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Antarctica's Far East

31 days - from $38490

This 31-day adventure explores the rarely-visited Antarctic east coast, directly south of Australia. One hundred years ago this remote wilderness was first charted by Australia’s revered polar explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson, on the ill-fated 1911-14 Australasia Antarctic Expedition. In 2011 we celebrate both Mawson’s bravery and the final Antarctic journey of distinguished Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. Be part of this historic event!

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Antarctica’s far-east coast was first explored by legendary Australian adventurer Douglas Mawson during a 3-year expedition that began in December, 1911. One hundred years later this spectacular icebound coast is still relatively inaccessible, and rarely available to expedition travelers.

Unless, of course, you can travel aboard an icebreaker – a unique class of ship designed to crush through Antarctica’s 3-meter-thick mantle of shifting pack ice.

This year is your final chance to do just this. For two decades, Quark’s flagship has been the Russian polar-class icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov, the only vessel on earth capable of touring Antarctica’s far-east coast. But, at the end of this cruise, she retires as an expedition vessel and returns to escort duties in the Russian Arctic.

To commemorate this occasion, we’ve invited Captain Petr Golikov to join this cruise as our special guest. Captain Golikov was Khlebnikov’s Master from 1992 to 2004. He has circumnavigated Antarctica twice, and visited almost every sub-Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean.

This cruise will truly mark the end of an era in polar expedition travel. If you’ve ever dreamed of travelling to the world’s last great untamed wilderness, this is the year to make your dream come true.

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Itinerary:

Day 1 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. 2 Embarkation Day. 3-5 At sea. 6-7 Pack ice. 8 Casey Station, Antarctica. 9 Remembering Australia's Antarctic heroes. 10 Vincennes Bay, Antarctica 11-12 Shackleton Ice Shelf. 13 Mirnyy Base. 14 Gaussberg. 15 West Ice Shelf. 16 Wyatt Earp Islands. 17 Davis Research Station. 18 Larsemann Hills. 19 Amery Ice Shelf. 20-22 At sea 23-24 Heard Island, Australia. 25 Kerguelen Islands, France 26 Celebrating New Year's Eve at sea. 27 St. Paul Island, France. 28-30 At sea. 31 Disembarkation: Fremantle, Australia and the End of an Era

This expedition includes
  • 1 night pre-expedition hotel accommodation in Hobart, Australia with breakfast.
  • Group transfer from the Hobart hotel to the ship on Day 2.
  • Shipboard accommodation with housekeeping.
  • Shore landings per the program delivered each day.
  • Shipboard breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
  • Group helicopter transfers and aerial sightseeing per the daily program.
  • All Zodiac excursions and transfers.
  • Formal and informal educational presentations by the Expedition Team.
  • Professional Expedition Leadership.
  • The loan of a pair of waterproof boots for the duration of the voyage.
  • An official Quark Expeditions parka to keep.
  • Photographic Journal on DVD, documenting the voyage.
  • The loan of a pair of waterproof boots for the duration of the voyage.
  • Hair dryer and bathrobes in each cabin.
  • Coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock.
  • All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program.
  • Group transfer from the ship to Perth airport.
  • Emergency Evacuation Insurance to a maximum benefit of $100,000 per person.
This expedition excludes
  • Any airfare.
  • Passport and visa expenses.
  • Helicopter flying time in excess of that offered for the group.
  • Meals ashore other than the breakfast included with the hotel accommodation.
  • Government arrival and departure taxes.
  • Excess baggage charges.
  • Baggage, cancellation and medical travel insurance.
  • Shipboard or land telecommunication charges.
  • Laundry, bar, beverage and other personal charges.
  • Gratuities for ship's crew, Hospitality and Expedition Team members.

Trip Reference: AFE

Dates & Prices
Full details for this trip are currently unavailable.
Please call us for details at 1-800-228-8747.

Prices and itineraries shown for tours departing from January 2010 onwards are subject to change and confirmation with the publication of our 2010/11 brochure, due to be published in October 2009.