DEPARTURE DATE AND PRICING

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The Itinerary

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Day 1 – The Journey South Begins: Arrival in Buenos Aires

Day 2 – To the End of the World: Ushuaia and the Gateway to Antarctica

Ushuaia

After breakfast, transfer by group charter flight to Ushuaia, “El fin del Mundo,” at the southern tip of the Andes, and embark Le Lyrial. Nestled between mountains and the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia is Antarctica's gateway. Onboard, WHOI scientists introduce the Southern Ocean as a powerful system shaping global climate, circulation, and life far beyond the poles.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

     Accommodations: Le Lyrial

Day 3-4 – The Drake Passage and Antarctic Convergence: Where Oceans Meet

Drake Passage

Crossing the Drake Passage is both a physical and intellectual threshold. As your ship traverses the Antarctic Convergence—where cold polar waters meet warmer northern seas—you will receive WHOI briefings that explore the invisible boundaries that define the Southern Ocean. Seabirds trace wind and current patterns overhead, offering real-time cues to ocean circulation. Daily discussions, deck-based observation, and informal conversations begin to shift your perspective from surface impressions to the deeper systems shaping weather, ice, and life. This is a time of orientation: learning the rules of safe Antarctic travel, while also learning how scientists read the ocean itself.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Lyrial

Day 4 – Meditation Two Ways

'floating' torii gate

Early this morning, arrive at Miyajima Island, where you will start at the Daisho-in Temple for a session of traditional Zen meditation. Afterward, visit the nearby Itsukushima Shrine, a holy place of Shintoism since its inception, famous for its 'floating' torii gate. The shrine's design, incorporating the surrounding forest and the sea, is recognized as the standard of beauty against which other shrines are compared.

During lunch aboard, Le Soleal sails to Hiroshima for a reflective visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum, where exhibits tell the story of the profound and history-altering events of August 6, 1945. Some of the displays can be unnerving, but they serve to remind you of the awesome destructive power of modern warfare.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Soleal

Day 5-9 – The Living Ice: Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula

Studio PONANT-Marg

Zodiac cruise

The Antarctic Peninsula reveals a world of striking contrasts, with towering glaciers, sculpted icebergs, volcanic beaches, and wildlife thriving in extreme conditions. Each day unfolds according to ice, weather, and opportunity, guided by the Captain and Expedition Leader in compliance with IAATO regulations. Here, WHOI’s ICE-LIFE research reframes your experience. Ice is no longer a static backdrop, but a living system that is home to microscopic algae that sustain krill, penguins, seals, and whales. What appears pristine and silent is, in fact, biologically active and deeply interconnected. Zodiac cruises and landings allow close observation of glaciers, sea ice, and wildlife, while WHOI scientists help you and your fellow guests connect what you see above the surface to processes unfolding beneath it. Research stations, historic sites, and natural harbors provide further context for human presence and scientific inquiry in this remote region.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Lyrial

Day 6 – Strolling Gardens, Sex, and Shintoism

Nanraku-en Garden

Your exploration of Uwajima begins at Nanraku-en Garden, a strolling garden in the same tradition as Okayama's Koraku-en, where the highlight is a demonstration of the traditional art of Japanese calligraphy and an opportunity to try your hand at creating some simple characters.

At Taga Shrine, an ancient Shinto shrine where people would come to pray for health, longevity, and fertility, you will have the opportunity to visit the Dekoboko Shindo, a museum dedicated to expressions of human sexuality, including both fertility symbols and erotica from around the world. A short walk from the museum brings you to the Warei Shrine, known for its large stone torii gate and pleasant gardens.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Soleal

Day 7 – Ancient Trees, Abundant Species

Yakushima

The small circular island of Yakushima (about 17 miles across) contains a truly amazing variety of ecosystems—ranging from subtropical coastal areas to nearly alpine forests on the peaks of mountains that rise to 6,500 feet. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, the island's unique biodiversity is described in detail at the Yakushima World Heritage Conservation Center and at the Yakusugi Museum, both of which you will visit. The museum is largely devoted to the famous Yakusugi cedar trees, a number of which are over 1,000 years old—and one, Jomon Sugi, at least 2,000.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Soleal

Day 8 – Sakurajima, Sengan-en, and the Shimazu Family

Sengan-en Garden

Your full-day excursion in Kagoshima is divided between a morning visit to Mount Sakurajima, one of the world's most active volcanos, and an afternoon stroll through Sengan-en Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Mt. Sakurajima, which rivals Etna for frequency of activity, visit the Arimura Lava Observatory, built on top of a lava flow created by a major eruption in 1946. Follow a trail through the lava, stopping along the way for sweeping views of the city across Kagoshima Bay. Returning to the mainland, pause for lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant, and then visit Sengan-en Garden, built in 1658 next to the residence of the Shimazu family, whose later generations were instrumental in the industrialization of Japan during the Meiji era.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch ashore, Dinner 

      Accommodations: Le Soleal

Day 10-11 – The Ocean That Connects the World

Studio PONANT-Adrien MORLENT

Icebergs

Your return across the Drake Passage offers time for synthesis. As Antarctica recedes astern, discussions focus on connection, such as how the Southern Ocean influences global systems, and how new understanding reshapes perspective long after the voyage ends. This is not a call to action, but a moment of clarity: seeing the ocean not as scenery, but as infrastructure for life on Earth.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Lyrial

Day 12 – Returning from the Edge of the Earth

After breakfast, you will disembark and transfer for the group charter flight back to Buenos Aires, where you can connect with flights homeward. Ushuaia concludes the voyage, but not the experience. You return home carrying a fundamentally different understanding of Antarctica, the ocean, and the systems that sustain Earth. What began as a journey to the end of the world becomes a reframing of the world itself.

      Included Meal: Breakfast

Day 11 – Copenhagen | Disembark

After breakfast aboard, disembark and transfer to Copenhagen International Airport (CPH) for flights homeward.

      Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 12 – Disembark

After breakfast aboard, disembark and transfer to the Humberto Delgado Airport, is (LIS), in Lisbon, Portugal, for flights homeward.

      Included Meals: Breakfast

January 8–15, 2028

March 2–10, 2027

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