Day 1
Board our ship Polar Pioneer in the afternoon. Sail down the Beagle Channel in the evening.

Day 2
Overnight, we enter Drake Passage. Lectures on the continent's natural history and briefings about landing in Antarctica are scheduled through the day, allowing plenty of time to watch graceful albatrosses and other seabirds from the outer decks.

Day 3
We cross the Antarctic Convergence, the biological boundary of Antarctica, and may see our first icebergs. In the evening we approach the South Shetland Islands, a possible location for our first landing.

Day 4 - 8
For five days we will explore the deep bays and fjords of the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula in our extremely manoeuvrable ship. Using our Zodiacs, we make close contact with whales, penguins and seals in the vicinity of Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Paradise Bay, Andvoord Bay and the Lemaire Channel. There is time to visit scientific stations and historic sites but our emphasis is on the natural wonders.

Day 9
Cruising out beyond the South Shetland Islands, we head north into the Drake Passage.

Day 10
At Sea. Our last day of lectures and a final opportunity for revelling in the rich seabird life of the Southern Ocean. If the weather permits, we will cruise past Cape Horn before enjoying a farewell dinner.

Day 11
We travel up the Beagle Channel in the early morning to disembark in Ushuaia where we farewell new-found friends.