Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands

Depart on an overnight flight to Buenos Aires (Explorer/Endurance) or Santiago (Resolution). Settle into the Alvear Art Hotel (or similar, Explorer) or Alvear Icon Hotel (or similar, Endurance) before setting out on a guided tour of the city’s Beaux-Arts palaces and parks. Visit Recoleta—the final resting place of Argentina's iconic first lady, Eva Perón—and enjoy a private visit to El Zanjon de Granados, one of the city’s premier museums. Or check into the Mandarin Oriental Santiago (or similar, Resolution) before our guided overview of this vibrant city backed by the inspiring Andes. Discover sites like the Plaza de Armas and get a feel for the mix of old and new that makes this city so great. This area is excellent for photography! (Day 2: L)

Today we fly south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, where we meet our ship. Ushuaia’s spectacular setting, between the jagged peaks of the Darwin Range and the protected waters of the Beagle Channel, makes it an appropriately wild place to begin our journey to the White Continent and a great destination in its own right. While we’re there, we visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, where we can hike in a beautiful forest of southern beech, very much like those that covered Antarctica millions of years ago. Lunch will be served onboard a private catamaran while cruising the Beagle Channel, where we’ll be on the lookout for huge South American sea lions and birds like imperial cormorants. Residents of Ushuaia often call their small city ‘El Fin Del Mundo’, The End of the World, but for us it’s just the beginning. (B,L,D)

This 500-mile-wide strait between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most famous bodies of water in the world. Sometimes ferocious, sometimes flat calm, the Drake is always a fascinating place in its own right. This part of the journey is our best opportunity to see gorgeous seabirds like the wandering albatross, and we might be lucky enough to encounter killer whales or rare species of dolphins. This is also a day to get to know our ship and prepare for the adventures ahead. Visit the Bridge (a great place to spot wildlife), have a relaxing massage, attend a talk about the biology of the penguins you’ll soon be seeing, or settle into a comfy chair in the observation lounge, look out over the waves and reflect on the incredible history of this fabled passage. If it does get a little rough, just take a couple of nice naps; we’ll be in Antarctica before you know it. (B,L,D)

With long hours of daylight at this time of year, we have ample opportunities to explore. Our schedule is flexible, allowing us to take advantage of the unexpected, whether we’re watching whales at play off the bow of our ship or enjoying an evening Zodiac cruise amid glittering icebergs. One day, we might set out by kayak to encounter towering icebergs at water level; embark on a Zodiac excursion in search of seals and blue-eyed shags; or walk amid thousands of Adélie and gentoo penguins. The next, we might experience the thrill of the ship crunching through pack ice. Our expert expedition team will enrich our experiences. (B,L,D Daily)

Setting out from the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia, we are following in the wake of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s epic voyage in the James Caird, across 800 miles of the wild and lonely Scotia Sea. But we won’t be lonely at all—these waters are home to a large and growing population of whales, including fin whales, southern right whales and even blue whales, the largest animal on Earth. Albatross and petrels wing past the ship, providing us with another wonderful challenge for photography, while presentations from the expedition team help to prepare us for the mind-bending wildlife spectacles of South Georgia.

Days at sea are not simply transits from one place to another; they are in their own right a very important part of this epic journey. The crossing from the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia gives us a chance to stop and breathe, to explore the amenities of the ship and to spend a little time contemplating all our new memories. Life-changing experiences tend to pile up on one another in the Antarctic, so slow down a bit and let it all settle in. This is a great time to catch up with your journal, enjoy a rejuvenating massage, or download and review all those hundreds (or thousands!) of photos. Get some rest too, when we get to South Georgia it’s going to be go, go, go! (B,L,D)

Simply put, there is nowhere else in the world like South Georgia. Ninety miles long, dominated by a spine of jagged peaks and home to wildlife spectacles that are honestly hard to believe, it is one of the wildest and most beautiful places on the planet. Our days here will give us plenty of time to explore many facets of this unique sub-Antarctic island, including its storied history, rich ecology (you’ll probably be surprised by the green slopes of tussock grass below the glaciers) and the stunning scenery that surrounds us at every landing. (B,L,D)

