South Georgia & Antarctic Mega Penguin Colony

Your adventure will begin in Santiago, the beautiful capital city of Chile, where after having arrived independently you will make your way to the airport to join your special charter flight to Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. This charter flight is exclusive to guests on this fantastic voyage and will allow you to enjoy a sample of the Falkland Islands before beginning your journey to Antarctica. Upon arrival in Stanley you can choose to either explore at your own pace around this quaint town with its distinctly British feel, or join an excursion to Gypsy Cove to see the first of many penguins of your trip. Gypsy Cove is home to great numbers of Magellanic penguins and various seabirds including rock cormorants, blackish oystercatchers and variable hawks, to name just a few. After a walk around the area we will make our way back to the town to board your expedition vessel in the afternoon. After settling into your comfortable cabin and familiarising yourself with your new surroundings you can enjoy a welcome cocktail and dinner as we set sail for the adventure of a lifetime.

Over the course of the next two days we will enjoy a relaxing sail towards South Georgia. We recommend spending some time on deck looking out for the various seabirds that are likely to be following the ship along with possibly whales in the waters below. This will be a great time to brush up on your wildlife photography skills, with your resident photography expert on hand to provide you with hints and tips for perfecting your technique.

You can also enjoy the commencement of your lecture and presentation programme delivered by onboard experts covering everything from Antarctic wildlife and geology to historical polar explorations. There will also be bio-environmental briefings for your time on South Georgia, including important information on behaviour around the abundant wildlife.

Today you will arrive in the wilderness wildlife paradise of South Georgia, one of the most wildlife-rich and scenically beautiful places in the world. You will now enjoy three days of in-depth exploration of this remarkable place, taking Zodiac cruises, shore walks and hikes and getting up-close to the abundant wildlife that helps to make this island so special. Known as the ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’, it won’t take long to discover why as we launch the Zodiacs and make land at Elsehul Bay to see the large numbers of fur seals and the huge elephant seals that almost completely cover the dark sandy beaches. The major draw here is undoubtedly the staggering numbers of penguins that live and roam here, and we will visit the sites of some of the biggest colonies on the island including Gold Harbour, Salisbury Plain and St Andrews Bay to see rookeries numbering over 200,000 penguins in each. We will also hope to see good numbers of nesting albatross as we explore around.

As well as the enchanting and bountiful wildlife, South Georgia is an important destination for history enthusiasts, being the ending point of the epic survival and rescue mission of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men back in the 1910’s. Your accompanying expert historians will offer you an insight into this fateful journey and you will have the opportunity to visit Grytviken to pay your respects at the final resting place of this legendary explorer. In Grytviken you will also be able to visit the excellent museum, the beautifully restored church and the site of whaling stations which offer a fascinating glimpse into South Georgia’s past. As we enjoy a full exploration of the island, other sites we are likely to visit include Stromness, Leith, and Husvik, keeping a keen eye out for wildlife as we go.

Kayaking excursions may be offered here and are a fantastic way to get a different perspective on the island and its beauty. Kayaking occurs an additional charge and owing to its popularity should be booked in advance.

Leaving the marvels of South Georgia behind, we will now spend approximately three days sailing towards Antarctica, with our exact route determined by sea and ice conditions. Your lecture and presentation programme will continue, with a focus now on Antarctica, its wildlife and the history of polar exploration in the area. You will also be able to learn about the important discovery of the ‘Mega Colony’ of Adelie Penguins on the Danger Islands in March 2018. As towering icebergs herald our arrival in Antarctic waters, these low-lying islands will gradually begin to appear on the horizon and anticipation will build as we prepare to make land and discover for ourselves this home of more than a million Adelie penguins.

Having navigated into the Antarctic Sound, this morning we will awake to the awe-inspiring sight of the Antarctic icecap and the pure majesty and remarkable remoteness of Antarctica will suddenly become apparent. You have arrived in the heart of one of the most spectacular places on earth!

As with all polar expeditions, our course throughout your time in Antarctica will be flexible and dependent on ice and weather conditions, but your experienced captain and crew will be sure to make the most of every opportunity available to ensure you get to see all that this incredible area has to offer. As we make our way into the Weddell Sea, the numbers and size of the huge tabular icebergs will increase dramatically, and our focus will be on reaching the Danger Islands to visit the newly-discovered ‘mega colony’ of over a million Adelie penguins. Adelies are the smallest (and most comical) of Antarctica's penguins, and observing their antics up-close will be an unforgettable delight. We will also attempt to visit other locations in the area that are home to sizeable colonies including Paulet Island and Gourdin Island.

Exploring by Zodiac and on foot throughout, the list of other sites visited in this remarkable area is likely to include Brown Bluff, d’Urville Monument and Vega Island where we will see some of Antarctica’s most fascinating palaeontology, all surrounded by simply indescribable scenery.

Sailing out of the Antarctic Sound we will now sail to the often mist-shrouded South Shetland Islands group. There are a number of landing sites we hope to visit here including Yankee Harbour where good numbers of Weddell seals are often found, or Half Moon Island, an Important Bird Area which is home to numerous birds including chinstrap penguins, Antarctic terns, imperial shags and much more. We then plan to cruise along the coast of Livingston Island to reach the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island. This historically rich area is a delight to explore and weather dependent we hope to enjoy a walk around to see the old whaling station and aircraft hangar. For a more energetic walk there is an excellent hike which will bring you high up onto the rim of the crater.

We will then reach the awe-inspiring Antarctic Peninsula to enjoy further days of exploration by land and sea. Around the vicinity of Mikkelson Harbour and Cierva Cove we explore through exceptionally scenic bays and harbours, searching for the wildlife that abounds including chinstrap, gentoo and Adelie penguins, seals including leopard seals, and birds such as skuas, cormorants and gulls. We plan to enjoy a thrilling Zodiac cruise through the narrow channels surrounding rarely-visited Spert Island to discover its unique geology and abundant birdlife before making our way along the Peninsula. We will sail into the Errera Channel where we will hope to stop at some excellent landing sites including Cuverville Island, an important research site where one of the largest gentoo penguin colonies can be found, and the beautiful glacier-filled Neko Harbour.

Throughout your time in Antarctica, shore walks, Zodiac cruises and entertaining presentations will keep your mind and body active, whilst exciting hikes across snowy mountain saddles will be readily available and kayaking excursions will be on offer. Sea kayaking should be booked in advance and occurs an additional cost. As the end of our exploration draws near, we will make our way into the fabled Drake Passage on the evening of day 15.

Leaving the wilderness wonderland of Antarctica behind, we will gently make our way to Ushuaia through the Drake Passage. As we sail your presentation and lecture programme will continue and your onboard photography expert can help you to collate and make the most of the countless pictures you will have no doubt taken throughout your voyage. There will also be a special voyage recap delivered by your expedition leader and as we near the Beagle Channel on the evening of day 17 you will be invited to join the captain for a special farewell dinner to mark the end of your adventure of a lifetime.

Arrival into the port in Ushuaia in southern Argentina will signal the end of our voyage and after disembarkation it will be time to bid farewell to your crew and shipmates. Upon arrival in Ushuaia a transfer will be provided to the airport, or to a downtown location should you wish to extend your stay in South America. Various extension tours are available, and we would be delighted to help you decide should this be of interest to you.