This polar voyage features the clean unspoiled scenery, wildlife, and rich history of the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the crown jewels of the Southern Ocean: South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
The capital of Argentina, the birthplace of Tango, the home of Asado, the “Paris of South America”, and the largest concentration of theaters in the world - Buenos Aires. The city is rich in culture and style and a vibrant gateway for your voyage.
Day 2: Embarkation
1 Breakfast, 1 Dinner
Arriving at the ship in the afternoon, you will be greeted by your Expedition Team and ship's officers at a safety and orientation briefing followed by the Captain's welcome dinner. Then, watch the city lights fade in the fresh night air as you sail seaward.
Day 3-5: Southern Ocean
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Among the wildlife spotting opportunities as you sail south are the albatrosses, prions, and petrels that frequently follow the ship. Your Expedition Team will be out on deck as well, looking for the whales and dolphins that may also be seen in the area. Experts will begin the presentations with informative and entertaining lectures on the wildlife, history, and geology of The Falkland Islands and Southern Ocean. Helpful briefings on environmental regulations and expedition safety will also be held in the comfortable lecture hall.
Day 6: West Falklands
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
The westernmost settled outposts in the Falklands are remote farms that have been family owned for six and seven generations. The sheep graze alongside abatross colonies and rockhopper, king, and macaroni penguin rookeries while striated caracaras patrol overhead and upland geese graze at the water's edge. A visit to one of these homesteads often includes an invitation for cakes and a cup of tea.
Day 7: Stanley, East Falkland
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Chosen for its sheltered harbor and access to abundant fresh water and peat for fuel, Stanley is easy to discover on foot as most shops and services are centered on the port. The museum, the post-office featuring first day covers, plenty of shops with locally made wool items, and Stanley's lively pubs will all be available. It is possible to experience the wildlife of the Falklands from the town including sea lions and Peale's and Commerson's dolphins in the harbor.
Day 8-9: Southern Ocean
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
There will be plenty of wildlife spotting as you make your way east across the Antarctic Convergence and officially enter Antarctic waters. Ship board presentations will continue featuring the exciting history and abundant wildlife of South Georgia.
Day 10-13: South Georgia
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Its unique position inside the Antarctic Convergence yet outside the limit of the yearly sea ice makes this 3,755 square kilometer island home to tens of millions of breeding penguins, seals, seabirds, and even reindeer. Magnificent mountain scenery, glaciers galore, a rugged coastline punctuated with castellate and tabular icebergs, a rich historical tapestry, and an astounding array of wildlife are all available as you travel down South Georgia's leeward coast.
Landing sites feature huge elephant seals, aggressive fur seals, macaroni penguins, albatross, petrels, skuas, and gulls. King penguins, from fuzzy little chicks to fattened adults, can be seen in the hundreds of thousands. Visit the historic Grytviken whaling station, home of the whaling museum, Norwegian seaman's church, the active British Antarctic Survey station and the tiny graveyard where the great Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried.
Day 14-15: Scotia Sea
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Heading farther south, continue your education series as the icebergs become more and more plentiful.
Day 16-19: Antarctic Peninsula & the South Shetland Islands
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
The land of superlatives, Antarctica! Your Expedition Leader and Captain will create a flexible itinerary based on weather, ice, and opportunity. The course will stress the most scenic bays and channels of the Peninsula with stops at penguin rookeries, seal wallows, bird colonies and whale feeding areas as well as sites of historic and scientific interest. The trip may include the Gerlache Strait area including Neko Harbor, Paradise Harbor, Wilhelmina Bay, and Neumayer Channel. Depending on ice, you may also be able to visit the beautiful Antarctic Sound including Brown Bluff, Hope Bay, and Paulet Island. Active scientific bases such as Poland's Arctowksi or Ukraine's Vernadskiy and historic bases such as U.K.'s Port Lockroy or Wordie House may also be visited.
Adelie, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins abound with rare opportunities to see the elusive emperor. Weddell, crabeater, and elephant seals are often found hauled out to rest along with the predatory leopard seal. Minke and humpback whales are frequent visitors and orca sightings are also common.
Day 20-21: Drake Passage
1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Continue your lecture series and wildlife spotting as you sail back to Ushuaia. Depending on sea conditions, you may have an opportunity to sail past the legendary Cape Horn. Arrive at the pier in Ushuaia in the early hours of Day 22.
Day 22: Disembark in Ushuaia
1 Breakfast
Morning disembarkation lets you catch a flight to Buenos Aires or stay in Ushuaia for more sights and adventure.
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.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
TrustScore 4.7 | 111 reviews
TrustScore 4.7 of 5
Based on 111 reviews on
7 hours ago
Kassandra rocks! She had our trip planned and helped us arrange our air travel within the day we contacted her. She has helped us with our trips to Chile Argentina and Costa Rica, and she always finds us wonderful activities and accommodations. We’re looking forward to seeing what she’s planning for us this time when we go to Easter island
Janet
1 day ago
Nice thank you
Leo Lommen
1 day ago
quick to respond
thorough
Lisa Gallagher
3 days ago
Personal knowledge of the trip I was considering. Patience with our figuring out which dates we could travel.
Brian
4 days ago
Clara and Rhenee were gracious and available. Phone contact is so important to answer questions and discuss all aspects of trip. If not immediately available they scheduled a time to speak.
They were knowledgeable, honest, realistic and very friendly. They are both very professional and take their role seriously.