The Atlantic Odyssey offers a unique possibility to visit several of the most remote islands in the world. Besides South Georgia, the Atlantic Odyssey visits Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena and Ascension Island. Beautiful and often rare species live on these islands, many of them not found anywhere else in the world. Isolated local communities can also be visited on this unique Atlantic voyage.
Highlights
Sail across the Drake Passage and view four species of albatrosses
Meet the king penguin colony along with elephant seals and their pups
See spectacular scenery and an unprecedented abundance of wildlife
Explore St. Helena island and enjoy its local culture and pleasant climate
Visit several of the most remote islands in the world
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
In the afternoon, embark in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. Set sail through the Beagle Channel and enjoy the evening on board.
Spend two days sailing across the Drake Passage and hope to view whales, wandering albatrosses, grey headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, Cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels and Antarctic petrels.
Arrive in South Georgia and aim to visit some of the major king penguin rookeries in the world. The late season offers an outstanding chance to see the king penguins on eggs and with small chicks. The rookeries are packed at this time of year, and the traffic to and from the beach is astounding. At Salisbury Plain, view elephant seals and endless numbers of fur seal pups playing in the surf. On Prion Island in the Bay of Isles, search for breeding wandering albatross, then sail for the old whaling settlement in Grytviken, where penguins now walk through the streets. Grytviken is home to a small but highly informative museum and offers a chance to visit the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who is buried alongside his trusted friend and companion Frank Wild. Attempt to land at Gold Harbor and St Andrews Bay to view king penguins, with stunningly beautiful scenery and a wildlife density second to none.
Approach Gough Island for a zodiac cruise around Quest Bay, weather permitting. Gough Island is a strictly-protected nature reserve and landings are not allowed, but Zodiac cruises in the area have proven to offer spectacular scenery and a great abundance of wildlife not easily seen elsewhere in the world. Hope to circumnavigate the entire 33-mile island by ship and see the northern rockhopper penguins and sub-Antarctic fur seals.
In the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, plan to call on the settlement at the west side of the main island. Landings at Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island are attempted to view millions of seabirds including yellow-nosed albatrosses and brown noddies. An extra day is built in to allow for possible bad weather, as 35% of previous sailings have been unable to make landings in the Tristan da Cunha for this reason.
St. Helena has a good anchorage and landing site at Jamestown. Enjoy the local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic plants and birds, then visit Longwood House, where Napoleon lived and died in exile. Take the opportunity to explore the island on your own and snorkel in its clear waters. Or, stroll by the shallow surf and spot a variety of tropical and sub-tropical fish species.
Ascension Island is a dry volcanic island with a richly-vegetated top. The sooty tern (wide-awake) colony sometimes consists of more than one million breeding pairs. Try to summit the hill of Ascension Island and make a zodiac-cruise around Boatswain Bird Island, offering great opportunities for snorkeling. At Comfortless Cove near Georgetown enjoy a very comfortable swim with good snorkeling too (no snorkeling gear is supplied). You may be fortunate to witness egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore at night.
Day 28: Ascension Island
1 Breakfast
Please note: At the present time, all RAF (Royal Air Force) flights to and from Ascension have been cancelled. Therefore, passengers should also book the 7-day voyage from Ascension to Praia in order to catch outbound flights. In the evening the vessel departs from Ascension Island.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
- Rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and represent costs per person, double or triple occupancy. Request the Twin or Triple Share Program where you are matched with a cabin mate of the same gender. Even if a cabin mate is not found for you, no single supplement will be charged.
- Single occupancy: All cabins 1.7 times the share twin price
-Children between the ages of 3-15 will be discounted 40% in triple or quad cabins, one child per cabin.
- Due to the extreme nature of itinerary destinations, travel insurance is mandatory for all cruises aboard the Plancius - including medical, accident and repatriation/evacuation insurance.
Initial deposit is 20%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure by Bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was my first experience with Adventure Life - and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. The guides and local staff in both Buenos Aires and Uruguay were terrific - extremely helpful and accommodating. I really enjoyed meeting the friendly staff in Buenos Aires in person (I left my bags with them for the afternoon).
Karen Snider
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
1 day ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.