Antarctica, Weddell Sea & The Falklands

Your adventure begins this morning in Punta Arenas, a beautiful port city in Southern Chile. After having arrived independently you will make your way to your hotel for your included overnight stay. A welcome desk will have been set up in your hotel so that you can meet some of your expedition team, tag your luggage and get some advice on how to spend your free evening in this Chilean Patagonia gateway town

After a good night’s sleep, the following morning you will join your transfer to the airport. Your included 2-hour flight to King George Island in the South Shetlands will see you flying over the famous Drake Passage and landing in the pristine wilderness of Antarctica in next to no time. Upon touchdown you will get your first sense of Antarctica’s true magnitude and your first adventure as you transfer to the vessel via Zodiac boat. After a refreshing welcome drink you can spend some time settling in to your comfortable cabin and exploring your new surroundings as we set sail for the heart of Antarctica.

This morning we will awake to the awe-inspiring sight of the Antarctic Peninsula and the pure majesty and remarkable remoteness of Antarctica will suddenly become even more apparent. You have arrived in the heart of one of the most spectacular places on earth! Overnight we will have sailed across the Bransfield Strait towards the Gerlache coastline and the anticipation will build as we prepare for our first of many landings.

As with all polar expeditions, our course 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. Exploring by Zodiac boat and on foot, each day will bring a new adventure and we will be on a constant lookout for the wildlife that abounds here including various species of penguins, seals, whales and seabirds. As we make our way through the waterways of the Peninsula we will sail through the exceptionally scenic Gerlache Strait where some time on deck should reward with numerous whale sightings.

We will hope to make landings at Orne Harbour or Andvord Bay. In the aptly-named Paradise Bay you may be able to enjoy a hike up a snow-covered hill to one of the most spectacular vantage points on the Peninsula, or a Zodiac cruise into the nearby ice ‘cathedral’ of Skontorp Cove.

We also hope to visit Cuverville Island, an important research site where one of the largest gentoo penguin colonies can be found, and Willhelmina Bay which is known as “Whale-mina Bay” thanks to its fantastic whale spotting opportunities. You may wish to partake in the thrilling camping on ice excursion that will be available somewhere along this stretch of coastline if weather conditions allow. This unforgettable experience will see you camping out in your provided tents under the clear Antarctica skies surrounded by nothing but wilderness and the sounds of the Antarctic silence. There will also be excellent opportunities for optional sea kayaking excursions here. Sea kayaking should be booked in advance and occurs an additional cost. Camping on Ice is free of charge and does not need to be booked in advance.

Throughout your time in Antarctica Zodiac cruises, shore walks and entertaining presentations will fill your days and your cameras!

Having enjoyed a thrilling sail along the peninsula we will now head north towards the imposing Antarctic Sound and Weddell Sea area, and we hope to sail into the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands along the way. 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, learning all about Antarctica’s first flights and early explorations as we walk. We will also be on the lookout for the sizeable penguin rookeries that are often spotted along the distinctive black sand beaches.

Having navigated into the Antarctic Sound, this morning we will awake to the awe-inspiring sight of the Antarctic icecap, and as we sail deeper into the Weddell Sea the incredible sight of icebergs increasing both in number and size will not fail to impress. This will bring exciting ice navigation over the course of the next few days and your captain will determine some fantastic landing sites that will surely confirm to you Antarctica’s greatness. The sheer numbers of wildlife, penguins in particular, is also sure to impress, with rookeries vastly outnumbering those that you will have seen so far on your voyage.

Exploring by Zodiac and on foot, the list of places visited in this area is likely to include Brown Bluff, Hope Bay and Paulet Island where we will get to see huge penguin rookeries of up to 100,00 birds, and fascinating geological sites, all surrounded by simply indescribable scenery. We will also be on a constant lookout for the elusive emperor penguins that have been spotted in these areas over the last few years.

As we explore, our expert onboard historians will introduce us to the stories of historical polar explorations including Nordenskjöld’s Swedish expedition of 1901-1904, with remnants of the exploration dotted throughout several locations here. As we sail back out of the Weddell Sea towards Elephant Island our learning will continue as we hear stories of Sir Ernest Shackleton and prepare to visit the island where his tale comes to life.

Whilst onboard your lecture and presentation programme delivered by onboard experts covering everything from Antarctic wildlife and geology to historical polar explorations will have been keeping you entertained. You will now have the chance to get even closer to one particular historical expedition as the dark cliffs of Elephant Island gradually begin to appear on the horizon and excitement builds once again as we attempt to land. This exceptionally historically important area is where Shackleton and his men overwintered having lost the HMS Endurance in thick sea ice back in 1915, and the point from which Shackleton set off on his famous rescue mission to South Georgia. If weather conditions allow, we will hope to land at Point Wild to learn all about the horrendous conditions that Shackleton and his men faced. We will also be on the lookout for the impressive chinstrap penguin colony that resides here and the southern elephant seals and fur seals that are often seen hauled out on the rocky beaches. This will be an exciting day for the history enthusiasts amongst us and a great way to bid farewell to Antarctica.

Leaving the wilderness wonderland of Antarctica behind, we will gently make our way towards the Falkland Islands. 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. Make sure to spend some time on deck looking out for the numerous pelagic seabirds that will be following the ship. As we get close to the Falkland Islands there will be safety and bio-environmental briefings for your time on the islands.

Having arrived along the west coast of the Falkland Islands overnight we will now spend the day exploring some of the western side of the archipelago’s most scenic spots. Our first landing site will be West Point Island where we will go ashore to see the resident rockhopper penguin rookeries. This will be a fantastic day for the birding enthusiasts amongst us and one of the highlights will be the chance to see a substantial nesting black-browed albatross colony. Observing these majestic birds up-close will be an unforgettable sight.

We will then move on to wildlife-rich Saunders Island to explore along the white sandy beaches in search of the four different penguin species that can be found here. We will see gentoo, magellanic and rockhopper penguins, but our ultimate goal will be to seek out an observation of the elusive king penguins that are known to sometimes be seen here.

In the evening we will chart a course for Stanley and there will be a special voyage recap delivered by your expedition leader. You will also be invited to join the captain for a special farewell dinner to mark the end of your adventure of a lifetime.

Sailing through ‘the Narrows’ and into the port of Stanley, it will sadly be time to disembark and bid farewell to your crew as your expedition comes to a conclusion. There will be some time to explore this charming town with its brightly coloured houses and quaint pubs before making your way to the airport for your included flight back to mainland South America. Upon arrival in Santiago, the capital of Chile, a transfer will be provided to a downtown location should you wish to extend your stay here.