Antarctica & Mid-Atlantic Island Cruises | Oceanwide Expeditions

Antarctica Cruise

Scroll down for our Antarctica cruises and mid-Atlantic Islands trips.

Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands are some of the last truly unspoilt regions of the world. The mysterious White Continent, with its multi-coloured ice caps, glistening glaciers and towering snow-capped mountains, offers unparalleled scenery and photographic opportunities. Enormous numbers of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds congregate in the food-rich waters along the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic shores.
Our small, specially designed expedition ships journey south, taking full advantage of the long hours of daylight during the austral summer, their ice-strengthened hulls allowing us to navigate safely through the pack ice and narrow waterways. Our zodiac excursions, guided by foremost Antarctic experts, offer the freedom to explore remote locations and observe Antarctica's abundant wildlife.

All of our cruises to Antarctica depart from the city of Ushuaia, the southernmost town of Argentina and, in fact, of the world. This pioneer town was founded in 1868 by British missionaries as a refuge for the Yaghan, the threatened native inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego. From Ushuaia the ships first sail through the scenic Beagle Channel. Ships heading straight for Antarctica now have to negotiate an infamous stretch of water between Ushuaia and the South Shetland Islands, the Drake Passage. This passage can be seen as the threshold of Antarctica because of its notoriously bad weather and heavy seas. The 800 kilometres (500 miles) long passage was named after the British navigator and pirate, Sir Francis Drake. But the Drake Passage is not only infamous, as during the two days' crossing numerous bird species can be observed, includingBlack-browed, Light-mantled Sootyand tGrey-headed Albatrosses. Even the world's largest flying bird, the Wandering Albatross, is frequently met in the Drake Passage. Marine mammals such as the Hourglass Dolphin can also be often observed.

Some of our itineraries head from the Beagle Channel for the Falkland Islands following our "Grand Tour". This is a somewhat longer voyage visiting some of the magnificent south-Atlantic islands of the Falklands and the even more astonishing sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, together with the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.

South- and mid-Atlantic Islands

The Atlantic Odyssey offers a unique possibility to visit several of the remotest islands in the world. Besides the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia and the South Orkney Islands, the Atlantic Odyssey visits Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, Ascension Island and Cape Verde. Beautiful and often rare species live on these islands, many of them not found anywhere else in the world. Isolated local communities can also be visited. The journey from the Antarctic to the tropics, also witnesses large changes in nature. During the days at sea the chances of meeting whales are high.

All Atlantic Odyssey voyages embark in Ushuaia. The disembarkation points are Ascension Island, Cape Town, or Cape Verde.

Two versions of the Atlantic Odyssey are offered: 

• The Atlantic Odyssey from Ushuaia to Ascension Island and on to Cape Verde.
• The Atlantic Odyssey from Ushuaia to Cape Town in South Africa, also finally ending in Cape Verde. 

The Atlantic Odyssey from Ushuaia to Cape Verde via Ascension takes about 39 days. The voyage can be sub-divided into two voyage legs that can be booked separately:

• Part 1: a 31 day voyage from Ushuaia to Ascension Island (Ma)
• Part 2: an 8 day voyage from Ascension Island to Cape Verde (Mb)

The Atlantic Odyssey from Ushuaia via Cape Town to Cape Verde takes about 45 days. As far as Tristan da Cunha this voyage follows a similar itinerary to the other Atlantic Odyssey, but from there the voyage heads for Cape Town in South Africa where passengers can disembark. From Cape Town the ship continues along St. Helena and Ascension Island to Cape Verde.

The Atlantic Odyssey via Cape Town can also be sub-divided into two voyage legs that can be booked separately: 

• Part 1: a 26 day voyage from Ushuaia to Cape Town.
• Part 2: a 19 day voyage from Cape Town to Cape Verde.

For more detailed information on these programmes, please click on a voyage below in the list.