King Penguins of the Falkland Islands

Day 1 Santiago, Chile / Falkland Islands

Flight from Santiago de Chile to the Falkland Islands. In the late afternoon set sail to Volunteer Point, where an evening landing is scheduled. Volunteer Point offers Magellanic Penguins, ca. 850 breeding pairs of Gentoo Penguins and 500 breading pairs of King Penguins.

Day 2 Sea Lion Island

Sea Lion Island in the south is famous for its large breeding site of Elephant Seals and during your hike to the west you may observe sea lions and at Rockhopper Point ca. 470 pairs of Rockhopper Penguins. Other birds are King Cormorants, Southern Giant Petrels, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins. Killer whales are regularly spotted close to shore.

Days 3-4 At Sea

Observe several species of albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.

Day 5 Elephant Island

Two landings are scheduled on Elephant Island. The Island will always be connected with the British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. After the loss of his ship Endurance in the Weddell Sea, he and his crew finally reached Elephant Island on drifting ice floes. They established a camp on Elephant Island (Wild Point), but decided to set sail with an open life boat to South Georgia from where they could travel back to England. At Wild Point you will try your first landing, where you can visit the monument for Shackleton and his men. In the south at Cape Lookout make a second attempt. On Elephant Island observe Gentoo, Macaroni and Chinstrap Penguins, Wilson’s storm-Petrels and Fur Seals.

Day 6 Antarctic Peninsula

Hope Bay, at the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Antarctic Sound, was discovered by the Swedish Antarctic expedition of Nordenskjöld in 1902. Three expedition members spent the winter there (hope) and it was therefore named Hope Bay. The remains of their hut can be found close to the vessel’s landing site. On Hope bay observe Adélie Penguins and Snowy Sheatbills are also commonly present.

Day 7 Astrolabe Island

Visit Astrolabe Island which was discovered by the French Expedition of Jules Dumont d’Urville (1837-40) and named after his expedition ship Astrolabe. Alternatively visit Half Moon Island. The latter is situated on the east side of Livingstone Island and was known by sealers as early as 1821. Confirmed nesting sites include Chinstrap Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Wilson’s storm-Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Snowy Sheatbills, Antarctic Terns and Antarctic Brown Skuas. Southern Elephant Seals as well as Antarctic Fur Seals regularly haul-out on the beaches.

Day 8 Deception Island

At Deception Island, try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of ten thousands Chinstrap Penguins (please note this landing is not always guaranteed and is only possible in good weather conditions). Good walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while your ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune’s Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.

Deception itself is a sub-ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.

Days 9-10 At Sea

On your way north again are followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.

Day 11 Ushuaia / Disembark

Arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.