The Antarctic Expedition begins prior to our trip; through a
specialized debriefing session we indicate the characteristics
of the flight, the places we will be visiting, the
recommendations for the care of the environment, and the
necessary steps to take in order to protect this ecosystem. Our
mission is to enjoy nature without causing any damage to it. We
board our airplane early in the morning. First of all, we check
the weather conditions and if they are favourable we will leave
heading south towards our destination.
During our flight, we will be crossing the Strait of Magellan
and continue over Tierra del Fuego Island, the Darwin Mountains
and its glaciers. Islands will only compose the landscape we
will be observing until we reach Cape Horn and the last rocks of
the American continent. On the way to the airport of Frei Base,
to which we get in three hours time, we will already be
anticipating the Antarctic with excitement. After a four-hour
trip, we finally arrive at the airbase, where we will be
visiting the establishments of Villa Las Estrellas (Las
Estrellas Village), the wild fauna reserves, the glaciers and
other attractions offered by this place.
Baleen whales, Orcas or Killer Whales, Sea Lions, Weddel Seals,
Antarctic Seals and Penguins compose the fauna, which feeds on
the Antarctic's rich waters. The famous Adelie penguins are the
main species, but you will also see the Papua Penguins,
Antarctic Penguins and many other kinds. The harshness and
variability of the weather makes an amazing contrast with the
facilities of the scientific stations and most of all with Villa
Las Estrellas, first site to be inhabited by civilians. Our
destination is Frei Base, established in 1980 under the name of
Teniente Rodolfo Marsh, which together with the Presidente Frei
Meteorological center inaugurated in 1969, is one of the main
meteorological and navigational stations in the Antarctic.
President Frei inaugurated the last one and after that the air
strip was extended to accommodate heavy aircraft.
The scenery, fauna and marine life are the main attractions for
the tourist; this place is one of the few in the world that has
remained untouched by men, this is why it constitutes one of
mankind's most important biosphere reserves. To comply with the
strict rules and regulations of environmental preservation, An
application for an evaluation by the Comision Nacional del Medio
Ambiente (National Environmental Commission) has been submitted
for these expeditions, resulting in approval of the project. You
are a part of that effort.
Once we have landed in the Antarctic, we will unpack and move to
our new accommodation.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Visit Villa Las
Estrellas, its facilities and meteorological .
Visit the Sea Lion colony in the Drake Sea in a hike across
the runway towards the beach.
Lunch and/or snack depending on the place and time of
arrival.
A walk to the Chinese Station to observe marine birds,
penguins and Weddell Seals. Try to coordinate this visit
with the low tide which will allow the isthmus to be
revealed and therefore be able to cross over to Ardley
Island, where Papua Penguin colonies live.
On the following day we will visit the many Antarctic
Research Stations and we will be able to speak to the
investigators. During the day some time is left to see
places of special attraction and
prepare our return.
As members of an expedition, during our visit to the
Antarctic Peninsula we shall make it our duty not to step on
the vegetation and protect the fauna.
Our homage to nature will be our legacy to future
generations.
There is no other place
in the world as amazing as he Antarctic. This is a continent
almost completely submerged by ice, which not only conceals
its topography, but has also influenced its evolution.
Covering an area of around 7.000.000 km©˜ the Antarctica is
the second smallest continent after Australia. However, its
mountains cover such a significant area that it makes it the
highest, in average, of the seven continents. It is also the
windiest, coldest and less populated of the planet.
The ice sheet covering almost the entire Antarctica
represents the largest fresh water reserve in the world,
containing around 90% of the world´s ice and 68% of its
water. But precipitations in the Antarctic are very low. The
annual rainfall is only 5 cm average; if we considered this
fact this would be the world's largest desert.
Geographically, Antarctic includes the continent itself and
its adjacent islands. According to the Antarctic Treaty
signed in 1959, the Antarctica jurisdiction applies to the
region between the parallel of latitude 60 and the South
Pole.
The search for the Antarctic was one of the last great
adventures during exploration times. It is an epic story
dating from centuries ago, since the Terra Incognita
(Unknown Earth) of the old explorers, all the way to the
first sightings of the continent in 1820.
This continent was first discovered by whale hunters, in
search of wealth; and later by the great explorers of the
glorious and heroic era: Ernest Shackleton, Douglas Mawson,
Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott amongst others.
ANTARTICA
SEASON 2009 / 2010
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FULL DAY KING GEORGE ISLAND
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MONTH |
DAYS |
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NOVEMBER 2009 |
Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 – Friday 27
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DECEMBER 2009 |
Thursday 03 – Tuesday 15 –
Tuesday 29 |
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JANUARY 2010 |
Tuesday 05 – Wednesday 20 –
Friday 29 |
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FEBRUARY 2010 |
Tuesday 02 – Tuesday 09 – Saturday 27
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MARCH 2010 |
Wednesday 03 – Tuesday 09 – Tuesday 23
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VALUE FOR PAX US$ 2.950.-
Minimum 08 passengers in King Air.
Minimum 34 passengers in BAE 146.
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PROGRAM TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT (Only King
Air)
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MONTH |
DAYS |
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NOVEMBER 2009 |
----------------------------------
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DECEMBER 2009 |
Friday 18 – Tuesday 22
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JANUARY 2010 |
Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16
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FEBRUARY 2010 |
Tuesday 16 – Tuesday 23
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MARCH 2010 |
Saturday 13 – Thursday 18
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VALUE FOR PAX US$ 3.950.- Minimum 08
passengers in King Air.
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For Bookings and Confirmations:
50% Booking deposit to confirm reservations.
Balance due 90 days
prior to departure date of flight.
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GENERAL CONDITIONS
CLOTHING
This Charter flight
does not include clothing.
RESPONSIBILITIES
As the place to visit
is considered to be a Reserve for Humanity,
it is strictly forbidden to waste or drop
any kind of rubbish, for this reason our
company has prepared some special containers
. It is also forbidden for passengers to
visit protected areas and during the entire
trip you must follow the tour guide
instructions and those given by the Villa´s
authorities.
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Note: The
programmed departures can be delayed
or cancelled according to weather
conditions, with no responsibility
of airline operator.
The Services provided start at the
moment when the flight takes off;
and they end when we arrive at the
airport in Punta Arenas. (The
Presidente Ibañez airport)
Passengers should have valid
insurances with a broad coverage.
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Turboprop DASH-7
Beechcraft King Air
Also available for Antarctica is a
Cessna Citation Executive Jet
Model C 550 S/II Executive and
pressurized.Cruising altitude: 39,000
feet
Máximum ceiling: 43,000 feet Autonomy: 5
hrs Speed: 780 km./hr.
Capacity: 7 passengers. Toilette, air
conditioning, music, phones and snack
bar.
Rates are available upon request.
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