SOUTH GEORGIA & ANTARCTIC PENINSULA

Day 1-3: Buenos Aires, Argentina Private transfer to your hotel, where you will stay 2 nights based on accommodation and breakfast. Buenos Aires, Flight to Ushuaia on day 3 (not included). End of the world, beginning of your journey. In the afternoon you will depart from Tierra del Fuego. Note: These routes are for guidance only. Programs may vary depending on local ice, weather and nature conditions.

Day 4-5: The Falkland Islands (Malvinas) offer an abundance of flora and fauna. Not only do different bird species live here, but there is a good chance that you will see different dolphin species in the surrounding waters. You can visit the following places: Carcass Island; from breeding Magellanic and gentoo penguins to numerous waders and songbirds (including Cobb’s wren and the black wiped tail) live here. Saunders Island; here you can see the eyebrow albatross, together with cormorants. King penguins, Magellanic penguins and gentoo penguins are also here.

Day 6: Port Stanley, with Victorian charm: colourful houses and well-kept gardens.

Day 7-8: On the way to South Georgia, it will become considerably cooler within a few hours, and seawater will rise to the surface as a result of colliding water columns.

Day 9-12: Today you will arrive at the first South Georgia stop. Please note that the weather conditions in this area can be challenging and largely determine the programme. In the next few days you can visit the following places: Fortuna Bay – Beaches inhabited by different penguins and seals. You will have the chance to follow the final part of Shackleton’s route to the abandoned whaling village of Stromness. Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbor – these places not only house the three largest king penguin colonies in southern Georgia, they are also three of the world’s largest breeding beaches for southern sea elephants. Here you can see Antarctic fur seals during the breeding season (December – January).

Day 13: There may be sea ice on this route, and at the edge of the ice, Antarctic hunters and snow petrels can join the other seabirds that follow the ship southwards.

Day 14: South Orlando, depending on the circumstances you can visit Orcadas Base, an Argentine scientific station on Laurie Island in the South Orkney archipelago. Day 15: Huge icebergs and a good chance of seeing fin whales ensure that there is never a dull moment during this sea trip. You also have a chance to spot Antarctic petrels.

Day 16-19: If the ice conditions allow so, you are now entering the Weddell Sea. Paulet Island, with its large population of Adelie penguins, is a possible stop. You can also visit Brown Bluff, located in the ice-covered Antarctic Sound, where you will have the chance to set foot on the Antarctic continent. If the conditions are not favourable the ship will set course for Elephant Island. This extensive trip gives you the opportunity to sail even further down to the western Antarctic Peninsula. Gentoo penguins, leopard seals, Weddell seals, humpback whales and minke whales are often seen here. The breathtaking landscape continues and if the ice conditions allow, we can even reach Lemaire Channel.

Day 20-22: As you cross the Drake, you will be greeted again by the seabirds.

Day 23: Every adventure must eventually come to an end It is now time to disembark in Ushuaia. Return flight to Buenos Aires (not included), where you will sleep 1 more night.