South Georgia, Falklands & Antarctic Odyssey

Arrive in Ushuaia, where an Aurora Expeditions representative will meet you and transfer you with fellow expeditioners to your designated pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, please proceed directly to your hotel. Check-in is available from 3:00 pm.

This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the hotel lobby between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to collect your luggage tags and confirm your participation in tomorrow’s Beagle Channel and Isla de Los Lobos Cruise (Sea Lion Island). The team will provide embarkation details, answer questions, and offer dining and shopping recommendations.  

If arriving after 7:00 pm, a welcome pack will be available at check-in. Please stop by the hospitality desk tomorrow between 8:00 am and 10:00 am.

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check out. Ensure your cabin luggage is labeled with your name and cabin number, then drop it off at hotel reception before or during check-out, no later than 11:00 am. Your luggage will be securely stored, transferred to the port for clearance, and placed in your cabin before your arrival on board. Keep valuables and personal items with you throughout the day.  

Spend the morning at leisure exploring Ushuaia.  

If joining the afternoon catamaran cruise, return to the hotel lobby by 12:15 pm for a 12:30 pm transfer to the port. Board the catamaran and sail along the Beagle Channel toward the iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. As you cross the Bridges Archipelago, watch for sea lions and imperial cormorants basking on rocky outcrops while gulls, rock cormorants, skuas, petrels, albatrosses, and cauquenes are often seen overhead. Enjoy panoramic views of Ushuaia and the surrounding mountains while learning about the region’s history and communities.  

Alternatively, enjoy a leisurely afternoon and meet at the hotel lobby at 3:00 pm or the designated meeting point near the pier at 3:30 pm (details provided by ground staff) for your transfer to the ship.

This evening, join your fellow expeditioners, expedition team, and crew for a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of your Antarctic adventure.

As you commence your trip across the South Atlantic Ocean towards the Falklands-Malvinas, you make the most of your time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Your expedition team will prepare you for your first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start your lecture program to help you learn more about the region’s history, wildlife, and environment.

Your wildlife experiences begin as you enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels, following the vessel. They rise and fall skilfully, using air currents created by the ship to gain momentum.

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 Earth's largest black-browed albatross colony. 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, will use their expertise to design your voyage daily, choosing the best options based on the prevailing winds, weather, and wildlife opportunities. 

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

Conditions permitting, you plan to land in historic Stanley, the capital of the Falklands-Malvinas. This charming town is distinctly British, 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. 

If you have chosen an optional activity, you can do that whenever conditions allow. Of course, keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting!

Between the Falklands-Malvinas and South Georgia, be enthralled by the ceaseless flight of the many seabirds that follow and circle the ship. Your onboard lecture program will continue with presentations from your team of experts. You can also enjoy the many facilities on the ship, borrow a book from the well-stocked library, or stay active in the fitness center.

Sea and weather conditions will determine your arrival time to South Georgia today. 

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

Remember to layer up before joining Zodiac excursions that may zip into craggy coves and along the rocky coastline in search of nesting penguins, seal haul-outs, and bird cliffs. Remember to watch for South Georgia’s kelp forests as well - these remarkable underwater ecosystems are mesmerizing as their fronds sway back and forth on the water’s surface.  

Your Zodiacs will also transport you ashore, 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. You also hope to visit the remnants of South Georgia’s thriving whaling stations and pay your respects to Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose incredible voyage of survival is synonymous with this island. If you have chosen an optional activity, you can do that whenever conditions allow.  

In addition to Zodiac and shore excursions, you may ship cruise through fjords with towering ancient stone cliffs or into deeply indented bays towards dramatic glacier fronts. This is a great time to find a comfy spot in the observation lounge or go to the bridge (open at the Captain’s discretion) to enjoy uninterrupted views of South Georgia’s majestic coast.

Sea and weather conditions will determine your departure time from South Georgia today. 

Attend informative lectures to learn about Antarctica as you sail across the Scotia Sea towards the white continent. You may want to relax in the sauna and jacuzzis or stay active in the gym; the choice is yours on how you want to enjoy days at sea. 

En route to the Peninsula, if time and weather permits, you may attempt to follow the coastline of Elephant Island, a half-submerged mountain cloaked with an ice sheet at the outer limits of the South Shetland Islands.

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.

Once you arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are yours to explore, and you have many choices available. Because you are so far south, experience nearly 24 hours of daylight, and the days can be as busy as you wish.  

Rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals, and porpoising penguins. Your trusty Zodiacs will also shuttle you ashore, where you may visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts, and explore some favorite spots along the Peninsula.  

While ashore, you aim to stretch your legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below.  

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland or linger in scenic bays to watch whales traveling or feeding. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into the sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

As you approach Frei Base on King George Island, it is time to farewell Antarctica and your amazing adventure before boarding your flight (approximately one hour forty-five minutes) to Punta Arenas, Chile. There is time for reflection and discussion about what you have seen and experienced. Tell your family, friends, and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region and experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.  

On arrival at the Punta Arenas airport, transfer to your group hotel.

Please note: If the weather at King George Island does not allow for flights this morning, the ship operator will follow their well-established contingency plan, which can be read here. 

After breakfast, bid a fond farewell to your fellow travelers as you continue your onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature (breakfast included). A transfer to the airport is included in the voyage fare.   

Note: Should your flight not proceed due to local conditions; you remain on the ship until it is deemed achievable to return to Punta Arenas. Refer to the terms and conditions for further details.