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The Emperor Penguins of the Weddell Sea - 14 Days
Onboard Le Commandant Charcot – 199 passengers
The theatre of the greatest expeditions, a refuge for the rarest wildlife and an endless ice desert, the Weddell Sea promises you intense emotions during a voyage of exploration aboard Le Commandant Charcot. Very few people have the chance to see emperor penguins but thanks to the ships icebreaking capabilities, this voyage would give you the opportunity to see these incredible birds.
Highlights:
- An exploration into the almost inaccessible Weddell Sea, in search of majestic emperor penguins, amidst immaculate and dreamlike landscapes.
- Outings and shore visits in a zodiac inflatable with a reinforced team of naturalist guides.
- Conferences and information meetings on board with our passionate experts, specialists in the fauna, flora and history of the polar regions.
- Landscapes: immense glaciers, table top icebergs, immersion in the heart of the ice floes.
- Wildlife: the possibility to observe emperor, Adelie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins; Weddell, leopard and crabeater seals; humpback, Minke whales and orcas.
- Many activities: kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, polar plunge.
- For your comfort, your cruise package includes an overnight in Santiago the day before embarkation, transfers and flights Santiago/Ushuaia.
Tour Dates
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Oct 30 - Nov 12, 2025 (14 days)
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Nov 11 - Nov 24, 2025 (14 days)
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Nov 23 - Dec 6, 2025 (14 days)
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive into Santiago, Chile
Upon arrival into Santiago transfer to the included group hotel. The rest of the day is free.
Day 2: Fly from Santiago to Ushuaia, Argentina for Embarkation
A light morning breakfast will be served before transferring to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia. Capital of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia is considered the gateway to the White Continent. Nicknamed “El fin del mundo” by the Argentinian people, this city at the end of the world nestles in the shelter of mountains surrounded by fertile plains that the wildlife seem to have chosen as the ultimate sanctuary. With its exceptional site, where the Andes plunge straight into the sea, Ushuaia is one of the most fascinating places on earth, its very name evocative of journeys to the unlikely and the inaccessible. Upon arrival transfer to the pier for embarkation.
Day 3-4: Crossing the Drake Passage
Use your days spent in the Drake Passage to familiarise yourself with your ship and deepen your knowledge of the Antarctic. The Expedition Leader will first present the IAATO rules of conduct that must be observed during landings in the region and will explain everything you need to know about the zodiac outings. Lectures about the history and wildlife of the Antarctic will be an opportunity for you to learn more about this magical region, where every cruise is a unique experience. You will experience exceptional sailing moments on board and join the naturalist-guides on your ship’s exterior decks to look out for albatrosses, cape petrels, and other seabirds flying over the Drake Passage.
Day 5: North Antarctic Peninsula
Throughout your time in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. You will sail through the Antarctic Sound, named after Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskjöld’s ship, which was trapped by the ice during an important scientific expedition in 1902. The gateway to the Weddell Sea, this sound is filled with gigantic tabular icebergs and plates of sea ice drifting northward from the coastal areas of this vast sea. It is home to Adelie penguins and a great many leopard seals.
Days 6-11: Weddell Sea Exploration
Impassable, extreme and captivating: this is the best way to describe the Weddell Sea, much of which is covered by a layer of thick, densely packed ice. It is a challenge and a privilege to sail upon this sea. Polar exploration finds its full meaning here. Heading towards the South is a real quest, with the promise of highly-charged encounters with the continent’s endemic fauna. This is the kingdom of the emperor penguin, the largest penguin in the world, renowned for its elegance. Unlike other penguins that live on the rocks, the emperor nests on the ice floe which it needs for its reproductive cycle. It is therefore on the ice floe that you will be able to observe it walking around with its characteristic gait. In this southern sea, where the ice changes and is transformed constantly, there is never any monotony. The new reliefs and new colours ensure never-ending wonderment. You will sail into the heart of the immaculate ice floe, which is dislocated or densely packed, into an alley of icebergs. Among them are immense blocks of ice, tabular icebergs, that drift and illuminate the ocean with their cerulean blue haloes. Aboard, on shore, on the ice, you will be as close as possible to the colonies of Adelie penguins, Weddell seals, Mink whales, orcas, snow petrels.… With a little luck, you will get a glimpse of a rare Ross seal with its silver pelage or of emperor penguins, waddling along the edge of the ice floe. A sight that is as fascinating as it is emotional.
Days 12 -13: Crossing the Drake Passage
If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to connect Antarctica to South America. Seasoned navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As the Antarctic convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbours a very diverse marine fauna. Don’t forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.
Day 14: Disembark in Ushuaia and Fly back to Santiago
This morning disembark the ship in Ushuaia and transfer to the local airport for your flight back to Santiago. It is recommended that guests overnight in Santiago prior to continuing on with travel plans (post voyage hotel nights in Santiago are not included).
We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the fast ice must be preserved, we will take this factor into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing schedule and any landings, activities and wildlife encounters are subject to weather and ice conditions. These experiences are unique and vary with each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the IAATO.
Route Map
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Weddell-Sea-Emperor-Trip-768x634.jpg)
Trips and Rates
Please note, rates are Per Person in USD
Availability & prices are subject to change at anytime. Please contact us for the real time availability & prices.
