Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega completes first Antarctic season

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Around 1,200 guests sailed on SH Vega during the ship's first Antarctic season
Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega closing cruise of the 2022-2023 Antarctic season has reached Cape Town and is about to embark on a series of cultural expedition cruises of the West Coast of Africa.

The ship’s 20-day voyage, which departed Ushuaia on March 5, crossed the Drake Passage, explored the South Shetland Islands  the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia before sailing on to South Africa via Gough Island and Tristan da Cunha - last visited by a cruise ship in 2019.

120 expeditions

SH Vega’s first Antarctic season has seen it take around 1,200 guests on 11 cruises. Despite some truly challenging weather, the ship’s crew and expedition team managed to complete more than 120 expeditions in almost 5 months. Over 400 guests ventured on exclusive kayaking expeditions during the season.

SH Vega’s Antarctic season saw guests discover several new and never-before-visited locations south of the Lemaire Channel. Unforgettable moments included a 2-hour Orca encounter at Useful Island, and one of the cruises stopped in the middle of a group of over 100 playful humpback whales.

Drake Passage

Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: ‘We're extremely proud of our guests’ wholehearted appreciation of SH Vega’s first Antarctic cultural expedition cruises. Even in some truly severe weather conditions, including the notoriously challenging Drake Passage, the exceptional seakeeping characteristics of the ship and expertise of the crew meant the comfort of our guests was never compromised and we could take them safely on nearly every planned expedition to see what others don’t, experiencing an average of two a day.’