Buenos Aires to Puerto Williams

Embark Silver Wind in Buenos Aires and meet some of your fellow explorers as you become acquainted with the luxurious amenities found on board. A mandatory safety drill takes place before you set sail. During the afternoon be introduced to your Expedition Team and important members of the crew. At sail-away say goodbye to the Capital of Tango –Tango is recognized as an Intangible Heritage by UNESCO.

Take the opportunity to relax after your long flight to join Silver Cloud in Buenos Aires and have a leisurely breakfast before you join one of the talks by the Expedition Team members. These talks cover a wide range of subjects – from geology to history, biology, and even botany (to be seen in the Falkland Islands). Also be invited to attend a special Welcome Aboard cocktail party hosted by the Captain, who introduces his senior officers and various members of the crew.

Puerto Madryn is the starting point for two different excursions: a full-day tour to the Valdes Peninsula (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to see southern right whales, penguins, and seals or an extended half-day tour to see one of the most accessible fossil sites in Argentina. To reach the Valdes Peninsula and its attractions one has to travel close to 100 kilometers by bus. Sea lions, fur seals, and elephant seals are found along the shore of the peninsula, as well as orcas. Southern right whales can be found in the two bays adjacent to the peninsula. A museum and interpretive center introduces you to the terrestrial and aquatic fauna of Patagonia and permits a view of both gulfs (Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San Jose) from a watchtower at the narrowest part of the isthmus connecting Valdes Peninsula with the mainland. A site of global significance for the conservation of marine mammals, the peninsula is one of the highlights of this voyage. If you are more interested in the evolution of animals and fossils, the Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio and the Paleontological Park Bryn Gwyn (some 70 kilometers south of Puerto Madryn) can be to your liking. Both the museum and the park have an outstanding collection of fossils from the last 40 million years and show the evolution of life in this part of Patagonia.

Taking advantage of the day at sea, the Expedition Team presents talks about the Falkland Islands (Malvinas, as the Spanish-speaking world calls them) that prepares you for the exciting adventures ahead. Birders out on deck want to keep an eye out for black-browed albatross, southern giant petrels, and Cape petrels.

A north-westerly outpost of the scenic Falkland Islands, you'll be welcomed ashore by the calls and cries of a huge colony of black-browed albatross. Indeed, the island was originally known as Albatross Island before being renamed to reflect its geographic location. While the albatrosses - that flash white feathers in the rugged cliffs above the waves - are the most well known residents, they are far from the only animal inhabitants of this remote, isolated land. A huge army of birdlife calls the island sanctuary home, overwhelming the tiny human population and sheep that roam West Point Island's grasses. Meet the rockhopper penguins who scamper and burrow along the coast's boulders, as well as the imperial cormorants who rest here in great numbers. You're also liekly to encounter Magellanic penguins during your explorations. 

Meet some of the world’s most incredible wildlife, on the remote Saunders Island. Sitting to the north-west of the Falkland’s archipelago, the British established their first settlement here in 1765, at Port Egmont. Remote, wild and wonderful, the island now serves as a lush grazing ground for plenty of sheep - but it's an astonishing place to encounter far rarer animals - from elephant seals to silvery grebes and Peale’s dolphins. Connected by sinewy links of beach and sandy dunes, which create some of the most dramatic scenery in the Falklands, the archipelago’s fourth biggest island is home to its best birdlife - including a colony of neatly tuxedoed king penguins. Saunders Island's topography tightens at The Neck - where you'll find even more penguin activity. Colonies squark and chatter in huge crowds here, with Gentoo, Rockhopper and Magellanic penguins dipping into the water, and clambering over boulders.
 

Stanley is the capital of the remote Falkland Islands, and, although Argentine authorities have repeatedly claimed the islands as part of their country, it has a distinct British ambience. A reminder of the 1982 Falkland War between Britain and Argentina is the War Memorial. Opt to take a ‘city tour’ by bus with a local guide or stroll through the charming streets of this colorful little town, lined with quaint cottages and a variety of traditional pubs. Visit the 19th-century Anglican cathedral (the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world) and wander through the Falkland Islands Dockyard Museum. For stamp collectors a visit to the Philatelic Bureau is a must. Depending on local conditions there might be the chance to see gentoo, Magellanic, or king penguins at Bluff Cove or Volunteer Point.