King penguins, the second largest species in the world, are unquestionably the most iconic wildlife of South Georgia. Exact numbers are not known, but the largest single colony on the island may have as many as 500,000 of these amazing birds. Half a million birds! Nesting together on a single two-mile-long beach! It’s a sight that is genuinely inconceivable until you have experienced it in person. At the other end of the scale, king penguins are great birds to get to know as individuals. Strutting purposefully past our cameras on the beaches or coming and going in and out of the surf, they seem to regard us with a wonderful mixture of curiosity and disdain. (B,L,D)

For many, South Georgia evokes, more that anything, the epic adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who reached the island after making the crossing from Elephant Island in the James Caird—still one of the most incredible small-boat journeys ever attempted. From Peggotty Bluff, where he began the arduous crossing of the glaciated spine of the island, to his quiet grave near the Grytviken whaling station, Shackleton’s spirit seems to be everywhere around the island. In very good conditions we may even be able to make a long hike up to the spot where he first heard the noon whistle from the Stromness Station and knew that rescue was close at hand at last. (B,L,D)

In the not-too-distant past, South Georgia was an important site for both whaling and sealing, but today things are very different. The contrast between watching from the ship while southern right whales feed below the blue face of a huge iceberg, and then hiking through the rusting remains of a whaling station later the same day, can be a powerfully moving experience and one that emphasizes the very positive changes that the island has seen in the last few decades. Invasive species have been removed, rare birds are growing more and more common, whales are returning in ever-greater numbers, and our own visits have become an important factor in this successful conservation. (B,L,D)

Every minute at South Georgia is another opportunity for truly life-changing experiences. Landing before dawn to see the pink light of sunrise touch the mountains over a king penguin colony. Quietly watching as a wandering albatross, with its 11-foot wingspan, settles onto her nest and thinking of endless miles of ocean that she has seen. Capturing incredible images of three-ton bull elephant seals jousting on a lonely beach. South Georgia is sometimes called “the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean”, but that doesn’t really even come close—this lonely island is unique in the world, so rich and so beautiful that it defies any comparison. (B,L,D)

Our first day at sea on the way to the Falkland Islands is another opportunity to think back over the adventures of the past few days and make preparations for those soon to come. Spend some time chatting about your latest images with the National Geographic photographer and learn to make them look their best in the digital darkroom. Put the finishing touches on your watercolor of that amazing iceberg or try to capture an albatross’s flight in a poem. Everyone needs to exhale a bit after a visit to South Georgia, so take a little time to explore the details of your own memories and share them with your shipmates.

The bridge is the nerve center of the ship, in more ways than one. There’s always a congenial atmosphere there, whether you’ve come to ask one of the officers about navigation or just to sit and watch the world go by with binoculars in hand. The waters close to the Falkland Islands are rich with marine wildlife, so this is a great time to hang out with the naturalists and keep a watch for rare dolphins or another beautiful species of albatross. All new sightings go up on the white board for the day’s record! (B,L,D Daily)

Stanley, the bright, pretty capital of the Falkland Islands, is a wonderfully unexpected place: a charming outpost of British culture tucked into a small bay on the shore of these windswept islands in the far South Atlantic. Many Falkland Islanders still live in very traditional ways, and we’ll have a chance to visit a small farm to see some expert sheep shearing and learn about the best techniques for cutting blocks of peat for the fire. The rocky hills and white sand beaches outside town offer some excellent hikes, and afterwards a cup of tea or a pint at the Globe Tavern goes down very nicely. (B,L,D)

Everything we love about expedition travel seems to come together in the western Falkland Islands. Where else can you land on a beach tucked into a rocky cove, hike out across a rolling green pasture and suddenly find yourself at the crest of a sea cliff looking out over the South Atlantic surf? Just a few steps further and you’re standing at the edge of a breeding colony of black-browed albatross, so close that you can hear the wind on their wings as they swoop into land beside you. Take time to capture images of the rockhopper penguins and then it’s time to head back down to the settlement for a well-deserved farm tea—which means lots and lots and lots of delicious cakes, cookies and fresh scones! (B,L,D)

The final day of our expedition takes us across the shallow waters of the Falklands Shelf, back to our starting point in Ushuaia. Attend presentations from the expedition staff on topics that help to sum up all the wonderful details of our experiences in the far south and spend some time on deck enjoying the seabirds and dolphins that make these seas their home. This is a day for contemplation as well. A time to think back over our adventures, reflect on what the Antarctic means to you, how it has changed you and what thoughts and feelings you’ll take back to share with those at home. The Antarctic stays with you. Sometime soon, at a moment in the midst of a stressful day, you’ll remember the feeling of the polar wind, the sight of waves crashing against the blue wall of an iceberg, and the sound of the penguins calling to their chicks. It’s a little bit of peace that you’ll carry with you always. (B,L,D)

Today we disembark in Ushuaia. Fly by private charter flight to Buenos Aires or Santiago and connect with your overnight flight home. (Day 23: B,L)

IMPORTANT: Some departures may have a slightly modified itinerary. Please confirm departure and arrival cities with an Expedition Specialist before booking your flights. 

