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Your voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America.

Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.

Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, you enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting up sea spray.

After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone.

Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.

Your first glimpse of land are the South Shetland islands – windswept and often cloaked in mist, they signal the beginning of your time in Antarctica. Depending on the conditions the captain may make a stop at Deception Island, a flooded caldera where you will encounter hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels.

From here you will cruise south to the Antarctic Peninsula, passing through the spectacular landscapes of the White Continent. Each day is different and you will explore by zodiac and on foot, discovering the unique Polar landscapes with your expert expedition team. On board, you will enjoy educational programs and presentations. No journey is the same and flexibility is key to success in Antarctica.

Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.

Every adventure, no matter how grand, must eventually come to an end. It’s now time to disembark in Ushuaia, but with memories that will accompany you wherever your next adventure lies.