Incredible cruises aboard Akademik Ioffe visiting prime wildlife sites along the Antarctic Peninsula and in the nearby South Shetland Islands.

The Antarctic Peninsula is the most readily accessible part of the White Continent with some of the best wildlife and scenery. We have made sure that all of our recommended Antarctic Peninsula voyages include as much wildlife viewing as possible, whilst still allowing you plenty of time to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of ice-choked waterways, glaciers, blue and white icebergs, and rugged mountains along the way. There are more whales and dolphins here than almost anywhere else on earth... you may be accompanied by a school of boisterous hourglass dolphins, follow a pod of Orca Whales as they hunt among the ice floes, or watch Humpback Whales breaching in front of a wilderness of icebergs.

Your journey begins and ends in the southernmost town in the world - Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego - which nestles between the spectacular snow-capped mountains of the Andes and the Beagle Channel. You will travel across the infamous Drake Passage (an experience in itself) accompanied by albatrosses and other seabirds and watching for whales and dolphins along the way.

Your first stop will be the South Shetland Islands, where you visit enormous penguin rookeries, land on beaches ruled by Antarctic Fur Seals and observe wallowing Elephant Seals. A highlight of your visit here will be sailing into the flooded caldera of Deception Island and perhaps even taking a dip in the warm thermal waters inside. Your expedition team onboard will attempt an average of two landings each day although many factors will influence the daily programme such as ice and weather conditions, and of course wildlife behaviour.

Then you move on to the Antarctic Peninsula where you will have plenty of time to experience the special magic of this aweinspiring wilderness. You visit enormous rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie Penguins, and see Blue-Eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Cape Petrels, Snowy Sheathbills and many other birds. You are also likely to see Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard Seals, while Orcas, Humpback, and Minke Whales are often encountered at close range. Depending on ice and weather conditions, the voyage will include visits to: Paradise Harbour (filled with a mind-boggling vista of icebergs); the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels (unbelievably beautiful waterways, choked with ice, between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers); Port Lockroy (with thriving colonies of penguins and a former British base now restored and serving as one of the most isolated museums in the world); and Petermann Island (with Adelie and Gentoo Penguins, Skuas and Blue-eyed Shags).

Finally, you will head north back across the Drake Passage before rounding Cape Horn and making your way back to Ushuaia.