HIGHLIGHTS
- Encounter
hundreds of thousands of stately king penguins on the beaches of
incomparable South Georgia
- Experience
abundant wildlife including seabirds, seals and even some of the great
whales at close range
- Witness
the breeding efforts of the huge Wandering Albatross
- See
the rarely visited and uninhabited South Sandwich Islands
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
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| Start Date | End Date | QUAD PORTHOLE | TRIPLE PORTHOLE | TWIN PORTHOLE | TWIN WINDOW | TWIN DELUXE | SUPERIOR |
|---|
Rates are listed per person in USD. Promotional offers are not reflected in the rates below.
|
| Start Date | End Date | (Starting from)
QUAD PORTHOLE | (Mid-range)
TWIN WINDOW | (High-end)
SUPERIOR |
|---|
ITINERARY
Day
1: Sandy Argentine beaches
You
embark from Puerto Madryn in the afternoon, your prow aimed for the
Falkland Islands. Golfo Nuevo is renowned for its visiting southern
right whales, so you have a good chance of spotting one as you sail
toward the open ocean.
Day
2-3: Sea life, sea birds
Though
you’re now at sea, there’s rarely a lonesome moment
here. Several species of bird follow the vessel southeast, such as
albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrels.
Day
4: Finding the Falklands
The
Falkland (Malvinas) Islands offer an abundance of wildlife that is
easily approachable, though caution is always advised. These islands
are largely unknown gems, the site of a 1982 war between the UK and
Argentina. Not only do various species of bird live here, but chances
are great you’ll see both Peale’s dolphins and
Commerson’s dolphins in the surrounding waters.
During
this segment of the voyage, you may visit the following sites:
Steeple
Jason-Home to the world’s largest black-browed albatross
colony (roughly 113,000), Steeple Jason is a wild and rarely visited
island buffeted by wind and waves. Weather and swell conditions dictate
the journey here.
Carcass
Island-Despite its name, this island is pleasantly rodent-free and
hence bounteous with birdlife. Anything from breeding Magellanic
penguins and gentoos to numerous waders and passerine birds (including
Cobb’s wrens and tussock-birds) live here.
Saunders
Island-On Saunders Island you can see the black-browed albatross and
its sometimes-clumsy landings, along with breeding imperial shags and
rockhopper penguins. King penguins, Magellanic penguins, and gentoos
are also found here.
Day
5: The seat of Falklands culture
The
capital of the Falklands and center of its culture, Port Stanley has
some Victorian-era charm: colorful houses, well-tended gardens, and
English-style pubs are all to be found here. You can also see several
century-old clipper ships nearby, silent witnesses to the hardships of
19th century sailors. The small but interesting museum is also worth a
visit, covering the early days of settlement up to the Falklands War.
Approximately 2,100 people live in Port Stanley. Feel free to wander at
will, though be aware that admission fees to local attractions are not
included in the voyage.
Day
6-7: Once more to the sea
En
route to South Georgia, you now cross the Antarctic Convergence. The
temperature cools considerably within the space of a few hours, and
nutritious water rises to the surface of the sea due to colliding water
columns. This phenomenon attracts a multitude of seabirds near the
ship, including several species of albatross, shearwaters, petrels,
prions, and skuas.
Day
8-11: South Georgia journey
Today
you arrive at the first South Georgia activity site. Please keep in
mind that weather conditions in this area can be challenging, largely
dictating the program.
Sites
you might visit include:
Prion Island-This
location is closed during the early part of the wandering albatross
breeding season (November 20-January 7). The previous
summer’s wandering albatross chicks are almost ready to
fledge, and adults are seeking out their old partners after a year and
a half at sea.
Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay,
Gold Harbor-These sites not only house the three largest
king penguin colonies in South Georgia, they’re also three of
the world’s largest breeding beaches for southern elephant
seals. Only during this time of year do they peak in their breeding
cycle. Watch the four-ton bulls keep a constant vigil (and occasionally
fight) over territories where dozens of females have just given birth
or are about to deliver. You can also see a substantial number of
Antarctic fur seals here during the breeding season (December-January).
