Antarctica Discovery: Beyond the Antarctic Circle

Buenos Aires is one of the largest cities of Latin America, a major world port, and Argentina’s commercial and social center. Heavily industrialized, he city is one of the world’s leading exporters of processed foods. It was founded in 1536, abandoned, then resettled in 1580, and was the first Latin American city to revolt (1810) against Spanish rule.

Officially independent in 1816, it became the capital of a united Argentina in 1862. It grew into an urban colossus in the late 19th century, when railroads into the agriculturally abundant pampa to the west began to supplement the great inland river transportation system that linked the city with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, and immigration from Europe increased. Famous landmarks include the 19th century cathedral, the opera house, and the many beautiful municipal parks.

The Drake Passage is the body of water from Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. During the crossing of the Drake Passage, you pass your first icebergs, wildly carved by the wind and water, and observe wandering albatross and other seabirds skimming the swell, while whales breach the surface. Passing through Drake Passage is a scenic adventure.