King George Island to King George Island

Welcome to Santiago, the vibrant capital of Chile. Relax and spend the overnight here preparing for your adventure.

Arrive in Puerto Williams, a small Chilean city on Navarino Island along the Beagle Channel. It claims to be the southernmost city in the world, a title also claimed by the larger Argentine city of Ushuaia across the channel. With a population of about 2,500, Puerto Williams offers a quieter experience, marked by a village atmosphere, rustic buildings, and the scent of wood smoke. Spend the night here relaxing and planning for your adventure.

Fly from Puerto Williams to King George and embark on Silver Endeavour for your Polar adventure.

As the largest of all the South Shetland Islands, King George is considered the gateway to Antarctica. At just 120 kilometers from the Antarctic Peninsula and the only airport in the South Shetlands, it is the connection between “real life” and “Antarctic life”. More than 10 different nations have year-round or summer-only scientific research stations on the island (considering that 90% of the island is covered by snow and ice, that is quite an achievement!). Maintaining a base on the island allows membership in the Antarctic Treaty. There is even a Russian Orthodox church, with a permanent on-site priest. The island might be home to a few international scientists, but they are very much outnumbered by the diverse wildlife that considers King George Island rightfully theirs. Adelie, Chinstrap, and Gentoo Penguins all commute to and from the Antarctic Peninsula from the island, while Weddell and leopard seals are regular visitors and can be spotted either in the water or on the shore. Naturally, this brings a huge amount of birdlife: skuas and southern giant petrels are regular summer residents, attracted by the warm climate (warm being a relative term, average temperature is between 1.5 and -6.5˚C). The island was named after King George III after a British explorer discovered it in 1819. Since then the island has been claimed by both Chile (1940), and Argentina (1943), but remains part of British Antarctic Territory.

Please note:  Flexibility is key to any successful Antarctic adventure, particularly a fly cruise.  If the weather at King George Island does not allow for flights this morning, the ship operator will follow their contingency plan, which can be read here.  On average, about 85% of flights occur on this day, as scheduled.  But travelers should be aware of, and ready to follow, the contingencies that Silversea has developed.

Few voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to one of the planet’s most remote, extreme, and enchanting wilderness, Antarctica. An adventure in its purest form, only a handful of people will ever be lucky enough to experience the majestic beauty of these monochrome landscapes first-hand. The Antarctic Sound will be one of your first encounters with this whitewash kingdom, located at the northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula - which sprawls up like a tentacle towards Tierra del Fuego, South America’s most southerly point, otherwise known as the "End of the World". Taking its name from the first ship to brave the passageway between the peninsular and the Joinville Island groups back in 1902, the Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Come face-to-face with arena-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife that calls this whitewash kingdom home. Watch on, as colonies of Gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you. If you’re planning your first venture into Antarctica, you’ll want to brush up on your photography skills in advance, to capture this unforgiving continent in all of its unrestrained glory. Read our blog [https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/antarctica/photography-in-antarctica-7-tips-for-capturing-the-landscapes-of-the-white-wilderness/] for tips on how to ensure that your photos do justice to the adventure of a lifetime.

Expedition - Included Activities
Hiking with Silversea Expedition Team
-Activity Level: Extensive
-Duration: 1 Hour
Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition Team
-Activity Level: Moderate
-Duration: 1 Hour

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.

Expedition - Included Activities
Hiking with Silversea Expedition Team
-Activity Level: Extensive
-Duration: 1 Hour
Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition Team
-Activity Level: Moderate
-Duration: 1 Hour

The ice-covered Antarctic Peninsula is the most accessible region of mainland Antarctica, located just 480 miles from South America across the renowned waters of Drake Passage. Situated near the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and governed by the Antarctic Treaty, the South Shetland Islands have research bases from various countries. With elephant seals and numerous Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie Penguins, the islands can sometimes feel crowded. King George Island, the largest and most hospitable, hosts the majority of the research stations, some occupied year-round by small, resilient crews. Despite their remoteness, these islands offer an extraordinary adventure.

The triple peaks of Mount Foster dominate the archipelago, and sailing into the collapsed volcano caldera of Deception Island's core will quicken your heartbeat. Explore the lunar landscapes within and dip into the surprisingly warm, geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove. Elephant Island is etched in Antarctic expedition history as the site where Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance crew miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter in 1916.

Expedition - Included Activities
Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition Team
-Activity Level: Moderate
-Duration: 1 Hour

After breakfast, disembark Silver Endeavour and board a charter flight back to Puerto Williams. Transfer to the hotel for a post-cruise overnight stay.

Please note:  If the weather at King George Island does not allow for flights this morning, the ship operator will follow its published contingency plan here, again.

After Breakfast, bid farewell to hotel staff and catch your flight way back home.

Please note:  Charter flights back to Santiago will be scheduled to arrive late afternoon today, but are contingent on the successful / timely return to Puerto Williams as planned on Day 9.