Atlantic Odyssey

Your Atlantic Odyssey expedition begins in Ushuaia, Argentina, where after having arrived independently you will embark your ship in the afternoon. As you settle in to your cabin, your ship will sail through the scenic waterway of the Beagle Channel. You may want to spend some time on deck capturing the sight of the city fading into distance behind you and looking out for the seabirds that follow the ship.

During these two days we sail across the famous 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.

Welcome to Antarctica! As we arrive in the pristine wilderness of the “White Continent” we will sail directly to “High Antarctica”, passing the Melchior islands and the Schollaert Channel between Brabant and Anvers Island. As with all Antarctica expeditions the weather and ice conditions may dictate which areas we visit, with your captain choosing each day the best course to take, and there are several fantastic localities which offer great opportunities for adventures, photographs and wildlife encounters.

One of the many areas we may visit is the picturesque Danco Island, where the main focus will be on the Gentoo penguins which nest on the island as well as the Crabeater and Weddell seals that can be found nearby. There will be ample time for photographic opportunities as we sail to and Zodiac cruise around some of the Peninsula’s most scenic areas. It is likely that we will visit Neko Harbour, an epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, for a thrilling Zodiac cruise, and in nearby Paradise Bay another Zodiac cruise through the ice-flecked waters should offer excellent chances of encountering humpback and minke whales.

If the ice conditions allow, we may sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel to the Pléneau and Petermann Islands where we are likely to find Adélie penguins and Blue-eyed shags, as well as the humpback and minke whales which are frequently found here along with leopard seals.

We will also visit Wilhelmina Bay, a great place to spot humpback whales, and enjoy a Zodiac cruise to the ghostly wreck of the Guvernøren, a whaling vessel that caught fire here in 1915. Around the Melchior Islands, amid a frozen landscape populated with icebergs, you may encounter even more whales, leopard seals, and Crabeater seals.

Leaving the wonders of the Antarctic Peninsula behind, we will make our way back to Ushuaia to collect the passengers who are joining us for the South Georgia and remote Atlantic islands portion of the trip. As we sail back through the fabled Drake Passage make sure to be on the lookout for the seabirds and whales that follow the ship. Your immersive lecture and presentation programme will continue. You may wish to spend some time relaxing after a busy few days on the White Continent!

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

We now make our way to wonderful South Georgia. After passing the Antarctic Convergence – Antarctica’s natural boundary, formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic seas – you are in the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, the avian life changes too: A variety of albatrosses and petrels show up, along with Cape pigeons and southern fulmars.

Today we arrive in the wildlife paradise of South Georgia, a remote and exceptionally scenic island that is home to millions of penguins and other birdlife and wildlife. Over the next few days we will explore the eastern coast of the island searching for wildlife, scenic opportunities and visiting sites of historical interest. Our main aim will be to visit some of the world’s top king penguin rookeries, and at this time of year the rookeries are often overflowing with adults nesting on their eggs and chicks wobbling nearby.

Places we expect to visit include Prion Island where we will find a large colony of Wandering Albatross and witness the gentle nature of these animals, which possess the largest wingspan of any birds in the world.

We will visit the areas of Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour to see the three largest king penguin colonies in South Georgia. These areas are also home to three of the world’s largest breeding beaches for southern elephant seals.

In Cooper Bay we will spot more King penguins as well as a rookery of macaroni penguins along with pintails and giant petrels, whilst in scenic Moltke Harbour there is another huge king penguin colony that will be worth a visit.

During our time here we will also have chance to visit the abandoned whaling station of Grytkiven where king penguins walk the streets and elephant seals are in abundance. We hope to have chance to see the South Georgia Museum as well as visiting Shackleton’s grave to pay our respects at the final resting place of one of Antarctica’s most well-known explorers.

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 in search of sightings of northern rockhopper penguins and sub-Antarctic fur seals, 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.

We now make our way to the remote archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, famed for its bountiful birdlife including rockhopper penguins, several species of albatross, petrels, skuas, terns, and many others. As we spend up to 4 days here, we will plan to visit the small settlement on the west side of the main island as well as Seal Bay on the south side and Sandy Point. Other spots we are likely to attempt to visit include Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island. Our itinerary though is, as always, flexible and fully dependent on weather conditions.

Our focus throughout will be on bird watching and wildlife encounters, with countless species likely to be spotted, from sub-Antarctic fur seals to yellow-nosed albatrosses.

We now enter sub-tropical waters, with their own species of seabirds and dolphins, as we take the up to 4 day sail towards St Helena and the final adventure of our expedition.

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.

You will have the choice of ending your expedition here with a transfer to Jamestown airport should appropriate flights be available, or sailing on to Ascension Island and Praia, Cape Verde, where you can also disembark.