Day 1

Embark Polar Pioneer at 4 p.m. to a warm reception from Aurora Expeditions staff and Russian crew before we cast off and sail down the Beagle Channel.

Day 2

Crossing Drake Passage, our historian breathes life into Shackleton’s epic adventure, while our expedition staff prepare us with environmental and Zodiac briefings and natural history talks. We have time to enjoy the petrels and albatross that often accompany our ship.

Day 3

We mark our entry into Antarctica’s biologically rich waters by crossing the Antarctic Convergence. Excitement builds as icebergs and the South Shetland Islands appear. We hope for an evening landing.

Days 4-7

We make use of daylight to explore the Antarctic Peninsula’s spectacular western side. We visit penguin rookeries, sites of historic interest and cruise in Zodiacs amongst grounded icebergs, listening for courting leopard seals. As autumn arrives, penguin chicks fledge and the waters are alive with humpback and minke whales.

Day 8

Shackleton’s story comes to life at Elephant Island. We hope the often tempestuous seas will allow a landing at Cape Wild, where 22 men spent a winter beneath upturned boats, awaiting the return of the Boss.

Day 9

We deviate from Shackleton’s James Caird route long enough to visit the wild and remote South Orkney Islands. Fantastic icebergs often collect along the shores and we hope to land and stretch our legs.

Day 10

Today we traverse some of the most productive waters in the world, keeping an eye out for fin, sei and possibly even blue whales.

Days 11-15

We aim for King Haakon Bay, where Shackleton made landfall, to disembark those adventurous souls keen to recreate the Boss’s South Georgia crossing. We enjoy extraordinary wildlife landings as we make our way around to meet them in Fortuna Bay, with many of us hiking the final stretch to Stromness. South Georgia is breathtakingly beautiful.