Cabin Descriptions
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Owners Suite
The breathtaking owners suite is at the aft of deck 8 and can accommodate up to 6 guests. Features a bedroom with king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), a living room with armchairs, two sofa beds, steam fireplace, and second TV, a desk and bookcase, a Samsung tablet connected to Wifi, a dining room with a 6-seater table, two panoramic sliding bay windows, a minibar with RIEDEL crystal glasses, a bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub and a private 2002 sq. ft. (186 m²) terrace with deckchairs, hot tub, two sofas, dining table and a Swarovski Optik ST VISTA telescope. Includes priority boarding, champagne and fruit basket upon arrival, butler service, an assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and fruit basket every day, a one-hour spa treatments per person (for 2 people) in the well-being space chosen from the facial and body treatments on offer and two pairs of Swarvoski CL Companion 10 x 30 binoculars. 1237 sq. ft. (115 m²)
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/187CHARCOT-TRI21-100040-1.jpg)
Duplex Suite
There are four two-level Duplex Suite at the aft of deck 6 & 7 accommodating up to 4 guests. Features a bedroom with king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) and TV, a bathroom with shower and balneo bathtub, a lounge with armchairs, sofa bed, steam fireplace and TV, a dining room with a 6-seater table, five panoramic windows and a glazed panoramic swing door, a minibar with RIEDEL crystal glasses, a Samsung tablet connected to Wi-Fi, and a private 280 sq. ft. (26 m²) terrace with sofa and armchairs and a jacuzzi. Includes priority boarding, champagne and fruit basket upon arrival, butler service, an assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and a basket of fruit every day and two pairs of Swarvoski CL Companion 10 x 30 binoculars.
1001 sq. ft. (93 m²)
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Privilege Suite
There are seven Privilege Suites on Deck 8 accommodating up to 4 guests. Features a bedroom with king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm) and TV, a bathroom with shower and balneo bathtub, a lounge with sofa bed, armchair, and a sliding courtesy door, two panoramic sliding doors and rectangular porthole, a Samsung tablet connected to Wi-Fi and a 135 sq. ft. (12.5 m²) glazed private balcony. Includes priority boarding, champagne and fruit basket upon arrival, butler service, an assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and a basket of fruit every day and two pairs of Swarvoski CL Companion 10 x 30 binoculars.
516 sq. ft. (48 m²)
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/86CHARCOT-TRI21-100169_Shooting-Deco_CDT-Charcot_Suite-Grand-Prestige-632©PONANT-Gilles-Trillard.jpg)
Grand Prestige Suite
There are two Grand Prestige Suites on Deck 6 accommodating up to 2 guests. Features a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), a bathroom with shower and balneo bathtub, a lounge area with chaise longue and second TV, a Samsung tablet connected to Wi-Fi, a panoramic sliding bay window and a 54 sq. ft. (5 m²) glazed private balcony. Includes priority boarding, champagne and fruit basket upon arrival, butler service, an assortment of sweet or savoury canapés and a basket of fruit every day and two pairs of Swarvoski CL Companion 10 x 30 binoculars.
452 sq. ft. (42 m²)
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/111C-TRI21-100317_Shooting-Deco_CDT-Charcot_Suite-Prestige-Connectee_711-709©PONANT-Gilles-Trillard.jpg)
Prestige Suite
Located on decks 7 & 8 and can accomodate up to 4 guests. Features a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), two bathrooms with shower, a lounge with sofa, armchair, TV and sliding courtesy door, two panoramic sliding bay windows and a 108 sq. ft. (10 m²) glazed private balcony.
430 sq. ft. (40 m²)
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/77CHARCOT-TRI21-100233_Shooting-Deco_CDT-Charcot_Suite-Deluxe-742©PONANT-Gilles-Trillard.jpg)
Deluxe Suite
Located on decks 6, 7 & 8 and can accommodate up to 2 guests. Features a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), a bathroom with shower, a lounge area with chaise longue and two armchairs, a panoramic sliding bay window and a 54 sq. ft. (5 m²) glazed private balcony. Accommodates up to 2 guests.
301 sq. ft. (28 m²)
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/116CHARCOT-TRI21-100127_Shooting-Deco_CDT-Charcot_Cabine-Prestige-741©PONANT-Gilles-Trillard.jpg)
Prestige Stateroom
Located on decks 6, 7 & 8 and can accommodate up to 2 guests. Features a king-size bed (180 x 200 cm) or two single beds (90 x 200 cm), a bathroom with shower, a panoramic sliding bay window and a 54 sq. ft. (5 m²) glazed private balcony.
215 sq. ft. (20 m²)
Deck Plan
![](https://polarcruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Charcot-deck-plan.jpg)
Inclusions & Exclusions
Inclusions:
- Transfer from Santiago airport to group hotel on Day 1 (flight information must be received at least 60 days prior to arrange this transfer).
- Group hotel night in Santiago on Day 1.
- Transfer to Santiago airport on Day 2.
- Roundtrip flights between Santiago, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina on Day 2 & Day 14 in economy class.
- Roundtrip transfers between the Ushuaia airport and the pier.
- Accommodation in stateroom.
- Full meal plan.
- Open Bar: beginning with boarding, and during the duration of the cruise, a wide selection of drinks (mineral water, soft drinks, wine, beer, Charles Heidsieck champagne, spirits, coffee, tea) is served on request and at any time of the day. Certain premium alcoholic beverages on the menu are not included in the Open Bar.
- 24 hour room service.
- Gratuities.
- Free Wi-Fi internet access 24 hours a day*.
- Outings and disembarkations by Zodiac inflatable boat.
- Polar parka.
- Use of rental boots.
- Port fees & taxes.
Exclusions:
- Flights to / from Santiago.
- Post hotel nights in Santiago.
- Personal expenses such as spa treatments, premium beverages and gift shop purchases.
- Kayaking.
- Any other service not mentioned in the program.
- Trip insurance.
- Passport & visa expenses.
- Government arrival & departure taxes.