Antarctica Cruise with Falkland Islands and South Georgia

Long before man set foot on Antarctica, it loomed large in our imagination. The ancient Greeks obsessed over a Terra Australis, a vast continent in the far south of the globe to “balance” the northern lands. And it stirs our passions even still, this mythical world of ice, rock, sea, and sky teeming with colossal icebergs and gargantuan whales. Follow the routes made famous by Shackleton and Amundsen on this 20-day cruise to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands aboard the luxury expedition vessel Silver Wind. This remarkable voyage will showcase some of the most impressive concentrations of wildlife on the planet, including a variety of nesting penguin and albatross colonies, beaches littered with fur and elephant seals, and whales feeding in the nutrient rich waters. The landscapes are equally breathtaking with rolling tussac grasslands, South Georgia’s towering mountains and the endless white and blue of the Antarctic Peninsula.

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Days 6 & 7
• Days 8 – 10
• Days 11 & 12
• Day 13
• Days 14 – 17
• Days 18 & 19
• Day 20

• Saturday, November 22: Arrive Santiago, Chile

  Arrive in Santiago, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.  This stately capital boasts superb museums, fine architecture, and gorgeous hilltop parks that dot the urban landscape. Enjoy a drink and snack at one of the many sidewalk cafés of Barrios Brasil, Lastarria, and Bellavista. Gather this evening to meet your fellow travelers and the Apex expedition team for  a welcome dinner and briefing. Overnight at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

• Sunday, November 23: Santiago / Puerto Williams / Embark & Set Sail

  After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your chartered flight to Puerto Williams, the southernmost port in the world. Embark your expedition vessel, the Silver Wind­—your home for the next 18 nights. As you set sail down the Beagle Channel, look for Magellanic Diving Petrel, Imperial Shag, Rock Shag, and Southern Giant Petrel while admiring the stunning peaks of the Martial Mountain range.

• Monday, November 24: At Sea

  Be out on deck early as you sail toward the Falkland Islands. Seabirds abound here, thousands upon thousands of them ranging in size from diminutive Grey-backed Storm-petrels—birds that can literally fit into the palm of your hand—to Wandering Albatrosses—veritable giants with wingspans in excess of eleven feet. This will be one of the best opportunities to encounter both Northern and Southern Royal Albatrosses—which breed only in New Zealand—together with such South American species as Grey-headed and Black-browed Albatrosses. The onboard lecture series will begin with an introduction to the Falkland Islands and their magnificent wildlife.

• Tuesday, November 25: New & West Point Islands, Falkland Islands

  Teetering at the edge of the Antarctic eco-zone, the Falklands’ 800 miles of coastline are home to 63 species of birds, as well as South American Fur Seals and Peale’s and Commerson’s Dolphins. This morning, step ashore at New Island, in the southwest of the archipelago. Witness sea lions lolling on its shores, the world’s largest colony of Thin-billed Prions and the hilariously inquisitive “Johnny Rook,” or Striated Caracara. Five penguin species call the island home, including Kings, with their fiery orange collars. Explore the windswept landscape, littered with shipwrecks and colorful wildflowers. Enjoy a warm welcome and “smoko” custom—towering platters of cakes and biscuits—served up by the locals. Hear tales of less peaceful times and pay a visit to the battlefields and memorials of the costly 1982 war. This afternoon, visit West Point Island where rolling moorland and steep cliffs make for great photographic opportunities, but the main attraction is the Devil’s Nose, a cliffside colony of Black-browed Albatrosses nesting side-by-side with feisty Rockhopper Penguins. Magellanic Penguins and Magellanic Cormorants can also be found on the island, and the hospitable island managers are always happy to answer your questions and share their stories.

• Wednesday, November 26: Stanley

  Though the Falklands are still disputed territory, culturally they are British through and through. This is immediately evident in Stanley, the Islands’ capital, and home to most of their 3,000 inhabitants. Stroll Stanley’s distinctly British-feeling streets, lined with tin-roofed houses, rose gardens, and traditional pubs and visit the 19th-century Anglican cathedral.

• Thursday & Friday, November 27 & 28: At Sea

  The lecture series continues with presentations by the onboard lecture team, who will introduce the rich history and wildlife of approaching South Georgia Island. Between lectures, join your expedition team on deck to search for seabirds and cetaceans. As you draw ever-nearer to South Georgia, sightings of both seabirds and whales will increase and should include Atlantic, Soft-plumaged and Grey Petrels, and Great and Sooty Shearwaters. The show stealers are usually the strikingly-patterned Pintado Petrels that by now will be your constant companions. Albatrosses too, will be around the vessel and in your wake: Light-mantled, Sooty, Black-browed, Grey-headed, and the largest of them all, the majestic Wandering Albatross, whose wingspan is usually over 11 feet. These birds roam the Southern Ocean, a vast, circumpolar water mass, and spend the first seven to ten years of their life at sea without ever returning to land. They are the most itinerant of all lifeforms. Marine mammals to look for on your approach to South Georgia include Fin, Sei, and Southern Right Whales together with Antarctic Fur Seals and Southern Elephant Seals.

