Falkland Islands & Antarctic Peninsula

Santiago de Chile

Santiago de Chile, the capital of Chile, is diverse and exciting. There are many things to discover here, from the Andean glaciers at the city borders, tall mountains and skyscrapers to quiet parks, colonial architecture and the fast-flowing Mapacho River. Your adventure starts with an overnight hotel stay here.

Embarkation

Chilean Fjords

We are cruising through the Beagle Channel, with channels, fjords and mountains plunging straight into the icy water. This wild and remote area seems almost undisturbed by humans. The ice has scoured its way between the mountains, leaving isolated islands and hidden bays and creating the unique fjord landscape of Chile.

Drake Passage

Antarctica

Antarctica, isolated from the rest of the world, and known as the White Continent. 90% of the world's ice can be found here, 4.000 meters thick, covering the landmass. In winter it is forming more sea ice off the coast - virtually doubling the size of the continent. In summer, it is a breeding ground for millions of penguins, whales and seals that, for the rest of the year, simply spend their time at sea.

We are visiting a place that has evolved through millenniums without human interference. Therefore, we follow very strict environmental guidelines and rules. We want to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures! What is so overwhelming about Antarctica is that its location makes every voyage to the continent an expedition. Even the most sophisticated technology cannot override some of the climatic challenges that are a part of this environment.
Therefore, we need to be pragmatic; we change landings, re-route and shift plans as we go along. This also means that we will take advantage of the often ideal conditions – spend hours ashore, on the water with kayaks, hiking or simply cruising amongst huge pods of whales. Weather, wind and ice conditions have a great influence on our programme and schedule.

We will try to visit several places, including Deception Island, Half Moon Island, Brown Bluff, Cuverville Island and Neko Harbour. All of these places offer untouched nature, opportunities to observe penguin colonies, seals, glaciers, icebergs and old whaling stations.

At sea

After exploring this beautiful, diverse continent, we set course back for The Falkland Islands. The Falklands consist of two large islands and around 700 smaller ones. Captain John Strong of HMS Welfare made the first recorded landing here in 1690. We will continue our lecture series that focuses on the history and wildlife of the islands as we keep a watch for wandering albatross.

Falkland Islands

After visiting Antarctica, it might seem a bit surreal to arrive in a town that looks like a miniature England, with red phone boxes, red buses and English pubs. Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands. Roam the city streets, the town is easy enough to discover in a day on foot, or join one of the excursions to explore the wilderness and wildlife in the surroundings.

The Falklands are teeming with wonders of wildlife and nature. This is an unpolluted environment with clear blue skies, seamless horizons, vast open spaces and stunning white sand beaches. As we reach the westernmost points in the Falklands you will see remote farms that have been family owned for six or seven generations.

The sheep graze alongside colonies of albatross and rockhopper penguins, while predatory striated caracaras patrol overhead and upland geese forage at the water’s edge. Bird lovers will rejoice if we go ashore on Carcass Island.
This is a bird paradise with several ducks, geese, penguins, albatrosses, caracaras and wrens. It is also one of few islands down here with trees. We use our Zodiacs to go ashore for exploring, hiking or take a closer look at all the birds.

As we complete the loop of the Magellan Strait, we will have a recap of everything we have experienced on this expedition. Make sure you spend some time on deck looking for wildlife.
We arrive back in Punta Arenas in the morning. After the flight back to Santiago de Chile, you can extend your vacation with a post voyage extension to experience the impressive region.