19 Days
Day 1
In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia,
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located
in the shadow of the Andes and right at the Beagle Channel shore. We'll
sail through this scenic waterway during the afternoon.
Day 2
At
sea, in the wester lies the ship is followed by several species of
albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
Day 3
A
typical itinerary in the Falklands - South Georgia, and Antarctic
Peninsula could be as follows. This is a sample only, the final
itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Leader on board.
In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) we plan to spend the whole day on
the fascinating western side of the archipelago. A hike along the shore
of Carcass Island will give us instead views of Magellanic and
Gentoo-Penguins, as well as close encounters with water fowl and Night
herons. In addition, on Saunders we will be able to observe Rockhopper
Penguins, Black-browed Albatrosses and King Cormorants.
Day 4
In
Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, we can experience Falkland
culture, which has some South- American characteristics as well as
Victorian charm.
In Stanley and surrounding area we can see a quite important number of stranded clippers from a century ago.
Day 5 & 6
At
sea, on our way to South Georgia we will cross the Antarctic
Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as
much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the
Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship;
several species of Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels, Prions and Skuas.
Day 7 - 10
In
South Georgia we shall visit the bay of Elsehul, with it´s very active
fur seal breeding beach, and then take course to Right Whale Bay,
Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour and Cooper Bay to give you a good
opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and wildlife, like the
introduced Reindeer, Elephant seals, King and Macaroni Penguins. At
Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the great British
Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Stømness Bay. There and at
Grytviken we'll see and abandoned whaling village, where King Penguins
now walk in the streets and seals have taken over the buildings. At
Grytviken we´ll also offer a visit to the Whaling History Museum as well
as to Shackleton´s grave near by. One of the highlights might be our
visit to Prion Island, where we will witness the breeding efforts of the
huge Wandering Albatross and enjoy watching their displays.
Day 11
At
sea, where the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At
some point we might encounter sea-ice, and it is at the ice-edge where
we might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the
Maccormick Skua, Snow Petrel and the elusive Emperor Penguin.
Day 12
We
are aiming for a visit at Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located
in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us
their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding
glaciers.
Day 13
At sea.
Day 14 - 16
We
will sail into the Weddell Sea through the ice-clogged Antarctic
Sound. Huge tabular icebergs will announce our arrival to the eastern
side of the Antarctic Peninsula. We plan to visit Paulet Island with a
million pairs of Adelie Penguins and the remains of the Nordenskiöld
expedition. At Brown Bluff we can put our feet on the continent.
At
Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of
ten thousands of Chinstrap Penguins. Deception itself is a sub ducted
crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the
ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands
of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas
and Antarctic Terns. Wilson's Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm
Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. Good
walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into
Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through
the spectacular Neptune's Bellow into the ring of Deception Island. In
the afternoon we may land at Half Moon Island, where we can obsereve
Elephant, Weddell and Fur Seals as well as Chinstrap Penguins, Blue-eyed
Shags, Wilson's Storm Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Snowy Sheatbills, Antarctic
Terns and Antarctic Brown Skuas.
On our way West, we sail to Cuverville Island, a small precipitous
island, nestled between the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula. It
contains a large colony of Gentoo Penguins and breeding pairs of Brown
Skuas. Time and conditions allowing we hope to be able to sail further
South to Neko Harbour in Andvord Bay and through Paradise Bay with its
myriad icebergs and deep cut fjords, while having chances of seeing
large Whales. We will have opportunities for zodiac cruising between the
icebergs in the inner parts of the fjords.
Day 17 - 18
On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.
Day 19
We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.





