Itinerary

Guests on the Vavilov depart from Ushuaia and return to Ushuaia one day later which makes the ship   portion of the itinerary from March 7 to March 17.
 

March 2 - Some passengers depart on Aerolineas Argentinas Airlines from Miami or another gateway for overnight flights to Buenos Aires.

March 3 - Flights arrive in Buenos Aires and passengers transfer to the Marriott Hotel. Light training run in late afternoon.
Remaining passengers depart on Aerolineas Argentinas Airlines from Miami or another airport for overnight flight to Buenos Aires.

March 4 - Remaining airline travellers arrive Buenos Aires and transfer to the Marriott Hotel. Free day to explore Buenos Aires with a variety of optional sight-seeing tours or perhaps a day excursion across the Rio Plata to Uruguay which has been very popular in the past. Evening cocktail reception and welcome banquet and briefing in the Marriott Hotel.

March 5 - Another day free to explore Buenos Aires.

March 6 - Ioffe passengers transfer to the domestic airport for early morning flight to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, the world's southernmost city. You will have half of the day to explore this interesting town with plenty of shops and restaurants. Board the ship at about 4:30pm for departure to Antarctica. Welcome reception and briefing on shipboard safety. Evening film, Ice Birds.

March 7 - Day at sea crossing the Beagle Channel and Drake Passage. The open bridge policy invites everyone to get a bird's eye view of the navigational activity alongside the Captain and his crew. Videos and lectures will introduce visitors to the wildlife, climate and history of Antarctica.

March 8-9 - Land Ho! We drop the race operations crew on King George for 1 1/2 days of race preparation. The weather will be our master as we spend a couple of days cruising in and among the bays and channels of the Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The ship's Zodiacs will carry us to shore wherever possible, weaving safely among the icebergs and floes to visit with seals and penguins.

March 10 - Race Day for both ships! The course has been prepared with flags and mileage markers. Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kind with the weather. The race will start about 09:00. Post-Race Party and celebration during the evening.

March 11-12 - We head south toward the eastern side of the Peninsula, cruising among the fjords and islands. Weaving among the icebergs, our destination is Paradise Bay, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. A sunny afternoon will permit us to have a barbecue and race wards ceremony on the aft deck. The zodiacs will bring us to shore for a visit to the vacated Argentinian base nestled at the base of a hill where visitors are welcome to climb to the peak for a bird's eye view of the area.

March 13 - We will probably find ourselves in the fjords near the Lemaire Channel where humpbacks cruise for krill.

March 14 - We leave the "White Continent" to recross the Drake Passage.

March 15 - We first sight land at Cape Horn, Chile where we will approach our return port at Ushuaia.

March 16 - This morning will find us in Ushuaia at about 8:00am when we disembark and checkin for our return flights to Buenos Aires and then onward to your international flights back home.

NOTE: Marathon Tours & Travel reserves the right to change the intinerary due to flight schedule changes, weather or any other reason that it deems necessary for the safe and enjoyable execution of this trip. It may be necessary for some guests to overnight in Ushuaia on the return due to delays, flight availability or other reasons. In this case, the guest is responsible for the additional hotel cost which will be approximately $100 per person in a double room.