Ascension Island Cruises > South > Antarctic Cruise

Ascension Island

Ascension Island is also a volcano in the middle of the ocean, about 1,280 kilometres (800 miles) to the north-west of St. Helena. It is a dry island with a moist and richly vegetated peak named Green Mountain (859 metres; 2818 feet).
For more than 300 years after its discovery, in 1501, the island was uninhabited. The few visitors were deterred from settling due to the aridity. It was eventually occupied in 1815 by the British who wished to Harbour Fish prevent any possible use by the French for an attempt to release Napoleon from St. Helena.

Some of our passengers may disembark here and fly with the scheduled RAF (Royal Air Force) flight to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, UK. In the evening the vessel will depart from Ascension Island.

Climate
Ascension Island is situated only about 880 kilometres (550 miles) from the Equator. It therefore has a sub-tropical climate, but is much drier than expected. Temperatures range from 20º to 30ºC (68º to 86ºF), but the persistent wind has a cooling effect.. The top of Green Mountain is much cooler. Rain can fall any time from January to April.

Flora & Fauna

Sooty Tern Ascension Island is known as a breeding place for Green Turtles which live in shallow waters off the Brazilian coast, where they graze sea-grass fields. We may witness egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore at night.
During the 2^nd World War an American military airbase, Wideawake Airbase, was built on the island. Turtle The airbase was named after the local name for the Sooty Tern - the Wideawake Bird, named for its loud call, which would wake people up early in the morning. Near the base there is a big colony, consisting of more than one million breeding pairs. Other seabirds such as boobies, petrels, tropicbirds, White and Noddy Terns and Ascension Frigatebirds can also be seen.

Frequently visited
places

For more detailed information on our programmes, please see the itineraries section.

Green Mountain (859 metres; 2818 feet). The highest peak of the island. We will try to climb the summit.
Boatswain Bird Island, off the east coast of Ascension, offers great opportunities for zodiac cruising and snorkelling.

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4 Trips found in this destination: Please click below on the trip of your choice to see more details (prices, day by day itinerary, etc.)

* = Departure is currently under charter or sold out.

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Code	Voyage	Start 'dd/mm/yyyy'	End 'dd/mm/yyyy'	Duration	Vessel

PLA32	PLA32 Ushuaia - Ascension	29/03/2012	28/04/2012	30 night / 31 days	m/v Plancius
PLA33	PLA33 Ascension - Praia (Cape Verde)	28/04/2012	05/05/2012	07 nights / 8 days	m/v Plancius
PLA33	PLA33 Atlantic Odyssey, Ushuaia - Ascension 2012/2013	29/03/2013	29/04/2013	31 nights / 32 days	m/v Plancius
PLA34	PLA34 Atlantic Odyssey, Ascension - Cape Verde 2012/2013	29/04/2013	05/05/2013	06 nights / 07 days	m/v Plancius

Ascension Island Cruises > South > Antarctic Cruise | Oceanwide Expeditions

Cruises to Ascension Island