Antarctic Explorer - Fly/Sail Expedition

Upon arrival in Punta Arenas, meet the Aurora Expeditions representative for a transfer to the assigned hotel. Please ensure arrival occurs no later than 2:00 pm; this guarantees attendance at important pre-flight briefings and allows for a potential Day 1 departure to King George Island should weather conditions dictate. Between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm, visit the hospitality desk in the lobby to collect cabin luggage tags. The team confirms embarkation details, answers questions, and provides recommendations for dining or purchasing last-minute items.

Overlooking the Straits of Magellan, this city sits astride a historic trade route and reflects a rich blend of cultural backgrounds, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors. Explore the local culinary scene, with meals at personal expense today. At 7:00 pm, join fellow expeditioners for a mandatory briefing to reconfirm transfer times, review flight procedures, and outline important IAATO regulations for Antarctic visitors.

This morning, transfer to Punta Arenas airport for the charter flight to King George Island, Antarctica, weather permitting. Expect a flight duration of approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. Upon arrival at King George Island, the expedition team greets and prepares you for the Zodiac transfer to the vessel. Once onboard, take time to settle into the cabin before attending the mandatory safety briefings.

Note: A clear sky with great visibility is required for safe take-off and landing at King George Island. Should the weather be uncooperative at this remote airstrip, flights can be moved earlier, or delayed later.  Historically, 85% of flights occur on the day they are scheduled.  But if this is not possible, the ship operator will follow their established contingency plan, which can be read here. 

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 a host of choices available. Because you are so far south, experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.  

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities. 

You generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. Rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some favorite spots along the peninsula.  

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

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales traveling or feeding.  

This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendor. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from summit to sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

Enjoy a final morning landing in the South Shetland Islands before you re-enter the Drake Passage for your return journey to South America. 

With lectures and film presentations to complete your Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. 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 to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.  

As you approach the tip of South America, your Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.

During the early morning, cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where you are free to disembark around 8.00 am. Farewell your expedition team and fellow passengers as you all continue your onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. 

Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked their accommodations through Aurora or for those staying in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 12.30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 12.30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.     

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, it is not recommended to book flights departing Ushuaia before 12.00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.