Antarctica – Land of Heroes Expedition Cruise

Arrive this morning and transfer to our centrally located hotel for an overnight stay. This afternoon is free to relax or join an orientation tour of the city including the Plaza de Mayo, the Cathedral and the Cabildo before we continue towards the most traditional neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, San Telmo which is characterised by its old colonial houses and the cobblestoned streets. Our guided tour will end in La Boca where we will see the colourful zinc houses which used to be the refuge and home for the first immigrants and popular artists.

After breakfast in the hotel we will transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to Trelew and transfer to the MS Island Sky moored in Puerto Madryn. Enjoy welcome drinks and dinner as we sail this evening.

Among the wildlife spotting opportunities as we sail south are albatrosses, prions and petrels that frequently follow the ship. Our expedition team will be out on deck looking for whales and dolphins that may also be seen in the area. During our two days of sailing, our onboard experts will begin their presentations with informative and entertaining talks on the wildlife, history and geology of the Falkland Islands and the Southern Ocean. We hope to arrive in the Falkland Islands in the evening of Day 5 and if time permits make our first landing ashore.

The Falkland Islands are isolated and windswept, a haven for wildlife. Weather and wind conditions allowing, we may land on Steeple Jason, the north western outpost with the world’s largest colony of black-browed albatross. See the rockhopper penguin colony and black-browed albatross on West Point Island whilst Grave Cove is home to the largest colony of gentoo penguins in the Falkland Islands. We also plan to call at Port Stanley, the charming capital of the Falkland Islands, and discover some of the historic sites there from the museums to the battlefields.

As we cruise towards South Georgia the richness of these waters will be evident in the marine mammal life, especially the fur seals on fishing forays. We have a good chance of spotting whales such as fins and minkies whilst the birds circling our stern will be outstanding, especially the large albatrosses and numerous breeds of petrels.

We have three days of expedition cruising in and around South Georgia, a paradise island with snow-clad mountain peaks rising 9000 feet and with 165 glaciers tumbling down towards the sea. We arrive early in the season when parts of the island will still be covered by a thin layer of snow. For anyone interested in wildlife, South Georgia is a true oasis. The beaches will be covered by elephant seal bulls and females with feeding pups. They share the beach with a myriad of nesting king penguins. Most of the other sea birds will have arrived and begun nesting whilst millions of fur seals return to the beaches to breed. During our time here we hope to visit Salisbury Plain where we will find enormous elephant seals which crowd the beaches alongside thousands of pairs of king penguins. On Prion Island we visit the nesting place of the world’s largest flying seabird, the wandering albatross and in Fortuna Bay we will see nesting light mantled sooty albatrosses and hope to witness their gracious courting flights. A few thousand king penguins also nest here. Meanwhile in Grytviken we will visit the old whaling station and of course pay our respect at the grave of ‘the boss’ – Ernest Shackleton.

The waters between South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula are rich with fin whales, where in good conditions we have seen as many as a hundred in a day. If not whale watching, lookout for Antarctic petrel, Kerguelen petrel and one of the most beautiful birds of the Southern Ocean, the snow petrel. The icebergs will also become more plentiful as we sail south. During our time at sea you can also join the lecture programme to learn more about the wildlife and history of the region.

We have five days of exploration around the Peninsula which will include many of the best places for wildlife and magnificent scenery. Whilst we arrive with a planned itinerary the final schedule will be determined by our Captain and the Expedition Leader based on sea, weather and ice conditions. Using our Zodiacs we will make daily landings for unique close encounters with animals such as Adelie and gentoo penguins, fur seals and petrels. We hope to visit the collapsed volcanic cone of Deception Island for a chance to visit Whalers Bay, Petermann Island, home to numbers of Adelie penguins, picturesque Neko Harbour, the Lemaire Channel where towering icebergs rise from the sea and Half Moon Island with its rookery of chinstrap penguins. We also hope to sail through the breathtaking Antarctic Sound, also known as ‘iceberg alley’, where massive icebergs drift north from the continent.

Two days to relax on board and reminisce with your fellow travellers about all you have seen and experienced during our expedition. Enjoy a lecture, look for wildlife or simply relax as we make our way across the Drake Passage toward Ushuaia. Named after the 16th century English seaman, Sir Francis Drake, the Drake Passage separates the southernmost tip of South America from Antarctica. This is a particularly good area to spot royal albatross and blue petrel and we will also be on the lookout for pods of sperm whales. We will arrive on the final evening in Ushuaia and berth overnight.

Disembark after breakfast and transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay. This evening we will attend a tango show with dinner.

Check out of the hotel after breakfast and continue with your onward travel plans.

Itineraries are subject to change.