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Ushuaia to capetown march

Delray Beach...
304 posts
1 helpful vote
Ushuaia to capetown march

Would appreciate opinion of SH Diana March ‘25 repositioning from Antarctica. 20 days including Antarctica, South Georgia and (hopefully) Tristan da Cuna, ending Capetown. Price is good, expect rough seas but do you think will be a waste of $ to take this itinerary? Too late? Too rough? Too much at sea? I’ve kayaked w glaciers, boated w icebergs, Chilean fjords, Alaska so have some experience w ice opportunities. This just seems like a reasonably priced addition to past trips

6 replies to this topic
Melbourne, Australia
Destination Expert
for Perth, Antarctic Adventures
21,037 posts
43 helpful votes
1. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

Someone else asked similar question recently and you made similar query on that thread.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g1-i12337-k14648113-Cape_Town_to_Ushuaia_or_Ushuaia_to_Cape_Town-Antarctic_Adventures.html#120989836

Edited: 23 July 2024, 05:30
London, United...
35,911 posts
106 helpful votes
2. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

You say "price is good", and "reasonably priced", so I can't see how it can be a "waste of $".

I find it impossible to comment sensibly without knowing all your past travels, financial commitments, hopes and aspirations, etc.

If you want to do it, do it. If you don't, you'll only worry later that you missed the trip of a lifetime! (Disclaimer - my opinion doesn't carry any weight. I would be very jealous of anyone on this trip.).

Delray Beach...
304 posts
1 helpful vote
3. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

Thanx to both. I remember the excellent review shared earlier. I guess my concern is if this particular trip offer tries to cover too much and could end up w too little. No Falklands, 3 days Antarctica, 3 days So Georgia, hopefully Tristan da Cuna. Risk is that w bad weather it could just be a long long sail as the ship’s repositioning is the main purpose. Trip is for the ship, not the passengers. I’ve had lots of ice and animal oppts many places so a short visit is ok, just a little worried about not seeing any at all while the ship beats its way eastward. I realize and accept the risk of bad weather;, wondering if the prevailing condition is bad weather in March and the rare condition is good landings. Can accept a few misses but worried if the time/itinerary is more likely to be a washout in March. I’d appreciate comments

Oslo, Norway
Destination Expert
for Oslo, Antarctic Adventures
2,696 posts
135 helpful votes
4. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

I haven’t been on that trip, but a couple of us were on a NZ-USH expedition that completely went south (pun intended).

A lot of passengers were disappointed that we had to miss almost half the planned operations. Every Antarctica trip requires a good level of flexibility and accepting/enjoying the trip you get. On the longer trams-oceanic expeditions, I think this applies tenfold.

For our trip, there was a massive weather system that had us racing to stay ahead of it, and we missed a handful of operations because of it (including seeing the Ross ice shelf, which was one of my top highlights). We then lost a few more days due to uncharted sea ice, which put us so far behind schedule that all further landings and operations were canceled, and we were racing tough sea conditions to reach port on time. Crazy rough sailing.

It was not the trip we had planned, and for some of us it was a huge investment. But it was the trip and the adventure we got. I don’t know how to put a price tag on experience, and the money is gone, so there’s really no way to define whether it was “worth it,” so why bother?

All that to say:

If you are okay with the cost of the trip and are willing to accept if things don’t go as planned, go for it. You’ll have a new experience no matter what! And if things go to plan, you’ll get to visit some hard-to-reach places that you’d like to visit (assuming you do have an interest in the south Atlantic).

If rough seas and long stretches of sea days put you off, it’s probably not a good choice. And if you are t keen to visit Tristan da Cunha, etc. you might as well stick to another traditional FI-SGI-A trip.

If you do choose to go, please come back and tell us about it! I’d love to visit Tristan da Cunha and I love hearing from the few who make it to Inaccessible Island!

Edited: 24 July 2024, 10:39
Oslo, Norway
Destination Expert
for Oslo, Antarctic Adventures
2,696 posts
135 helpful votes
5. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

Just re-read your original post, and wanted to clarify: You have been to South Georgia and Antarctica before, right?

If not, I would absolutely do that first. You DON’T want to have to give up time in those areas to make a tight crossing schedule. And that late in the season isn’t usually the greatest for enjoying the penguin colonies on the peninsula.

Delray Beach...
304 posts
1 helpful vote
6. Re: Ushuaia to capetown march

Thanks for your thoughts; I really appreciate them. I’ve had a fair amount of experience with icebergs, glaciers (also saw the huge Greenland sheet that broke off several years ago and floated to Newfoundland with icebergs chunking off - very interesting) penguins and both Cape Horn and cape of good hope. Haven’t been to either Antarctica or South Georgia and realize only 3 days are allotted at each. Frankly, my desired trip of Ushuaia-Faulklands, So Ga, Antarctica is just too expensive as I’m going as a single (even the ships offering sharing are really expensive on that itinerary). I’m used to accepting changes as most travel to unique places requires. This is a compromise trip so I greatly appreciate opinions

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