|
  Antarctica Basecamp - The Best activity voyage in Antarctica! Live the explorer’s dream during this 12-night gay group cruise through the Beagle Channel and across the Drake Passage. Our March 2026 destination is the rarely visited Eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, called the Weddell Sea. The Weddell Sea has the clearest water on earth and an abundance of wildlife. In 2026 this is a Basecamp Cruise featuring free hiking, kayaking, photo workshop, and even snorkeling for the intrepid.
Journey to the world’s most remote continent from Ushuaia, Argentina. Sail down the Beagle Channel and across the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica.
We will have the opportunity to trek the icy and rocky landscape as often as possible. This rugged and savage wilderness is teeming with extensive wildlife. Be on the lookout for rookeries of penguins and various seals as we glide past the icebergs, massive mountains, and ice shelves along the coast.
We will have the chance to explore rare human vestiges such as an old whaling station on Deception Island. Perhaps you’ll even want to join the Polar Plunge with a dip the icy waters.
The ship is from the renowned Oceanwide Expeditions, with a fleet of 108 to 174-passenger Expedition Ships. Since it is not a private charter, we will be part of a fun, friendly group from around the world. This is truly a voyage of a lifetime during which, weather and ice conditions permitting, we will encounter the ever-changing world of Antarctica.
The Weddell Sea Explorer Basecamp voyage offers you a myriad of ways to explore and enjoy the wildlife-rich Weddell Sea. During this expedition in one of the most remote regions of the world, we will do all kinds of activities such as kayaking and a photography workshop. Given the location and time of year, all these activities depend on weather, ice and wildlife conditions. If some activities prove impossible, they will be replaced by other activities and landings. This trip is a true expedition for the real adventurers.
• Journey to Earth's most remote continent!
• See some of the most stunning wilderness on earth.
• View extraordinary concentrations of versatile wildlife such as penguins, seals and giant petrels.
• Glide alongside icebergs, as glacier fields rise up to rugged mountains.
• Ride a Zodiac raft to shore, then walk on the continent, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• Maximize your time ashore – with only 108 passengers, everyone interested can enjoy every shore visit.
• Enjoy this once in a lifetime trek with a friendly group of gay men, lesbians and friends. (Please note that this is not a charter, so our group will be among other passengers on the ice-strengthened m/v Ortelius.)
Day 1 -
 Our voyage begins where the world drops off. Ushuaia, Argentina, reputed to be the southernmost city on the planet, is located on the far southern tip of South America.
Starting in the afternoon, you embark from this small resort town on Tierra del Fuego, nicknamed “The End of the World,” and sail the mountain-fringed Beagle Channel for the remainder of the evening.
Days 2 - 3 -
 Over the next two days on the Drake Passage, we enjoy some of the same experiences encountered by the great polar explorers who first charted these regions: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, maybe even a fin whale spouting sea spray. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too. Wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape petrels, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels are a few of the birds you might see.
Days 4 - 10 -
 The great Weddell Sea features massive tabular icebergs, wildly dramatic landscapes, and fascinating historical sites. It is also one of the best places in Antarctica for viewing iconic wildlife like whales, seals, and rarely seen seabirds.
We may visit the following locations, depending on local conditions:
Antarctic Sound
Antarctic Sound is nicknamed “Iceberg Alley,” as we often see enormous tabular icebergs here.
Brown Bluff
Possibly the most scenic location in the northern Antarctic Continent, Brown Bluff is characterized by sheer canyon walls, fallen boulders, and beautiful volcanic creations capped with ice.
 Herbert Sound
We will focus our attention on the visually impressive areas of Naze Peninsula and Comb Ridge.
Devil Island
This island offers a magnificent vantage point for hikers willing to foot it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes forms a waterfall dropping from the cliffs close to Cape Well-met.
Erebus and Terror Gulf
Here we look for new activity opportunities and may visit Vega Island, experiencing the wilderness of Antarctica in its most remote places.
Days 11 - 12 -
 After several exhilarating days exploring the ice-covered land of Antarctica, we start our way back across the Drake Passage. Your return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now, and you to them.
Day 13 -
Our journey ends with early morning arrival in Ushuaia Harbor. A mid-morning transfer will be provided to Ushuaia Airport for flights around noon or later, or you can stay in downtown Ushuaia to begin your next adventure.
Ortelius was originally the Marina Svetaeva. Built in Gdynia, Poland in 1989, it served as a special-purpose vessel for the Russian Academy of Science. Later it was re-flagged and renamed after the Dutch/Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527 – 1598), who in 1570 published the first modern world atlas: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum or Theater of the World. At that time his atlas was the most expensive book ever printed. Ortelius is classed by Lloyd’s Register in London and flies the Dutch flag.
The vessel has the highest ice-class notation (UL1, equivalent to 1A) and is therefor suitable to navigate in solid one-year sea ice as well as loose multi-year pack ice. Ortelius can accommodate up to 108 passengers and has an abundance of open-deck spaces. It is manned by 24 highly experienced nautical crew members, 20 hotel staff, eight expedition specialists (one expedition leader, one assistant, and six lecturer-guides), and one doctor.
Please be aware that a small number of cabins may have a partially obstructed view due to the size of the windows and the design requirements of the ship. For example, some windows may be partly obstructed in the lower half by a gangway. The best view is always on the outer deck or the bridge. Though our voyages are primarily meant to offer our passengers an exploratory wildlife program with as much time ashore as possible, Ortelius offers all the comforts of a standard hotel - along with a bar and lecture room. Flexibility assures maximum wildlife opportunities. As such, Ortelius carries 10 Zodiacs with 60hp Yamaha engines.
Passengers on a typical voyage range from in their 30s to their 80s, with the majority usually between 45 - 65. Our expeditions attract independent travelers from around the globe who are characterized by a strong interest in exploring remote regions. The camaraderie that develops on board is an important part of the Oceanwide experience, and passenger group include several nationalities.
In keeping with the spirit of expedition, dress on board is informal. Bring casual and comfortable clothing for all activities, and keep in mind that much of the scenery can be appreciated from deck - which can be slippery. Bring sturdy shoes with no-slip soles, and make sure your parka is never far away in case one of our crew shouts “Whales!” over the loudspeaker and you have to dash outside in a moment’s notice. Opt for layers, as it is comfortably warm aboard the ship though often cold on deck.
|
