Falkland Islands - South Georgia - Antarctica

Your prow is aimed at the Falkland Islands. You depart from Puerto Madryn late in the afternoon. Golfo Nuevo has a reputation for the southern right whales that visit. You have a great chance to see one while sailing towards open water.

There's never a lonely moment, even though you are at sea. Many bird species follow the ship southeast. These include albatrosses and storm petrels. Shearwaters are also seen.

It is easy to approach the wildlife on the Falkland Island, but caution should be taken. The Falkland Islands are little-known gems that were the scene of the 1982 conflict between Argentina and the UK. You can see a variety of birds here and you may also spot Peale’s or Commerson’s dolphins.

You can visit these sites during this part of your journey:

Steeple Jason, a rarely-visited island with a large black-browed albatross colony of 113,000 birds (approximately), is wild and prone to being buffeted and tossed by the wind and waves. The weather and the swell dictate how you get here.

Carcass Island - This island, despite its name is rodent free and therefore abundant with birds. This island is home to a variety of birds, including gentoos (gentoo penguins), waders, and passerine species.

Saunders Island is home to the imperial shags (which are breeding) and rockhoppers penguins. Here you can also find gentoos, Magellanic and King penguins.

Port Stanley, the capital and cultural center of Falkland Islands, has a Victorian charm. Here, you can find colorful homes, gardens that are well maintained, and English pubs. Nearby, you can see several hundred-old clipper vessels that are silent witnesses of the struggles faced by sailors in 19th century. A small, but fascinating museum that covers the history of the Falklands War and the settlement's early years is worth visiting. Port Stanley is home to approximately 2,100 residents. The museum admission is free.

On your way to South Georgia you will now pass the Antarctic Convergence. In just a few short hours the temperature drops dramatically, and nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface by colliding water column. The phenomenon is incredibly attractive to seabirds. This includes several albatross species, as well as shearwaters and petrels.

You have arrived at your first South Georgia site. Keep in mind the weather in this region can be difficult, and largely dictates your program. Sites you might visit include:

Prion island - This area is closed for the first part of wandering albatross' breeding season, from November 20 to January 7. Wandering albatross chicks from the previous summer are nearly ready to fly, while adults seek out old partners who have been at sea for a year-and-a-half.

Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour - These are not only the sites of three large king penguin colonies in South Georgia but also the largest breeding beaches on earth for the southern elephant seals. This is the only time they reach their peak breeding. The four-ton male bulls will keep constant watch (and fight occasionally) on territories that dozens of pregnant females are defending. In the winter months (December-January), you can see many Antarctic fur seals.

Fortuna Bay - A stunning outwash plain, originating from Fortuna Glacier, is the home of many king penguins. You can also follow Shackleton’s final route from the whaling town of Stromness to this area. The path follows the pass that lies beyond Shackleton’s Waterfall. It is partly swampy and you will need to navigate a few streams.

Grytviken - In this abandoned whale-hunting station, elephant seals and king penguins roam the streets. They seem to own the place. You may be able see Shackleton’s grave as well as the South Georgia Museum. On day 11, depending on weather conditions, the ship will begin sailing in the south in direction of South Orkney Islands.

This route may have sea ice, where some snow petrels and south polars skuas might join other seabirds following the vessel to the south.

Depending on conditions, Orcadas Base is an Argentinean scientific station located on Laurie Island, in the South Orkney Archipelago. You can visit the facility and enjoy a panoramic view of surrounding glaciers. You can land in Signy Island’s Shingle Cove if a visit to the island is not possible.

This last voyage to the south is not without its highlights. You'll see a lot of icebergs, and there's a good chance you will spot a fin whale. This is also the best place to see Antarctic petrels. We aim to start activities on day 15 in the late afternoon, depending on weather conditions.

If the ice conditions permit, you now sail into the Weddell Sea. Here colossal tabular icebergs herald your arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. Paulet Island, with its large population of Adelie penguins, is a possible stop. You might also visit Brown Bluff, located in the ice-clogged Antarctic Sound, where you could get the chance to set foot on the Antarctic Continent itself.

If conditions aren't favorable to enter the Weddell Sea from the east, the ship will set course for Elephant Island and head into the Bransfield Strait, between the South Shetland Island's and the Antarctic Peninsula.

The volcanic islands of the South Shetlands are windswept and often cloaked in mist, but they nonetheless offer many subtle pleasures. A wide variety of flora (mosses, lichens, flowering grasses) and fauna (gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins, southern giant petrels) live here.

On Half Moon Island , Chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals often haul out onto the beach near Camara Base, an Argentine scientific research station.

On Deception Island , the ship plunges through Neptune's Bellows and into the flooded caldera. Here you can find an abandoned whaling station, and thousands of cape petrels. A number of kelp gulls, brown skuas, south polar skuas, and Antarctic terns can be spotted too. Wilson's storm petrels and black-bellied storm petrels also nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay. As an alternative, you can take part in activities near Telefon Bay, further inside the caldera.

This extended voyage gives you the chance to sail even farther down the icy coast of the western Antarctic Peninsula. There are several opportunities for great landings where you might set foot on the Antarctic Continent, surrounded by an epic landscape of alpine peaks and mammoth glaciers calving at sea level. Gentoo penguins, leopard seals, Weddell seals, humpback whales, and minke whales are often seen here. The breathtaking scenery continues in the Bransfield Straight and, if conditions allow further South in the Gerlache Strait. Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

You're not alone on your return trip. You're greeted again by the seabirds you remember from your journey south as you cross the Drake. They are now more familiar with you, as you have become to them.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. The Tierra del Fuego Archipelago is home to this city, which has been nicknamed the "End of the World." However, the memories that you have made during your Antarctic adventure will follow you onwards.