Fortuna Bay-Near
beaches inhabited by various penguins and seals, you have the chance to
follow the final leg of Shackleton’s route to the abandoned
whaling village of Stromness. This path cuts across the mountain pass
beyond Shackleton’s Waterfall, and as the terrain is partly
swampy, be prepared to cross a few small streams.
Grytviken-In this
abandoned whaling station, king penguins walk the streets and elephant
seals lie around like they own the place-because they basically do.
Here you might be able to see the South Georgia Museum as well as
Shackleton’s grave.
Day
12: Southward bound
There
may be sea ice on this route, and at the edge of the ice some south
polar skuas and snow petrels could join the other seabirds trailing the
vessel south.
Day
13: The scenic vistas of South Orkney
Depending
on the conditions, you might visit Orcadas Base, an Argentine
scientific station on Laurie Island in the South Orkney archipelago.
The personnel here will happily show you their facility, where you can
enjoy expansive views of the surrounding glaciers. If a visit
isn’t possible, you may instead land in Signy
Island’s Shingle Cove.
Day
14: Last push to the Antarctic
Enormous
icebergs and a fair chance of fin whale sightings ensure
there’s never a dull moment on this last sea voyage south.
Also, your best chance to spot Antarctic petrels is here.
Day
15-18: Awe-inspiring Antarctica
If
the ice conditions permit, you now sail into the Weddell Sea. Here
colossal tabular icebergs herald your arrival to the eastern side of
the Antarctic Peninsula. Paulet Island, with its large population of
Adélie penguins, is a possible stop. You might also visit
Brown Bluff, located in the ice-clogged Antarctic Sound, where you
could get the chance to set foot on the Antarctic Continent itself.
If
conditions aren’t favorable to enter the Weddell Sea from the
east, the ship will set course for Elephant Island and head into the
Bransfield Strait, between South Shetland Island and the Antarctic
Peninsula. Here you can attempt to access the Antarctic Sound from the
northwest.
The
volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked
in mist, but they nonetheless offer many subtle pleasures. A wide
variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and fauna (gentoo
penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels) live here.
Chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near
Cámara Base, an Argentine scientific research station on
Half Moon Island.
On
Deception Island, the ship plunges through Neptune’s Bellows
and into the flooded caldera. Here you can find hot springs, an
abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels. A number of
kelp gulls, brown skuas, south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns can be
spotted too. Wilson’s storm petrels and black-bellied storm
petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
As an alternative, you can take part in activities near Telefon Bay,
further inside the caldera.
This
extended voyage gives you the chance to sail even farther down the icy
coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula. In the Gerlache Strait are
several opportunities for great landings where you might set foot on
the Antarctic Continent, surrounded by an epic landscape of alpine
peaks and mammoth glaciers calving at sea level. Gentoo penguins,
leopard seals, Weddell seals, humpback whales, and minke whales are
often seen here.
The
breathtaking scenery continues in the southern Gerlache Strait, and if
ice conditions allow, we may even reach Lemaire Channel. Conditions on
the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.
Day
19-20: Familiar seas, familiar friends
Your
return voyage is far from lonely. While crossing the Drake,
you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered
from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you
now, and you to them.
Day
21: Earth’s southernmost city
You
arrive and disembark in Ushuaia, commonly held to be the
world’s most southern city. It is located on the Tierra del
Fuego archipelago, nicknamed the “End of the
World.” But despite this stopping point, the wealth of
memories you’ve made on your Antarctic expedition will travel
with you wherever your next adventure lies.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Voyage
as indicated in the itinerary
- All
meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee
and tea
- All
shore excursions by Zodiac and activities throughout the voyage
- Program
of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced
expedition staff
- Free
use of rubber boots and snowshoes
- Pre-scheduled
group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly
after disembarkation)
- All
miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program
- Comprehensive
pre-departure material
- Free 1.5 GB of daily Wifi
