Atlantic Odyssey

In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway, followed by seabirds.

During these two days we sail across the Drake Passage and encounter a variety of seabirds - these can include wandering, grey-headed, black-browed and the beautiful light-mantled sooty albatross, southern fulmars, Wilson's storm, blue, Cape and Antarctic petrels. We also look out for whales and, as we near the South Shetland Islands, we spot our first icebergs.

We sail directly to Antarctica, passing the Melchior islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. On the small steep Cuverville Island, nestled between the mountains of the Peninsula and Danco Island, there is a large colony of gentoo penguins and breeding pairs of brown skuas. If we land on Danco Island we can watch chinstrap penguins and possibly Weddell and crabeater seals. In Neko Harbour we will have the opportunity to set foot on the actual Antarctic continent in a magnificent landscape of huge glaciers and enjoy the landscape during Zodiac cruises. When sailing to Paradise Bay, with its myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, we will have the opportunity for zodiac cruising between the icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords. In this area we have good chances to see humpback and minke whales. After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, we plan to visit the British research station and post office Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. Close to Port Lockroy we may also make a landing on Jougla Point to see gentoo penguins and imperial shags.

We sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to Pleneau and Petermann Island where we can find Adelie penguins and blue-eyed shags and maybe also humpback, minke and fin whales. A visit to one of the scientific stations in Antarctica will give you an insight about the life of modern Antarcticans working on the White Continent. Further south we may visit the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station, where we will receive a warm welcome from the station crew. Sailing north through Neumayer Channel we arrive at the Melchior Islands with a very beautiful landscape with icebergs. Here, we look out for leopard and crabeater seals and whales.

On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.

We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and pick up passengers for our odyssey, to depart in the evening.

During these two days we sail again across the Drake Passage and encounter a variety of seabirds - these can include wandering, grey-headed, black-browed and the beautiful light-mantled sooty albatross, southern fulmars, Wilson's storm, blue, Cape and Antarctic petrels. We also look out for whales and other marine mammals.

We aim to visit some of the major king penguin rookeries in the world. The late season offers an outstanding chance to see the king penguins on eggs and with small chicks. The rookeries are packed at this time of year and the movement to and from the beach is amazing. Salisbury Plain is probably the biggest and here we will see the huge king penguin colony along with elephant seals and scores of fur seal pups playing in the surf. On Prion Island in the Bay of Isles we can see breeding wandering albatrosses. We will also find time to visit the old whaling settlement in Grytviken, where now the penguins walk through the streets. Grytviken is home to a small, but highly informative museum and also offers a chance to visit the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton who is buried here alongside his trusted friend and companion Frank Wild. We will attempt to land Gold Harbour and St Andrews Bay with stunningly beautiful scenery and a wildlife density second to none. We end our South Georgia experience in the spectacular Dryglaski Fjord.

In the Westerly’s we have a pleasant tailwind. On both sides of the Antarctic Convergence, we observe many species and great numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds.

Today we plan to approach the unique Gough Island for a zodiac cruise around Quest Bay, as always weather permitting. Gough Island is a strictly protected nature reserve and landings are not allowed. However, the intended Zodiac cruise will offer spectacular scenery and a great abundance of wildlife not easily seen elsewhere in the world. In previous years we managed to circumnavigate all but four miles of the 33 mile circumference of the island by ship. We felt very privileged to be among the few visitors who have been able to experience Gough and in particular, to see it at such close quarters and in such favourable conditions. We hope to be lucky to repeat this unique experience with you.

In the Tristan da Cunha archipelago we plan to call on the settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, at the west side of the main island. We will also try to make landings at Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island where millions of seabirds ranging from yellow-nosed albatrosses, northern rockhopper penguins to brown noddies, as well as the unique Inaccesible rail breed. We allow one day in reserve for bad weather. Please note that we will try and approach for landings, however due to the weather and sea conditions this is not always possible.  

We now enter sub-tropical waters with their own species of seabirds and dolphins.

St. Helena has a good anchorage and landing site at James Town. On this island, we will have ample opportunities to enjoy local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic plants and birds. We will visit Longwood House, the place where Napoleon lived and died in exile. There will be opportunities to explore the Island on your own and for snorkelling in the shallow surf where we can find a multitude of tropical and sub-tropical fish species.

Heading north in tropical waters, we look for flying fish and warm climate birds.

Ascension Island is a dry volcanic island with a moist and richly vegetated highland. The sooty oe Wide Awake tern  colony sometimes consists of more than a million breeding pairs. We will try to climb the moist summit of Ascension Island and make a zodiac-cruise around Boatswain Bird Island. Near the anchorage at Georgetown we also have great opportunities for snorkelling. We hope to witness egg-laying sea turtles coming ashore at night. Some of our passengers may disembark and fly with the scheduled RAF (Royal Air Force) flight to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, UK. Others may proceed with the voyage to the Cape Verde Islands. In the evening the vessel will depart from Ascension