Depart on an overnight flight to Buenos Aires (Explorer/Endurance) or Santiago (Resolution). Settle into the Alvear Art Hotel (or similar, Explorer) or Alvear Icon Hotel (or similar, Endurance) before setting out on a guided tour of the city’s Beaux-Arts palaces and parks. Visit Recoleta—the final resting place of Argentina's iconic first lady, Eva Perón—and enjoy a private visit to El Zanjon de Granados, one of the city’s premier museums. Or check into the Mandarin Oriental Santiago (or similar) before our guided overview of this vibrant city backed by the inspiring Andes. (Day 2: L)

Fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Enjoy lunch on a catamaran cruise of the Beagle Channel before embarking. (B,L,D)

Settle in to shipboard life as we sail to the Falkland Islands. Keep a lookout for albatross that glide alongside the ship. (B,L,D)

The Falklands boast albatross, king cormorants, nesting rockhopper penguins, and Magellanic penguins in their green tussock grass burrows. Stroll the photogenic colonial town of Stanley and visit the evocative Anglican Cathedral with its archway of whalebones. (B,L,D)

Whales beneath, birds above, as you continue on. Our naturalists will prepare us for the exciting days ahead with presentations on the wildlife of South Georgia, and, of course, the inspiring story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance. (B,L,D)

This is the final resting place for explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and conditions permitting, we’ll hoist a toast at his gravesite. Teeming wildlife and breathtaking scenery greet our ship. And at a vast penguin colony you’ll see tens of thousands of king penguins! (B,L,D)

As we voyage, head up to the Bridge to watch for icebergs and observe expert navigation at work as our skilled Captain and officers sail these historic waters. There’ll also be time to enjoy a massage in the wellness center, workout in the gym, and browse in the library. Each day our naturalists offer talks that add depth to your experience. (B,L,D Daily)

With long hours of daylight at this time of year, we have ample opportunities to explore. Our schedule is flexible, allowing us to take advantage of the unexpected, whether we’re watching whales at play off the bow of our ship or enjoying an evening Zodiac cruise amid glittering icebergs. One day, we might set out by kayak to encounter towering icebergs at water level; embark on a Zodiac excursion in search of seals and blue-eyed shags; or walk amid thousands of Adélie and gentoo penguins. The next, we might experience the thrill of the ship crunching through pack ice. Our expert expedition team will enrich our experiences. (B,L,D Daily)

This 500-mile-wide strait between the Antarctic Peninsula and South America is one of the most famous bodies of water in the world. Sometimes ferocious, sometimes flat calm, the Drake is always a fascinating place in its own right. This part of the journey is our best opportunity to see gorgeous seabirds like the wandering albatross, and we might be lucky enough to encounter orca whales or rare species of dolphins. Visit the Bridge (a great place to spot wildlife), have a relaxing massage, attend a talk about the biology of the penguins you’ve just seen soon, or settle into a comfy chair in the observation lounge, look out over the waves and reflect on your incredible journey. Toast our epic voyage at a festive farewell dinner. (B,L,D Daily)

Disembark in Ushuaia. Fly by charter to Buenos Aires or Santiago and connect with your overnight flight home. (Day 23: B,L)

Arrive Buenos Aires (National Geographic Explorer & National Geographic Endurance) or Santiago (National Geographic Resolution).

Transfer from the airport to the Alvear Art Hotel or similar (National Geographic Explorer), or Alvear Icon or similar (National Geographic Endurance) before setting out on a guided tour of the city’s Beaux-Arts palaces and parks. Visit Recoleta—the final resting place of Argentina's iconic first lady, Eva Perón—and enjoy a private visit to El Zanjon de Granados, one of the city’s premier museums.

