caldera center that opens to the ocean via a narrow gap called "Neptune's Bellows." The landing at Bailey Head on the outside has close to half a million Chinstraps nesting at this time of year, but the sea must be absolutely flat to land on the beach limiting our chances of landing. However inside Deception's huge caldera we can cruise and make several fascinating landings. One of the most unique experiences is soaking in thermal pools alongside the beach at Pendulum Cove in clouds of steam. The water temperature can be fairly comfortable, although sometimes it's so hot that it's necessary to mix it with colder water. If you stiffen up your arms and flap underwater like a penguin, it helps. Somehow penguins are a lot more agile underwater than we are! Normally there are a number of Weddell Seals basking on the beach, but this area is an Area of Scientific Concern and is not open beyond the high tide mark to walking. We land if the tide is correct and the weather is favorable. Further north in the South Shetland Island Group we might encounter more lichens and even lush moss. In the penguin colonies we will also encounter all of the usual rookery scavengers: skuas, gulls, giant-petrels, and Snowy Sheathbills, some of them guarding their nests. Kelp Gulls especially are very wary and easily frightened from their nest, so we have to give their nests a wide berth, such as at Hannah Point, an excellent landing site. About five pairs of Macaroni Penguins are nesting in the Chinstraps and Gentoos colonies at Hannah Point.

Due to the expeditionary nature of our voyage, specific stops cannot be guaranteed, but we will be visiting many islands with large penguin rookeries. Accompanied by our naturalists, we will land often and stay as long as possible, abiding by the "Guidelines for Responsible Eco-tourism."

Gentoo Penguin

Sunday to Monday, January 21 - 22 DRAKE PASSAGE & BEAGLE CHANNEL
Named after the 16th century English seaman, Sir Francis Drake, this waterway of about 600 miles separates the southernmost tip of South America from Antarctica. We cross the Antarctic Polar Front ("Convergence") approximately halfway across the Drake Passage at about 59 degrees 08 L S and 63 degrees 20 L W. Those on the lookout may sight several species of albatross and petrels, a good area for Blue Petrel, also for Royal Albatross following the ship. Sperm Whales and other pods of whales have been sighted in the Passage. On the 22nd, almost 500 miles north of the South Shetlands, we should be near Cape Horn. Although a landing is not possible at the Cape Horn Lighthouse, we will get as close as possible, within one mile. The offshore area is as rich as Monterey Bay in California and the seabirds are usually present in good numbers, especially Sooty Shearwaters and Black-browed Albatross if the sea is calm. Peale's Dolphins are also a good possibility, sometimes in schools of hundreds. This evening back in the Beagle Channel, enjoy a scenic cruise all the way to Ushuaia.

Tuesday to Wednesday, January 23 - 24 Return to Ushuaia
By early morning on Tuesday we will dock at Ushuaia where we will be reluctant to say good-by to our spirited shipmates! Disembark the ship after breakfast and connect with our flight back to Buenos Aires or to other points. Our outfitters in Ushuaia, Rumbo Sur, will collect the checked luggage in their luggage van to be checked at the Ushuaia Airport. For homeward flights with the present schedule, fly by early afternoon from Ushuaia, arriving at the international airport in Buenos Aires to connect in the evening to Miami, New York, London and other points with night flight connections. If you wish to stop in Buenos Aires, that can be arranged also. By March, the very descriptive trip log, with daily sightings throughout this incredible journey will be in the mail to each member of the expedition.

King Penguins mating

The ship and crew: Originally built for the United States agency NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration), the MV Ushuaia has been refurbished to accommodate a maximum of 80 passengers in 40 comfortable twin cabins and suites. The ice-strengthened polar vessel Ushuaia is very well appointed and provides ample deck space and an open bridge policy. The full complement of inflatable landing craft ensures superb landings and wildlife viewing opportunities on the otherwise inaccessible coastline.

All cabins include a desk and ample storage space. Public areas feature a large dining room (one sitting), an observation lounge and bar, a conference room with modern multimedia equipment, a well-stocked library, a changing room and a small infirmary. It is staffed with a Chilean and Argentinean crew. Our expert captain, officers and crew are highly experienced in Antarctic navigation and have a great love of nature. We provide a specialist team of international expedition leaders and lecturers, all extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, helpful and dedicated to the protection of the environment. Our chefs prepare excellent cuisine including many local specialties and the bar is well-stocked with carefully selected wines and spirits. The Ushuaia will carry four mark V zodiacs and five RIBs, (rigid, inflatable boats) allowing faster access to landings - more time ashore! A “chit” system will operate for onboard payments.

Accommodation:

Suites: Outside cabins with windows on the upper deck (G), private facilities, two lower berths, lounge, TV, video, VHS, DVD, fridge. Suites 204 and 207 feature a third berth. Suite 207 has portholes.

A cabins: Twin outside cabins with portholes on the upper deck (G), private facilities, two berths (lower or upper/lower).

B cabins: Twin outside cabins with portholes on the main deck (E) and semi-private facilities, two berths (upper/lower).

C cabins: Twin inside cabins on the lower deck (D) with semi-private facilities, two berths (upper/lower).

Note - Semi-private facilities: two cabins share one bathroom accessible from both cabins (shower and wc). Each cabin is also equipped with its own washbasin.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070

Telephone: (800) 527-5330
Locally (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358

• Initial deposit :$1,000 or $2,000 per person depending on cabin.
• Second deposit: $2,000 on December 1, 2005
• Third deposit: $3,000 on March 1, 2006
• Final payment due September 1, 2006. Until 120 days or more prior to departure, payments are refundable except for $300. Refunds given 119-80 days prior to departure will be subjected to a charge of 10% of the tour price, 79-60 days prior to departure, a charge of 40%, and 60 days or less prior to departure, no refund will be paid. Cancellation insurance is recommended (see below).

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is registered as California Seller of Travel #2063050-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. All payments for transportation or travel service not provided to the passenger shall be promptly refunded, in accordance with terms described above, unless the passenger otherwise instructs us, in writing. All client payments are deposited into a trust account in accordance with California law. This business is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC). We will always make due refunds in a timely manner, as we have for over twenty years. However, if we didn't, you, the passenger, may request reimbursement from the TCRC within six months of the scheduled end of the tour. Please feel free to ask us for more information.
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