New Year in Antarctica, S.Georgia + Falklands

We board the vessel in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city near the tip of Argentina and set sail in the early evening charting a course through the Beagle Channel.

Our guests have the chance to spend plenty of time with our onboard polar experts. They will be educating us as we go on the wonders of Antarctica. Sailing northeast, we will likely be joined by swooping seabirds including the wandering albatross, who we will come to know well on this journey.

We awaken today and the magnificent snowy peaks of continental Antarctica are laid out before us. This must surely be one of the most spectacular locations in the world to bring in the New Year!
We spend the next several days navigating through icy waterways of the Antarctic Peninsula. The coastline features heavily glaciated mountains permanently covered in ice and snow. Rocky outcrops are home to gentoo, Adelie and chinstrap penguin rookeries and the waters are rich in marine life. We make several offship excursions each day, exploring on shore, or cruising in the Zodiacs.  We break up into small groups allowing us to indulge our own personal interests – be it hiking, wildlife observation, photography or blissful silent contemplation. As well as exploring the offshore islands along the coastline, we hope to step foot on the actual continent of Antarctica. Neko Harbour, or nearby Paradise Harbour both provide opportunities to experience this great thrill.

After several busy days of exploration along the Antarctic Peninsula, we head for the South Shetland Islands. If the weather conditions allow, we sail the ship into the flooded volcanic caldera at Deception Island. This is a very dramatic location. There are several other landing sites in the vicinity including Half Moon Island and the broad pebbly beach at Yankee Harbour, where we often encounter Weddell seals sunning themselves. To the north, lies Elephant Island – forever connected to the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the HMS Endurance expedition a century ago. On the windswept north coast, exposed to the swells of the South Atlantic, is Point Wild. It was here that Shackleton and his exhausted men camped under their upturned boats – pondering their chances of survival. Shore landings here are notoriously tricky due to often gale force winds and pounding surf onto the rocky beach. Nevertheless, this is a thrilling location for history enthusiasts.

As we depart Antarctica we cannot help but ponder the journey made by Shackleton and his four companions – as they attempted the near impossible – navigating 800 nautical miles in a 30 foot converted lifeboat across the tempestuous Scotia Sea to South Georgia. We make a much easier time of the crossing in our state of the art expedition ship. Onboard experts keep us busy with fascinating presentations and leading lively discussions throughout the day. The great pelagic seabirds keep us company – and we anticipate excellent sightings of albatross and giant petrels soaring on the winds of the South Atlantic Ocean. Anticipation builds as the mountainous peaks appear on the horizon, marking our arrival at South Georgia.

Majestic snow-covered mountains greet us on the island of South Georgia - the most rugged island in this region. We will cruise the protected waters of the eastern coast looking for suitable landing spots such as Salisbury Plain and St Andrews Bay. The highlight of both these excursions is the mind-boggling abundance of king penguin adults and young that live in these locations by the hundreds of thousands, covering every inch of the shore. That is not the only wildlife on display. Fur seals can be seen poking their heads above the water, skuas and giant petrels swoop in the skies above, and the albatross our constant companion is never far away. We hope to explore an old whaling station at Grytviken and visit the grave of the most famous Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton.

While sailing north to the Falkland Islands our onboard polar experts will recap on our South Georgia adventures and prepare us for the days ahead. Much of our time is spent scanning the horizon in search of whales and other marine mammals. The spectacular seabirds including several albatross and petrel species are our constant companions as they soar above the ship. Photographing these stunning birds in flight takes great patience and skill and our resident photography expert on board will show you the best techniques. Our onboard educational programme continues and our experts entertain us with interactive presentations and leading lively discussions.

In the morning, we land at Sea Lion Island, a haven for all sorts of wildlife, including ground nesting birds, striated caracaras, giant petrels and king shags as well as three species of penguin. On and around the beaches are elephant seals, sea lions, dolphins and orca. Later we plan to visit nearby Bleaker Island to walk and see birds close up, before setting sail towards Port Stanley to arrive on the morning of day 17.

In the early morning, we navigate through the narrows and into our port. Stanley is currently home to just over 2,000 residents and is reminiscent of a rural town in coastal England or Scotland. It is charming with brightly coloured houses, pretty flower-filled gardens, a quaint cathedral and several local pubs.

There is time to explore the town, before we make our way to the airport for our return flight to Punta Arenas in southern Chile (this flight is included in the price of your voyage). It will be possible to connect to flights through to Santiago or other destinations in Chile. If you are staying in Punta Arenas, a transfer will be provided to several downtown locations.

Note, it is possible to remain in the Falkland Islands for further days to explore and see wildlife and historical sites. Please ask for details.