Or, transfer to the Mandarin Oriental or similar (National Geographic Resolution) before our guided overview of this vibrant city backed by the inspiring Andes. Discover sites like the Plaza de Armas and get a feel for the mix of old and new that makes this city so great. This area is excellent for photos! (D)

Today we fly south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, where we meet our ship. Ushuaia’s spectacular setting, between the jagged peaks of the Darwin Range and the protected waters of the Beagle Channel, makes it an appropriately wild place to begin our journey to the White Continent and a great destination in its own right. While we’re there, we visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, where we can hike in a beautiful forest of southern beech, very much like those that covered Antarctica millions of years ago. Lunch will be served onboard a private catamaran while cruising the Beagle Channel, where we’ll be on the lookout for huge South American sea lions and birds like imperial cormorants. Residents of Ushuaia often call their small city ‘El Fin Del Mundo’, The End of the World, but for us it’s just the beginning. (B,L,D)

This 500-mile-wide strait between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most famous bodies of water in the world. Sometimes ferocious, sometimes flat calm, the Drake is always a fascinating place in its own right. This part of the journey is our best opportunity to see gorgeous seabirds like the wandering albatross, and we might be lucky enough to encounter killer whales or rare species of dolphins. This is also a day to get to know our ship and prepare for the adventures ahead. Visit the Bridge (a great place to spot wildlife), have a relaxing massage, attend a talk about the biology of the penguins you’ll soon be seeing, or settle into a comfy chair in the observation lounge, look out over the waves and reflect on the incredible history of this fabled passage. If it does get a little rough, just take a couple of nice naps; we’ll be in Antarctica before you know it. (B,L,D)

With long hours of daylight at this time of year, we have ample opportunities to explore. Our schedule is flexible, allowing us to take advantage of the unexpected, whether we’re watching whales at play off the bow of our ship or enjoying an evening Zodiac cruise amid glittering icebergs. One day, we might set out by kayak to encounter towering icebergs at water level; embark on a Zodiac excursion in search of seals and blue-eyed shags; or walk amid thousands of Adélie and gentoo penguins. The next, we might experience the thrill of the ship crunching through pack ice. Our expert expedition team will enrich our experiences. (B,L,D Daily)

Setting out from the South Shetland Islands to South Georgia, we are following in the wake of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s epic voyage in the James Caird, across 800 miles of the wild and lonely Scotia Sea. But we won’t be lonely at all—these waters are home to a large and growing population of whales, including fin whales, southern right whales and even blue whales, the largest animal on Earth. Albatross and petrels wing past the ship, providing us with another wonderful challenge for photography, while presentations from the expedition team help to prepare us for the mind-bending wildlife spectacles of South Georgia.

Days at sea are not simply transits from one place to another; they are in their own right a very important part of this epic journey. The crossing from the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia gives us a chance to stop and breathe, to explore the amenities of the ship and to spend a little time contemplating all our new memories. Life-changing experiences tend to pile up on one another in the Antarctic, so slow down a bit and let it all settle in. This is a great time to catch up with your journal, enjoy a rejuvenating massage, or download and review all those hundreds (or thousands!) of photos. Get some rest too, when we get to South Georgia it’s going to be go, go, go! (B,L,D)

Simply put, there is nowhere else in the world like South Georgia. Ninety miles long, dominated by a spine of jagged peaks and home to wildlife spectacles that are honestly hard to believe, it is one of the wildest and most beautiful places on the planet. Our days here will give us plenty of time to explore many facets of this unique sub-Antarctic island, including its storied history, rich ecology (you’ll probably be surprised by the green slopes of tussock grass below the glaciers) and the stunning scenery that surrounds us at every landing. (B,L,D)

King penguins, the second largest species in the world, are unquestionably the most iconic wildlife of South Georgia. Exact numbers are not known, but the largest single colony on the island may have as many as 500,000 of these amazing birds. Half a million birds! Nesting together on a single two-mile-long beach! It’s a sight that is genuinely inconceivable until you have experienced it in person. At the other end of the scale, king penguins are great birds to get to know as individuals. Strutting purposefully past our cameras on the beaches or coming and going in and out of the surf, they seem to regard us with a wonderful mixture of curiosity and disdain. (B,L,D)

