Meet your group at the airport in Punta Arenas and fly to Stanley in the Falkland Islands (included in the price of your voyage). After a short 90-minute journey meet your fellow travelers on arrival and transfer to the pier. Stanley is home to just over 2,000 residents and is reminiscent of a rural town in coastal Britain. It is charming with brightly-colored houses, pretty flower-filled gardens, a quaint cathedral, and several local pubs. There is time to explore the town before embarkation. Settle in to your cabin and explore the ship, then meet your expedition team and fellow passengers. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and dinner and cast off for South Georgia.

Chart a southeasterly course for South Georgia and spend two days at sea. This stretch of the South Atlantic is rich in its biodiversity and showcases an abundance of astonishing wildlife. Be joined by hundreds of seabirds including the wandering albatross. Giant petrels and smaller Cape petrels are also constant companions as you make your way south. Throughout the day onboard experts educate you with a series of presentations about the environment, wildlife, and history of the locations you visit in the coming days.

Arrive in South Georgia and marvel at the majestic snow-covered mountains as you cruise the protected waters of the northeastern coast. Navigate the ship into the historic location of King Haakon Bay. It was here that, 100 years ago, Shackleton and his men made landfall in their small lifeboat, the James Caird, after completing the perilous ocean crossing from Elephant Island. This dramatic location is visited by just a handful of ships each season.

From here, make your way around to the protected waters of the northeastern coast. You can now indulge in an in-depth exploration, navigating the ship into the bays and harbors the entire length of the island. Elsehul Bay allows for great zodiac cruising and is a possible location for kayaking.

One of the most anticipated sites in South Georgia is Salisbury Plain. The black-sand beaches and tussock-covered dunes are home to a staggering 100,000 king penguin adults and their young. This is just one of several such king penguin rookeries on South Georgia. Fur seals can also be seen poking their heads above the water; the elephant seals enjoy lazing about the beach, while the skuas and giant petrels fill the skies above. Meanwhile, the albatross - your constant companion on this journey - is never far away.

Sail to Fortuna Bay, a majestic three-mile long and one-mile wide fjord. It was named after the ship Fortuna, one of the original vessels of the Norwegian-Argentine whaling expedition which established the first permanent whaling station at Grytviken, further down the coast. In Fortuna Bay expect to see king penguins and elephant seals.

History comes into sharp focus as you visit Stromness and Grytviken. From 1912 until the 1930s, these locations acted as whaling stations. Today, the rusted and ghostly remnants seem out of place in such a pristine environment. If the weather cooperates, hope to be able to hike the last few miles across the saddle separating Fortuna Bay from neighboring Stromness, following the footsteps of Shackleton, Crean, and Worsley.

As you journey further to the southeast, enter the broad expanse of Cumberland Bay. At the head of the bay lies Grytviken – the largest of the old whaling stations on South Georgia. A highlight of your landing here is a visit to the gravesite of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his loyal right hand man, Frank Wild.

Spend the next few days exploring St Andrew’s Bay and Gold Harbor - places that are teeming with wildlife including fur seals, elephant seals and massive colonies of the colorful king penguins. Explore as much as you desire on foot. Gold Harbour is so called because the sun's rays make the cliffs yellow with their light in the morning and evening. It’s an exhilarating location.

Drygalski Fjord at the far eastern extremity of the island is another spectacular site in South Georgia. If it is calm enough you can hear the glacier calving large chunks
of ice, reminders of what early sealers, whalers, and vessels needed to pay close attention to.

Spent this day catching up on journal entries, or perhaps downloading and reviewing photos in the multi-media room with a photography expert. For some, it's a chance to catch some well-earned rest after several days of exploration. The wonderful lounge and bar on your ship provides fantastic panoramas and is a great place to sit with a book and a hot drink.

The educational presentations continue and you can enjoy an entertaining and memorable voyage recap by the Expedition Leader. A highlight of your return journey are the frequent sightings of the majestic albatross, petrels and other seabirds as they soar above the ship on the winds of the Southern Ocean. Take the time to enjoy a quiet moment on the outer deck and reflect on a truly remarkable journey to the farthest reaches of the planet.

Wake up into the sight of landfall in the Falklands. Approaching Sea Lion Island, note the very barren and windswept landscape, exposed to the prevailing weather that originates in the Drake Passage. Launch the zodiacs and go ashore to view the incredible diversity of wildlife found at this location. Three species of penguin including gentoo, Magellanic and rockhopper, as well as southern elephant seals and South American sea lions are known to inhabit the area. King cormorants and striated caracaras are just some of the bird species you can expect to see. As you cruise along the coast of the Falklands, bound for Stanley, enjoy a special dinner attended by the ship's Captain.

In the early morning, navigate through the narrows and into the harbor of Port Stanley. A transfer takes you to the airport for your return flight to Punta Arenas in southern Chile (this flight is included in the price of your voyage). It is possible to connect flights to Santiago or other destinations in Chile. Otherwise enjoy a night in Punta Arenas, or venture further afield to explore the highlights of Patagonia.