  Be on deck for the approach to South Georgia on the evening of the second day. An island without equal, with one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the planet, it is a small, crescent-shaped island—a little over 100 miles in length—with snow-capped peaks that rise to over 10,000 feet, and with more than 100 glaciers racing to the sea.

• Saturday – Monday, November 29 – December 1: South Georgia Islands

  One look at South Georgia’s towering mountains, and you’ll understand its nickname of the ‘Alps in mid-ocean.’ Amid these breathtaking peaks, broken up by rolling grasslands, lies an astounding concentration of wildlife—Antarctic Fur and Southern Elephant Seals, and several albatrosses including Black-browed, Light-mantled Sooty, Grey-headed, and the spectacular Wandering; plus King and Macaroni Penguins. South Georgia was a favorite of early explorers—Captain James Cook first stepped ashore in 1775, but perhaps more famous is Sir Ernest Shackleton’s arrival in 1916, following the sinking of his ship, the Endurance. Flexibility in exploring South Georgia is key, as you take advantage of the long daylight hours and accommodate Mother Nature’s whims.

  Flexibility is the key to all successful South Georgia visits, as weather and conditions can change rapidly and without warning. Your expedition team will ensure that your days at South Georgia will be some of the very best of your entire life! Be awe-struck at the numbers of seals, both elephant and fur, on the beaches; at the colonies of King Penguins, some approaching 100,000 pairs strong; at the magnificent scenery—the snow-capped mountains, the occasional off-shore iceberg, and broad green bands of Tussac. The concentration of wildlife is astounding and the scenic backdrop is without parallel. For the connoisseur there are also large colonies of Macaroni and Chinstrap Penguins, Snow Petrels, and Weddell Seals to photograph; and the world’s most southerly songster to see—the South Georgia Pipit.

• Tuesday & Wednesday, December 2 & 3: At Sea

  As you cruise the frigid Scotia Sea, warm yourself with rousing tales of the unimaginable odds Shackleton’s men overcame while stranded over a winter on upcoming Elephant Island. Before turning in at night, be sure to stroll the deck and experience the sheer vastness of the Antarctic night sky and sea.

• Thursday, December 4: Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands

  Located a mere 150 miles from Antarctica, the South Shetlands still manage to support some vegetation, as they are the most southerly members of the Scotia Sea Islands tundra ecoregion. Pink algae-flecked glaciers greet you as you approach Elephant Island but it’s the jagged peaks that drop dramatically into the swirling seas that capture your attention. In 1916, when Shackleton’s 22-man crew was stranded here, they lived beneath two upturned boats for 105 days until they were rescued. To witness the extreme conditions firsthand makes it almost unfathomable to imagine anyone lasting four days, let alone four months, and yet they did.

• Friday – Monday, December 5 – 8: Antarctic Peninsula

  With long daylight hours at this time of year, there is ample opportunity to explore this otherworldly kingdom. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the continent of Antarctica and is irresistible for its spectacularly carved icebergs and calving glaciers, and for the possibility of viewing marine mammals, including Weddell, Southern Elephant, Crabeater, and Leopard Seals, and Minke, Humpback, Sei, and Fin Whales, as well as Orcas. Zodiacs allow for deeper exploration of the region and, weather permitting, landings on shore, where you can observe penguins, and perhaps visit a research station to see the multinational scientific activities taking place.

  In the spirit of expedition cruising, flexibility is key, and your Expedition Leader will determine the best course each day. Taking into account the weather, ice conditions and wildlife activity, we hope to spend time at an international research base, ice cruise by Zodiac to take in stunning views of mountains, glaciers, and icebergs, plus visit colonies and nesting sites of both Gentoo and Adelie Penguins.

• Tuesday & Wednesday, December 9 & 10: Drake Passage

  This 600-mile-wide channel separating the Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Horn is notorious among mariners for its high winds and rough seas. On the upside, much of these turbulent conditions are caused by the Antarctic Convergence, a natural boundary where cold polar water flows northward and warmer equatorial water moves southward, pushing massive amounts of nutrients to the surface and attracting a great number of seabirds and whales. Watch for Black-browed and Wandering Albatross, Sooty Shearwaters, and White-chinned Petrels. As the mountains of Dientes de Navarino come into view, be on deck to celebrate the end of your magnificent Antarctic journey.

• Thursday, December 11: Puerto Williams / Santiago

  After breakfast, disembark the Silver Wind and transfer to the airport for your charter flight to Santiago where dayrooms are provided prior to your international flights home.