For many, South Georgia evokes, more that anything, the epic adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who reached the island after making the crossing from Elephant Island in the James Caird—still one of the most incredible small-boat journeys ever attempted. From Peggotty Bluff, where he began the arduous crossing of the glaciated spine of the island, to his quiet grave near the Grytviken whaling station, Shackleton’s spirit seems to be everywhere around the island. In very good conditions we may even be able to make a long hike up to the spot where he first heard the noon whistle from the Stromness Station and knew that rescue was close at hand at last. (B,L,D)

In the not-too-distant past, South Georgia was an important site for both whaling and sealing, but today things are very different. The contrast between watching from the ship while southern right whales feed below the blue face of a huge iceberg, and then hiking through the rusting remains of a whaling station later the same day, can be a powerfully moving experience and one that emphasizes the very positive changes that the island has seen in the last few decades. Invasive species have been removed, rare birds are growing more and more common, whales are returning in ever-greater numbers, and our own visits have become an important factor in this successful conservation. (B,L,D)

Every minute at South Georgia is another opportunity for truly life-changing experiences. Landing before dawn to see the pink light of sunrise touch the mountains over a king penguin colony. Quietly watching as a wandering albatross, with its 11-foot wingspan, settles onto her nest and thinking of endless miles of ocean that she has seen. Capturing incredible images of three-ton bull elephant seals jousting on a lonely beach. South Georgia is sometimes called “the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean”, but that doesn’t really even come close—this lonely island is unique in the world, so rich and so beautiful that it defies any comparison. (B,L,D)

Our first day at sea on the way to the Falkland Islands is another opportunity to think back over the adventures of the past few days and make preparations for those soon to come. Spend some time chatting about your latest images with the National Geographic photographer and learn to make them look their best in the digital darkroom. Put the finishing touches on your watercolor of that amazing iceberg or try to capture an albatross’s flight in a poem. Everyone needs to exhale a bit after a visit to South Georgia, so take a little time to explore the details of your own memories and share them with your shipmates.

The bridge is the nerve center of the ship, in more ways than one. There’s always a congenial atmosphere there, whether you’ve come to ask one of the officers about navigation or just to sit and watch the world go by with binoculars in hand. The waters close to the Falkland Islands are rich with marine wildlife, so this is a great time to hang out with the naturalists and keep a watch for rare dolphins or another beautiful species of albatross. All new sightings go up on the white board for the day’s record! (B,L,D Daily)

Stanley, the bright, pretty capital of the Falkland Islands, is a wonderfully unexpected place: a charming outpost of British culture tucked into a small bay on the shore of these windswept islands in the far South Atlantic. Many Falkland Islanders still live in very traditional ways, and we’ll have a chance to visit a small farm to see some expert sheep shearing and learn about the best techniques for cutting blocks of peat for the fire. The rocky hills and white sand beaches outside town offer some excellent hikes, and afterwards a cup of tea or a pint at the Globe Tavern goes down very nicely. (B,L,D)

Everything we love about expedition travel seems to come together in the western Falkland Islands. Where else can you land on a beach tucked into a rocky cove, hike out across a rolling green pasture and suddenly find yourself at the crest of a sea cliff looking out over the South Atlantic surf? Just a few steps further and you’re standing at the edge of a breeding colony of black-browed albatross, so close that you can hear the wind on their wings as they swoop into land beside you. Take time to capture images of the rockhopper penguins and then it’s time to head back down to the settlement for a well-deserved farm tea—which means lots and lots and lots of delicious cakes, cookies and fresh scones! (B,L,D)

The final day of our expedition takes us across the shallow waters of the Falklands Shelf, back to our starting point in Ushuaia. Attend presentations from the expedition staff on topics that help to sum up all the wonderful details of our experiences in the far south and spend some time on deck enjoying the seabirds and dolphins that make these seas their home. This is a day for contemplation as well. A time to think back over our adventures, reflect on what the Antarctic means to you, how it has changed you and what thoughts and feelings you’ll take back to share with those at home. The Antarctic stays with you. Sometime soon, at a moment in the midst of a stressful day, you’ll remember the feeling of the polar wind, the sight of waves crashing against the blue wall of an iceberg, and the sound of the penguins calling to their chicks. It’s a little bit of peace that you’ll carry with you always. (B,L,D)

Today we disembark in Ushuaia. Fly by private charter flight to Buenos Aires or Santiago and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home. (B,L)

IMPORTANT: Some departures may have a slightly modified itinerary. Please confirm departure and arrival cities with an Expedition Specialist before booking your flights.