Emperor Penguin Quest: Expedition to Snow Hill

Overnight hotel stay.

Upon arriving in this fascinating city, known for its architecture and rich European heritage, you will independently transfer to your group hotel (pre-expedition hotel night included in your Charter Flight and Hotel Package).

Fly to Ushuaia and Embark ship.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, your group will transfer to the airport and board our private charter flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, which is also part of your Charter Flight and Hotel Package. Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to a central downtown location to enjoy time on your own to explore quaint Ushuaia—the world’s southernmost city—before making your way to the pier. After a late afternoon embarkation, we will sail along the historic Beagle Channel, which transects the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in the extreme south of South America. Enjoy the air of anticipation as you depart—the next land you see will be the Antarctic.

Crossing the Drake Passage.

The unpredictable and exciting Drake Passage, which lies at the confluence of the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Southern oceans, is an adventure unto itself. While being well taken care of by our expert onboard staff and expedition team, you’ll have plenty of time to gaze out at the expansive ocean waters, photograph seabirds as they swoop around the ship, and get to know your Expedition Team and fellow travelers.

Onboard presentations by worldrespected experts will enrich your polar quest, conveying what it was like a century ago for the brave polar heroes who embraced the unknown. You’ll also learn more about the icedwelling Emperor penguins.

The journey toward Snow Hill Island will put you in explorer mode as the captain and Expedition Leader keep you updated through weather briefings, meteorological and sea ice condition reports. The thickness of ice will determine how close Ultramarine can get to Snow Hill Island, then our twinengine helicopters will take over. Like summiting a mountain from base camp, parties will set out from Ultramarine towards the Emperor penguin colony. 

As experienced by the our guests who visited Snow Hill Island with us in November 2023 on not one but two voyages, the adventure begins with an extended helicopter transfer that will reveal a landscape of snow-capped peaks and apartment-building-sized tabular icebergs. The rookery itself is located on the sea ice off the south coast of Snow Hill Island and the landing will be as close to the penguins as possible, yet at a safe distance to avoid disturbing the birds. Upon landing, your party will walk across the ice to the fabled Emperor penguin colony. The wind. The ice beneath your feet. Walking next to paths in the snow carved by penguins that came before. And then there are the incredible sounds of the penguins in the distance as you march toward one of the rarest wildlife opportunities on the planet: the colony of approximately 8,000 rarely-seen Emperor penguins. 

The goal of the expedition is to get every guest to the remote colony at least once. The Expedition Team and special experts will be close by to answer your questions and ensure you take in everything there is to see. Guests on our November 2023 voyages were able to observe close up how the Emperor penguins behave as a tight-knit community, how they care for their young, and how they body surf across the ice in a way that can only be described as quirky yet efficient. 

The helicopter expedition in search of the Emperor colony might just be the adventure of a lifetime. And while at base on Ultramarine with your attentive Expedition Team, you’ll be immersed each day in the polar experience of the Weddell Sea. Daily activities can include Zodiac cruising among the icebergs, paddle-on-top kayaking, or working with our team to observe the weather forecasting and ship operations up close. A particularly enriching component of your voyage will be the bespoke educational programs tailored specifically for this expedition that offer both traditional (lecture format) and hands-on opportunities for learning about this fascinating region. Each day our polar experts, who include penguin scientists, biologists and polar historians, will present on various aspects of Emperor penguins and their behaviors, ice formations such as the tabular icebergs which you’ll see from the deck of your ship, and the experiences of polar explorers who braved the Weddell Sea over a century ago. Or you might, on one of these days, decide to take the polar plunge, or test your balance on a stand-up paddleboard. Then again, maybe you’ll enjoy a little pampering. If so, you can choose from Ultramarine’s excellent onboard amenities, including the spa, sauna and fitness room. The Emperor penguin colony at Snow Hill is the goal of this expedition. 

However, if weather or ice conditions prevent us from visiting the colony or shorten the duration of our visit, we may explore some other sites. Your possible landings in Antarctica will take place on the eastern side of the Peninsula, which is an extension of the Transantarctic Mountains and is the most northern stretch of Antarctic land.  

The journey back across the Drake Passage provides a final opportunity to enjoy the invigorating Southern Ocean air. Spend time on the deck watching for seabirds and scouting for whales, enjoy presentations by your Expedition Team, and celebrate the experiences you’ve shared getting off the beaten track in the remarkable world of Antarctica.

Disembark in Ushuaia and Fly to Buenos Aires.

You will arrive in Ushuaia in the morning and disembark after breakfast. Your Charter Flight and Hotel Package includes a transfer to the airport for the return group charter flight to Buenos Aires.