Itinerary

DAY 1: ARRIVE USHUAIA
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the group hotel for your overnight stay. This evening you’ll meet your expedition leaders for a trip briefing.

DAY 2: USHUAIA
Ushuaia is Argentina’s most southerly town, located on the edge of the Beagle Channel and sitting beneath the spectacular mountains of Tierra del Fuego. Things to do and see in and around Ushuaia include a trip to nearby Lapataia National Park for an easy walk and great views, a visit to the Maritime Museum of Ushuaia and strolling the town’s streets to stock up on presents in the souvenir shops including local art and Argentine chocolates. Meet your guides and fellow travellers for
lunch.

We board the Ocean Nova in the afternoon and settleinto shipboard life as we begin our adventure sailing down the Beagle Channel. The sea kayakers will attend a briefing to distribute dry suits, pogies (paddling mitts for your hands), lifejackets, and dry bags.

DAY 3: AT SEA
We spend a day at sea acccompanied by a range of sea birds such as petrels, fulmars and albatrosses that gracefully follow our ship. Whales and dolphins may also be seen in the surrounding waters and our polar experts start their exciting lecture program.

DAY 4: WEST FALKLANDS
Our plan is to explore the western islands of the archipelago, which are isolated and windswept but home to many seabirds and migratory birds including the black-browed albatross. Weather permitting we go ashore and explore Saunders Island, a penguin hotspot that is one of the only places on earth where four penguin species nest side by side. Here we can find Gentoo, Rockhopper, King and Magellanic penguin rookeries. You can sit on the white sand beach watching the penguins come and go while the Striated Caracaras, considered one of the most intelligent birds of prey, patrol overhead.

DAY 5: STANLEY, EAST FALKLANDS
We aim to visit Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Stretched along the sheltered harbour, Stanley has a distinctly British character with terraced town houses, colourful buildings, cosy cafes, pubs and a post office complete with a red telephone and pillar boxes.

DAY 6-7-:SOUTHERN OCEAN
We sail southeast, South Georgia bound. The anticipation grows especially when we cross the
Antarctic Convergence and notice a dramatic drop in temperature. Shipboard presentations will continue, featuring the exciting history and abundant wildlife of South Georgia. Wildlife will guide us into the island; keep a lookout in the ocean for whales, seals and penguins swimming and diving.

DAY 8-11: SOUTH GEORGIA
Majestic mountains, mighty glaciers and beaches full of king penguins greet us on the island of South Georgia. We arrive in the beginning of summer when there are few ships in the vicinity and the peaks of the dramatic mountain ranges are still snow-covered. If
you are interested in wildlife, South Georgia is a true
oasis. Hundreds of thousands of penguins greet us at places like St. Andrew’s Bay and Salisbury Plain. Huge elephant seals lounge on sandy beaches and at this time of the year, we may see dramatic fights for a position as the king of a harem. The island is also home to several species of penguin such as Macaroni, Gentoo and Chinstrap, along with playful fur seals. South Georgia played a significant role in Shackleton’s epic adventure. After his ship Endurance sank, he crossed the treacherous ocean in an open lifeboat to reach the islands. We hope to visit Shackleton’s grave at Grytviken, once an active whaling station and now
home to a small museum.

DAY 12-13: AT SEA
We now set sail towards the world’s most remote continent – Antarctica, faithfully accompanied by many seabirds. Our polar experts continue to fill our minds with heroic stories of some of the earliest daredevils to explore Antarctica. We also keep our eyes open for the first iceberg, which may appear on the horizon at any time now!

DAY 14-17: THE SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS & THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
This is a true Antarctic expedition cruise and our exact route is subject to weather and ice conditions. Below are examples of places we may visit: We hope to go ashore at Elephant Island, a place of refuge in 1916 for Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after his ship was destroyed by pack ice in the Weddell Sea. Following the loss of their ship the men reached Elephant Island after a harrowing ordeal on drifting ice floes. They established a camp at a place they called Point Wild, named after Shackleton’s commander Frank Wild and now the home of nesting Chinstrap penguins.

We will spend some time cruising among the South Shetland Islands just off the Antarctic Peninsula. Dazzling wildlife sightings await us on our excursions to some of the islands including King George, Half Moon, Barrientos or Livingston. Adélie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins thrive here, as do several species of seal. Hopefully, we will also have chance to visit the flooded volcanic caldera of Deception Island. Along the coastline of the South Shetlands we keep our eyes open for humpback whales foraging for krill. We continue south along the Antarctic Peninsula, where pack ice still covers large parts of the bays, and we watch the experienced officers navigate our ice- strengthened ship. We cruise through labyrinths of icebergs some of which may have resting penguins looking curiously back at us. In good ice conditions, we hope to set foot on the Antarctic continent in Hope Bay or Paradise Harbour. The scenery here, from the colossal icebergs to the seemingly endless Antarctic ice sheet, is truly breath-taking.

DAY 18-19: DRAKE PASSAGE
As we leave this magical place, heading across the Drake Passage, time will be spent sharing and reflecting on the wonderful experiences of the last few days. As we approach the South American continent its possible to see whales, dolphins and seals. We celebrate the conclusion of our Antarctic expedition with a farewell dinner on board.

DAY 20-21: BEAGLE CHANNEL- USHUAIA
During the early morning we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before slipping into dock in Ushuaia around 7.00am. As soon as customs have cleared the ship we will be free to disembark. End of trip arrangements.

© SSV

© SSV