Arrive in Santiago, be met by a cruise representative, and transferred to your group hotel. Upon arrival at your included hotel, kindly remind hotel check-in staff to provide you with cabin tags. Please clearly label the tags with your name and ship cabin number.

At approximately 6.00 pm this evening, meet your fellow expeditioners at a voyage briefing. Afterward, there’s free time to enjoy the local cuisine at one of Santiago’s many restaurants. (Dinner not included). 

Accommodation: Intercontinental Santiago (or similar)

This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labeled with your name and cabin number. Please take your cabin luggage down to hotel reception (precise time will be advised with final documentation), where they will be loaded onto the coaches. Please keep any valuables or personal items, such as medication, with you throughout the day. After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Stanley, capital of the Falklands~Malvinas. 

Stanley is a charming town with a distinctly British character, something you’ll discover on a panoramic tour. The town features terraced townhouses, pioneer cottages, and even an iconic red telephone box! Colorful buildings house cozy cafes, English pubs, souvenir shops, a post office, and the fascinating Historic Dockyard Museum, with displays on the maritime history of the Falkland Islands, natural history, and links to Antarctica. The tour ends at the pier, where you will board the vessel. 

After embarkation, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from the port, we’ll gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over Stanley town. 

This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Falklands~Malvinas and South Georgia. 

The Falklands~Malvinas comprises two large islands (East and West Falkland), with over 700 islands scattered off the coast. All but seven of these are uninhabited, with windswept coastlines, white-sand beaches, and crystal clear water. These beautifully barren islands are true wildlife havens, sheltering an impressive diversity of birdlife, including the largest black-browed albatross colony on earth. The cold, nutrient-rich waters surrounding the islands make this a prime location for spotting marine life.

There are many beautiful areas to explore across the Falklands~Malvinas, each offering a unique perspective on this magnificent archipelago. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, uses their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing winds, weather, and wildlife opportunities.

Generally, landings or Zodiac excursions happen twice a day. Even though you're north of the Antarctic Convergence it can be quite chilly here, so you’ll want to layer up before joining Zodiac cruises into rocky coves or along sea cliffs, keeping watch for seals, sea lions, dolphins, and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you may be able to visit albatross colonies, penguin rookeries, and perhaps even have a traditional English ‘tea and scones’ at a local cottage.

Also aim to land in historic Stanley, the capital of the Falklands~Malvinas. This charming town has a distinctly British character, with terraced townhouses, pioneer cottages, and even an iconic red telephone box! Colorful buildings house cozy cafes, English pubs, souvenir shops, a post office, and the fascinating Historic Dockyard Museum, with displays on the maritime history of the Falkland Islands, natural history, and links to Antarctica.

Between the Falklands~Malvinas and South Georgia, be entranced by the ceaseless flight of the many seabirds that follow the wake, skillfully using the air currents created by the ship to gain momentum. On this leg, you are usually traveling into the prevailing weather so it is difficult to estimate your precise arrival time in South Georgia. Your lecture program continues to highlight all of the incredible sights you have witnessed over the past few days. You will have ample time to enjoy observing the sea birds, whale-watching from the observation areas, or simply relaxing with a book. 

If time and weather conditions permit, you could pass close to Shag Rocks, a fascinating group of jagged rocky islets protruding from the sea, in the proximity of South Georgia.

As you near the rugged island of South Georgia, spare a thought for Captain James Cook, who arrived here in 1775 and believed it to be the northern tip of a great southern continent! It is a small island only 176 km (110 mi) long, but with a 3,000 m (9,842 ft) snow-capped mountain range, some of the world’s largest congregations of wildlife, and a truly fascinating human history, South Georgia is an island of incredible riches. 

On approach, jagged mountain peaks rise steeply, while seabirds are often spotted soaring around the ship. Sail down the east coast, taking in the spectacular glaciated scenery and enjoying a little shelter from the prevailing westerly winds. This enchanting coastline is yours to explore! 

Your experienced expedition team uses their local knowledge to plan your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, sea state, and wildlife opportunities.

Landings or Zodiac excursions are generally made twice a day. Make sure you layer up before joining Zodiac cruises around craggy coves and along the rocky coastline in search of nesting penguins, seal haul-outs, and bird cliffs. Remember to keep an eye out for South Georgia’s kelp forests as well - these remarkable underwater ecosystems are quite mesmerizing as their fronds sway back and forth on the water’s surface. 

Zodiacs also transport you from ship to shore, where you can visit some of the largest king penguin colonies on earth, take a guided walk among fur seals and elephant seals (making sure you listen to your guides and keep your distance!) and wander along pebbled streams and grassy glacial outwash plains. We also hope to visit the remnants of South Georgia’s thriving whaling stations and pay our respects to Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose incredible voyage of survival is synonymous with this island. If you have chosen an optional activity, you’ll have the option to do that whenever conditions allow. 

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise through fjords with towering cliffs of ancient stone, or into deeply indented bays towards dramatic glacier fronts. This is a great time to find a comfy spot in the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge to enjoy uninterrupted views of South Georgia’s majestic coast.

If time permits, we may enjoy a morning landing in South Georgina before commencing our return sailing to Ushuaia, you may choose to spend your time editing photos, enjoying the onboard facilities, or listening to an informative lecture. 

During the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where you will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell to your expedition team and fellow passengers as you all continue your onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. A transfer to Ushuaia airport or your hotel is included in the voyage fare. 

Note: After the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing from Ushuaia before 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case of delays.