Leaving the Falkland Islands behind, head for South Georgia and Antarctica. Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring the shoreside.

Charcoal-black mountains ladled with snow, giant glaciers and thriving wildlife combine to make South Georgia one of the great natural islands. Adventure to these far-flung lands - where the animals are in charge and humans come a distant second. Here you'll witness a cacophony of calling birds, natural set pieces like elephant seals clashing and thrashing, and crowds of colorful king penguins stretching out as far as the eye can see. An overseas territory of the UK, these isolated, subantarctic islands once formed a remote whaling center - and you can still visit the former whaling stations. 

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring the shore side.

A promising thrilling adventure, legendary tales and immaculate Antarctic beauty, Elephant Island is perhaps Antarctica’s best-known location. The exploits of its early explorers have immortalized this harsh, monochrome island in the tomes of human history. Believed to take its name from the elephant seals that early explorers spotted lolling on its rocks, the volcanic island was not properly explored until 1916 - when Ernest Shackleton and his men were stricken by the weather and sought salvation on its shores. Their story of survival, stranded in this barren land, is one of humanity’s most evocative and inspiring accounts. Elephant Island is written deep into the legend of Antarctic exploration, and you’ll discover Shackleton’s tale for yourself as you arrive in the island’s icy realm.

While sailing along the Antarctic Peninsula, every turn can reveal a new and breathtaking adventure. The pack ice becomes thicker the closer you move into Antarctica’s vast white wilderness. Remote and otherworldly, Antarctica is irresistible for its spectacular iceberg sculptures and calving glaciers, and for the possibility of close encounters with marine mammals. As late spring is the beginning of the Antarctic season, Silver Cloud takes you to seemingly untouched and never before visited sites.

The Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards towards South America, reaching out a beckoning finger to the adventurous, who dare to explore this untamed realm. Stretching up from the heart of the world’s southernmost continent, the Antarctic Peninsula lies a mere 620 miles from Tierra del Fuego and, for many, offers a spectacular first taste of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which make up Earth’s least-explored continent. Unseen by humans until 1820 - a blink of an eye ago in relative terms - this is an adventure sure to make your hairs stand on end, as you experience the thrill of the truly unknown and extraordinary. The vast peninsula is sprinkled with research bases, which are at the frontline of human scientific endeavor, pushing to study and understand this unique landscape, its exceptional wildlife, and the impact that humans are having on this pristine continent. Witness cathedral-sized icebergs up close, and blue-hued glaciers, slowly slipping from imposing locations like Hope Bay. Blanched mountain peaks cover the peninsula, and you’ll find thousands of adorable Adelie penguin pairs thriving undisturbed in this peninsula’s unique setting.

The ice-coated Antarctic Peninsula forms perhaps the most accessible region of mainland Antarctica, lying a mere 480-miles away from South America, across the fabled waters of Drakes Passage. Lying close to the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait, the South Shetland Islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little crowded at times. King George Island is the largest and most hospitable island, hosting the majority of the research stations - some of which are populated all-year-round by tiny, hardy crews.

The Drake Passage has a notorious reputation for its turbulent seas due to the funneling effect of the mountain ridges and seafloor pushing winds and water eastwards. When Silver Cloud reaches the Antarctic Convergence, fluid and fluctuating natural boundary where cold polar waters from the south meet warmer water moving southward, there is another good chance to see whales and seabirds as nutrients are pushed to the surface by the different currents. Spend some time on deck watching black-browed albatross, southern giant petrels, southern fulmars, Cape petrels and other seabirds gliding in the air currents of the ship's wake.

There are some opportunities to attend additional presentations offered by the Expedition Team lecturers, to edit the countless photos taken, and to socialize with new friends as you travel north towards Ushuaia.

After breakfast, disembark Silver Cloud and transfer to International Airport for your return flight to Buenos Aires.