SEMI-CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF ANTARCTICA
30 nights Departure: 13 November 2008 Ship: Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov
During this voyage we plan to visit the Phantom Coast, the only passenger expedition to do so in 2008.  Explorer Richard E Byrd gave the coast that lies between Palmer Peninsula and Thurston Island its ghostly title.  For two centuries, the ice-locked coastline defied the efforts of explorers to chart it. In the early 1960s, the US Navy mounted icebreaker operations in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas.  USS Glacier and USS Staten Island, equipped with helicopters penetrated farther than any previous surface vessels.  Using aerial reconnaissance crews from the icebreakers rewrote the maps, confirming that Thurston Peninsula was actually an island. More than forty years later, exploring the Phantom Coast is still a challenge for all but the toughest vessels.  Our purpose-built, polar class, icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov can meet the challenge.
Itinerary
Day 1 -  Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
	Arrive in the world痴 southernmost city, where you値l spend the night at a conveniently located hotel.
Day 2 - Embarkation Day
	In the late afternoon, you will board the icebreaker for the voyage down the Beagle Channel into the Drake Passage.
Days 3 to 5 - South Shetland Islands
	Seabirds accompany the ship across the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands, your first landfall in Antarctica.  We plan to visit penguin rookeries and deploy Zodiacs to cruise through ice floes where seals lounge in the Antarctic summer sun.
Days 6 to 8 - The Antarctic Peninsula
	Pushing ever southward, we cross the Antarctic Circle, entering a world where daylight is continuous.  We値l explore bays ringed by glaciers, and islands where penguins and seals co-exist in relative harmony.  From Marguerite Bay, we値l enter the Bellingshausen Sea.
Days 9 & 10 - The Phantom Coast
	As we follow the Phantom Coast, we plan to visit Peter I Island.  In 2006, the last time we landed successfully, our historian noted that only 800 people in all human history have been known to visit the fog enshrouded island.
Days 11 to 16 - Amundsen Sea
	Look forward to several adventurous days of breaking through the Amundsen Sea pack ice.  We値l deploy our helicopters so you can witness the power of the icebreaker from the air.  Make sure you take your camera when the call to board the helicopters is made. Our Expedition Team will deliver a series of illustrated presentations about the history and geology of the region.  Our naturalists will explain the natural life cycles of the penguins and seals you may encounter en route.
Days 17 & 18 - Ross Ice Shelf
	Excitement builds as you approach the immense Ross Ice Shelf.  If conditions permit we plan to land our helicopters atop the floating ice barrier. Be on the alert for Emperor Penguins.  The water around the Ross Ice Shelf is known to be the habitat of Emperors.
Days 19 to 21 - Ross Island and McMurdo Sound
	Ross Island is home to the US research base McMurdo Station and Scott Base, New Zealand痴 research station.  Nearby is Robert Falcon Scott痴 Discovery Hut (1901-04).  The historic building is slowly deteriorating under the onslaught of a century of ice, snow and wind.  Conservation efforts are underway.  Our planned visit is carefully controlled to ensure that the impact of our exploration is negligible.  Environmentally responsible tourism is the hallmark of a Quark Expeditions voyage. We値l deploy the helicopters to travel over the fast ice into the Dry Valleys.  Virtually no precipitation has fallen there for millions of years.  The sole vegetation is lichen that grow inside rocks.  If conditions permit, you値l encounter unusual granite formations eroded by the winds and mountain glaciers colored by the sand and rock blown into the ice.
Days 22 to 24 - Cape Royds and Cape Evans
	At Cape Royds, we値l visit Ernest Shackleton痴 Nimrod Hut (1907-09).  At Cape Evans, we値l visit a hut associated with Shackleton and Scott.  A century after its construction, the Cape Evans hut is considered one of the ten most endangered monuments in the world.  The Antarctic Heritage Trusts are raising funds for its restoration.  Quark Expeditions supports the project through onboard charity auctions, and visitor admission fees.
Days 25 to 28 - Southern Ocean and Campbell Island
	Heading north, we pause to visit Campbell Island, a nature preserve where Royal Albatross nest.  You値l follow boardwalks through lush greenery to observation points. from which you can photograph the wildlife.
Days 29 to 31 - Enderby Island to Lyttelton, New Zealand
	Yellow-eyed Penguins, Royal Albatross and New Zealand sea lions share Enderby Island with Red-crowned Parakeets.  If the conditions are right, we値l go ashore to explore the protected environment, before disembarking our epic adventure in Lyttelton, New Zealand.  A group transfer to Christchurch Airport from the vessel completes the journey.
Important Reminder
These are unique icebreaker expeditions to a very little-explored world often venturing into areas with challenging ice and weather conditions - flexibility is therefore the key to success.  The Captain and Expedition Leader will assess daily conditions and take full advantage of every opportunity to make landings with our Zodiacs or helicopters, using the continuous daylight to maximize the time ashore. The itineraries listed below should therefore be read as a guide only.  Our actual programme and routing will vary according to local conditions, wildlife opportunities and permissions -and safety will always be our highest priority.  This is the essence (and part of the fun!) of expedition cruising in one of the wildest and remotest corners of the planet.
Departure Dates and Prices
Prices are per person for 30 nights and do not include international flights.
Departure Dates Prices per person  13 November 08 ｣14,205
Price Includes: Voyage as indicated in the itinerary. Flights as indicated in the itinerary. Pre- and post-cruise hotel accommodations in a shared twin room with breakfast as indicated in the itinerary. All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship. All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac and helicopter (as included in group excursions with no specific amount of helicopter time guaranteed). Programme of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff. Transfers and baggage handling between the hotels, airports and ship as indicated in the itinerary. All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme. Comprehensive pre-departure materials and handbook. Price Excludes: International flights.   Passport and visa expenses. Government arrival and departure taxes. Meals ashore. Supplement for single hotel accommodations. Baggage, cancellation and personal insurance.  Excess baggage charges.  All items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunication charges, and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for stewards and other service personnel aboard (guidelines will be provided).  Any possible helicopter flying time in excess of that offered for the group will be charged at an hourly rate to be announced onboard.