Day 1 Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina | Embark
Arrive in Ushuaia. Choose to embark Le Soleal or partake in an excursion to Arakur Resort, located inside Cerro Alarken Natural Reserve. Enjoy time at leisure, lunch and/or an optional excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Your ship departs South America this evening.
Day 2-3 Drake Passage
- Ship
- 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
As your ship sails the open oceans, settle in to your cabin and familiarize yourself with the ship and her crew - this is your new home for the next two weeks.
Day 4 Neko | Paradise Bay
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Deep in Andvord Bay, find this little corner of paradise at the foot of an immense glacier. Neko Bay is without doubt one of the most beautiful sights of the Antarctic Peninsula. Wildlife is as abundant as it is exceptional: encounter sea birds such as gulls, Cape petrels and cormorants, as well as marine mammals like seals, orcas and whales. Excursions aboard Zodiac dinghies allow you to sail close to blue-tinged icebergs or disembark near colonies of penguins, observe leopard seals basking on the shore, or watch the Antarctic terns flying overhead.
Day 5 Port Lockroy | Wilhelmina Bay
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
On the small island of Goudier, you have the opportunity to visit Port Lockroy, discovered by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1903. Initially it served as a relief and repair base for whalers, but in 1944 Port Lockroy became a British base. It owes its name to Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and the partner of Jean-Baptiste Charcot during his expedition. You may be able to visit the small museum that retraces the life of the base in the 1950s. Since 1996, it has been open to the public during the short Southern Summer and is used for carrying out research on gentoo penguins. Nowadays, this base is the most visited site of the White Continent and, thanks to its little store and post office, it is the only place to offer you the opportunity to write to your friends and family and share this unique moment. In the afternoon visit Wilhelmina Bay, a location known for its large number of humpback whales and spectacular scenery. Steep cliffs full of snow and glaciers surround the bay, and an almost perfect pyramid-shaped peak towers over the sea.
Day 6 Deception Island
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Nestled at the heart of the South Shetland Islands, in the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, Deception Island is easy to recognize for its horseshoe shape. On the black sand of the volcanic beaches, there are remains of abandoned huts that have been overrun by the extraordinary wildlife, part of the treasure that Nature offers there. It is on these beaches of ash that the largest colony of chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula has taken up residence. Excursions aboard Zodiac dinghies allow you to set foot on this expanse of land where more than 100,000 pairs of penguins, elephant seals, and fur seals live side by side.
Day 7-8 At Sea
- Ship
- 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Rest up for the last leg of your voyage as your ship sails to South Georgia.
Day 9 Cooper Bay | Gold Harbour, South Georgia
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Visit Cooper Bay, a location that offers the most accessible macaroni penguin colonies for viewing. Afterwards land at Gold Harbour, located at the eastern end of South Georgia, named for the angle of morning and evening sunlight that illuminates the cliffs with a bright yellow light. The area is a breeding ground for king and gentoo penguins, as well as elephant seals. You may also see some sooty albatrosses flying overhead, as these infamous birds also breed in the harbor.
Day 10 Grytviken
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Welcome to the world's most southerly territorial capital. Named by a Swedish surveyor in 1902, Grytviken translates as "Pot Bay" for the pots found on site once used to render seal oil.
Day 11 Fortuna Bay
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
South Georgia is an unmissable destination within Antarctica. This Subantarctic region is a peak emerging from the Scotia Arc, an underwater mountain chain that extends the Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Day 12-15 At Sea
- Ship
- 4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners
Spend your last days on board Le Soleal reflecting on your once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Share memories and photos with your fellow travelers or simply relax and take advantage of your ship's amenities before returning home.
Day 16 Montevideo, Uruguay | Disembark
Following breakfast on board, disembark in Montevideo and transfer to the airport for your homeward journey.