Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia in Comfort

Day 0: Arriving in Buenos Aires

After your international flight arrives in Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza International Airport, you’ll be met in the arrivals hall and taken on a shuttle to your city hotel for a complimentary night’s stay. Spend time soaking up the sights of Argentina’s relaxed capital before flying to Ushuaia the next day, where your Antarctic cruise leaves. 

Day 1: Embarking on your ship 

Enjoy an early breakfast at your hotel before leaving to the airport for the 3.5-hour flight to the southernmost city on the planet. The capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province, Ushuaia lies in a bay opening into the Beagle Channel at the country's southernmost tip. Its colourful houses are framed against towering mountains, snow-capped in winter and summer alike.

Downtown, the End of the World Museum showcases Tierra del Fuego's natural and indigenous history. A ride on the heritage railway is an exciting excursion into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, while a cruise on Ushuaia Bay is the perfect way to spot sea lions and Magellanic penguins. After exploring the city, you’ll board your cruise in the evening and start your adventure. 

Day 2: At Sea

During your day at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to some time of relaxation in the spa, work out in the fitness centre or swim in the outdoor pool. With no port of call, this day will also be an opportunity to enjoy the presentations and lectures on board, to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the photographers in their dedicated space.

Keen lovers of the open sea will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe some of the marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

Day 3: Exploring the Falklands

This island with its distinctive jagged relief is located on the western edge of the Falkland Islands and is home to a tiny village of two families. Step onto the golden sand of its flower-lined beaches, beside which an old stone house still stands, and you'll feel like you've entered a natural paradise.

A narrow pathway weaves around typical Falkland moorlands. Follow it and in under 20 minutes you'll find yourself at the heart of a colony of southern rockhopper penguins, black-browed albatross and imperial shags. It's the perfect opportunity to watch the albatross swoop down from the cliffs and skim the waves that crash against the rocks on the exposed side of the island.

Make your way through the turbulent Woolly Gut strait and emerge in the stillness of Grave Cove. Located in the northern edge of the Falkland Islands, this bay owes its name to the vestiges of whalers' graves that overlook the beach.

As you step off the boat and onto the white-sand beach, you might find yourself escorted by a few hospitable Commerson's dolphins, elegantly adorned in black and white. A stroll along the grassy dunes will lead you to a vast plain of lush green grass, tended by a few sheep.

On the other side of the island you'll find one of the largest gentoo penguin colonies in the area. With some luck, you'll also glimpse a sea lion scouring the waves for his next meal.

Days 4 to 6: At Sea

Continue to enjoy all of the services and activities on board as you travel through Antarctica.

Days 7 to 9: Navigating South Georgia

Aboard your ship, discover South Georgia, a region formed by an underwater mountain chain that extends from the Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula. All the wildlife of the Far South can be found here: king and Gentoo penguins, elephant seals, fur seals… The excursions will be dependent on weather and time but may involve discovering the majestic glaciers of Gold Harbour and the vast green plains of Fortuna Bay, where you'll be able to marvel at a panorama of cliffs rising up from the icy waters.

If you are fortunate enough to land at Salisbury Plain, you can expect a wonderful spectacle of more than 300,000 king penguins, which you will recognise by the bright orange mark on their head and neck, who have taken up residence here. Amidst this sea of black and orange heads, fur seals and their young can be spotted nosing their way through the crowd. Under the pale austral sunlight that reflects off of the plain, flocks of birds are carried by the winds in a graceful show of nature's wonder.

Salisbury Plain is also home to one of the most unforgettable natural vistas of South Georgia. Formed by the retreat of Grace Glacier, the same majestic peaks that once awed Shackleton still tower over the surrounding land. The island's bluish landscape exudes the magnificence and beauty of unspoilt nature.

Days 10 & 11: At Sea

Continue to enjoy all of the services and activities on board as you travel towards Antarctica.

Days 12 to 15: Experiencing the Antarctic Peninsula

Succumb to the magic of a place unlike any other. To this day, the mythical Antarctic Peninsula still holds real fascination and promises its visitors unforgettable moments. Throughout your adventure in this icy realm, you will find yourself in the heart of a spectacular decor in subtle shades of blue and white, surrounded by exceptional wildlife. Penguins, humpback whales, seals and giant petrels are at home here, as are elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic minke whales, and orcas. Depending on which sites you visit, you may get the chance to observe them and share with them the beauty of these extreme environments.

Each day, based on ice conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader will suggest zodiac outings or landings to discover the infinite riches of the Antarctic Peninsula. Glaciers, ice floe, tabletop icebergs, mountain peaks that plunge straight into the sea, volcanic beaches, research stations, enchanting bays, and vestiges of the whaling industry: these are the faces of the Antarctic that will likely reveal themselves to you, in a hushed and surreal atmosphere. You will sail in the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Adrien de Gerlache and Sir Ernest Shackleton, great Antarctic explorers who, from the 19th century, set out to conquer these remote and uninhabited lands.

Days 16 & 17: Sailing the Drake Passage

If there is one place, one sea, one waterway dreaded by tourists, researchers and hardened seafarers alike, it is undoubtedly Drake Passage. Situated at the latitude of the infamous Furious Fifties winds, between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, it is the shortest route to Antarctica.

Seasoned navigators will tell you that you must earn your visit to the White Continent! As a convergence zone where cold currents rising up from the South Pole meet warmer equatorial water masses, Drake Passage harbours a very diverse marine fauna. Don't forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship.

Day 18: Disembarking in Ushuaia

Your adventure will finish back in this Argentinean port city.  

PLEASE NOTE: This itinerary is for guidance only as each voyage will vary depending on ice and weather conditions, and opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is key and all part of the adventure of an expeditionary cruise.