Luxury Falklands, South Georgia & The Circle

Your adventure will start in Buenos Aires where after having arrived independently you will meet your representatives at the airport and join your included flight to Ushuaia in southern Argentina. The flight will take approximately 3.5 hours and upon arrival in Ushuaia you can choose to either spend some time at leisure, join your fellow passengers for lunch at the lovely Arakur Hotel, or join an additional excursion to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. (Please note, Tierra Del Fuego excursion incurs an additional charge and should be booked when you book your cruise).

In the afternoon you will be transferred to the port to begin embarkation. As you settle in to your luxury ship, we will set sail through the scenic Beagle Channel where some time on deck should reward in multiple seabird sightings.

Today will be spent at sea sailing towards the Falkland Islands. Days at sea can be spent relaxing in your comfortable surroundings, availing of the luxury onboard facilities, and enjoying some time on deck searching for whale and seabird sightings including albatrosses and cape petrels.

Your informative and entertaining lecture programme will begin, covering everything from the wildlife and geology of the areas we’ll visit to historical polar explorations, and there will be bio-environmental briefings regarding the rules that must be adhered to during your visit to the wildlife-rich Falklands.

Having arrived along the western coast of the Falklands overnight, this morning the excitement will build as we prepare for the first of many landings of our trip. Our first stop in this scenic and wildlife-rich archipelago will be the distinctive jagged landmass of New Island, where we will make land to enjoy a walk across the golden sand of the flower-lined beaches to discover more of this remote natural paradise. A short walk through the typical Falkland moorlands will bring the first of many wildlife encounters of our trip as we reach a colony of southern rockhopper penguins. In this location we will also have the opportunity to observe large colonies of imperial shags and the mighty black-browed albatross as they swoop majestically from the cliffs to the waves.

After an enjoyable exploration of New Island, we will get back onboard to sail through the Woolly Gut strait to arrive at the rarely-visited Grave Cove to gain another perspective of these beautiful lands. Stepping off the boat and on to the white sandy beach you may well be greeted by the Commerson's dolphins that are often found here! More wildlife awaits as we make our way across the grassy dunes to one of the largest gentoo penguin colonies in the area that resides here alongside the famous Falkland Islands sheep. We may also have good chances of spotting sea lions here.

Sailing south towards South Georgia, your informative and entertaining lecture programme will continue, along with bio-environmental briefings for your time on the island. Take some time to relax after a busy day in the Falklands and enjoy some of the fantastic hospitality on board. Some time on deck should reward with multiple seabird sightings and possibly some whale sightings.

We will now spend three exceptionally enjoyable days sailing around the wildlife paradise of South Georgia. We hope to make land at some enchanting landing sites to discover up-close what makes this remote island so remarkable. Millions of penguins, including king penguin colonies numbering up 300,000, crowd the beaches alongside enormous elephant seals, various breeds of seals and abundant seabirds, all surrounded by the most spectacular glacier and mountain scenery you could imagine. Places we hope to visit during our time here include Fortuna Bay, Gold Harbour, Salisbury Plain and Grytviken to visit the grave of the legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Somewhere along the South Georgia coastline we will enjoy a truly special Christmas dinner onboard!

Over the course of the next two days we will enjoy a gentle sail towards the Antarctic Peninsula. Your lecture programme will continue and there will be briefings around the strict IAATO rules that must be adhered to during your visit to the natural wonderland of Antarctica. There will also be briefings for the Zodiac (small inflatable boat) excursions, and as the icebergs begin to appear on the horizon and we reach the awe-inspiring Antarctic continent we will prepare to put these skills into action as we get ready to make our first of many landings in this icy wilderness.

Your discovery of the magical Antarctic Peninsula begins in earnest and the sheer beauty of this remarkable and remote wilderness wonderland will be sure to astound. As with all Polar expeditions, your exact route and itinerary in Antarctica will be flexible, with your experienced captain and crew charting the best course for unrivalled scenic and wildlife experiences. Each day we will explore by Zodiac boat or on foot around some of the Peninsula’s most impressive landing sites on a constant search for the wildlife that abounds here.

We will search for sightings of numerous breeds of penguins including Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo, whales including minke, humpback and orca, various species of seals and abundant birdlife. You will visit spectacularly scenic bays and harbours, volcanic beaches, research stations and sites of historical significance. Each day will bring a new adventure as you enjoy a thorough exploration of this breathtaking region. Sites you are likely to visit include, but are not limited to, Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, Port Lockroy and the South Shetland Islands amongst many other places.

After an exhilarating exploration of the Peninsula it’s time to chart a course for the main highlight of our Antarctica cruise. Despite all the excitement and adventure that has gone before us, the feeling of crossing this mythical line deep into the southern hemisphere may well top it all. We plan to cross the line located along 66°33’ south of the Equator and raise a glass to celebrate being within the small number of people to have ever ventured this far south. This will be a thrilling and fitting way to round off our epic adventure.

Leaving Antarctica in our wake we will now sail back into the Drake Passage to make our way back to Ushuaia. Enjoy the final lectures and presentations delivered by your expert team and some final whale watching and birdwatching from the deck. Or simply relax on your luxurious ship and catch your breath after what will have been an incredibly exciting voyage.

Disembark and transfer to airport for flight to Buenos Aires