Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands

Journey through a thrilling land of penguins, icebergs, and Sir Ernest Shackleton as you explore the Falklands, the little-known natural wonderland of South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is the last great wilderness on earth. Its lofty peaks spill forth dazzling glaciers and towering ice shelves, creating 100,000 icebergs each year. Given the hostility of Antarctica?s climatic extremes, you might think the region devoid of life; however, life exists here in great abundance?whales, seals, and thousands of seabirds, including penguins. Weather and ice conditions determine your path and landings, just as they governed the voyages of the Antarctic explorers of the past. Expert naturalists and leaders guide you along the way enhancing your expedition.

Itinerary

Day 1: Miami, USA

Gather this evening at the Miami International Airport for your flight to Santiago.

Day 2: Santiago, Chile

Upon arrival in Santiago, transfer to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or sightseeing in Chile?s cosmopolitan capital city. Enjoy lunch in the hotel?s restaurant. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Plaza San Francisco.

Day 3: Santiago / Stanley, Falkland Islands

After breakfast, fly to Stanley and embark Le Diamant.

Day 4: Sea Lion Island / Bleaker Island

Today you make stops on two islands off the south coast of East Falkland Island. With your naturalists, walk along the coast of Sea Lion Island to a gentoo penguin colony and a large freshwater pond holding an excellent variety of Falklands waterfowl. Bleaker Island provides one of the highlights of your Falklands visit?here you see a rockhopper penguin and king cormorant colony, in addition to viewing gentoo and Magellanic penguins, plus communities of elephant seals and sea lions.

Days 5-6: Cruising the South Scotia Sea

Your lecturers recap your experiences in the Falkland Islands and prepare you for your visit to South Georgia. Join your marine biologist and ornithologist on deck in search of marine mammals and seabirds that flourish in these nutrient-rich waters.

Days 7-9: South Georgia

Flexibility in this area is a must. All of your expedition leaders have been to South Georgia numerous times, and if the weather is in your favor, you may want to make a landing before breakfast or even after dinner. You call at some of the many islands, bays, and coves where you can see outstanding birdlife and elephant and fur seals close at hand. The following is a list of places you plan to visit on South Georgia. Some of them are pending final government approval.

Salisbury Plain ? Two glaciers flank Salisbury Plain, which is home to one of South Georgia's main king penguin colonies; thousands upon thousands of the birds greet you in this exciting location.

Prion Island ? Across the Bay of Isles from Salisbury, Prion is a nesting ground for wandering albatross. A hike up the ridge takes you closer to view these magnificent birds whose 13-foot wingspans permit effortless soaring. You're also likely to find skuas and giant petrels nesting or wheeling overhead in great numbers. Fur seals are everywhere.

Stromness Bay ? Site of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his party's arrival after their harrowing crossing of the island's glaciers on foot, Stromness offers views of cliffs and a glacier from which the adventurer and his companions descended. Weather permitting, hikers retrace the last part of Shackleton's epic trek.

Grytviken ? You go ashore and explore, discovering the old ruins of this once-active whaling station. The cemetery holds a special fascination, as it is here that Shackleton is buried?on this island he loved. Walking along the coast, you spy seabirds, penguins, and marine mammals.

Gold Harbour ? At the foot of the Bertrab Glacier, Gold Harbour is often referred to as the "jewel in the island's crown." In addition to a large king penguin colony, you are likely to see elephant and fur seals, gentoo penguins, giant petrels, and perhaps even some light-mantled albatross.

Days 10-11: South Scotia Sea

Your lecture series continues as the ship ventures south. Naturalists recap your memorable visit to South Georgia and introduce us to the history, geology, and wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula and its surrounding islands.

Day 12: Elephant Island

You arrive this morning at Elephant Island, made famous by the Shackleton expedition. Awesome glaciers, speckled with pink algae, create a dramatic backdrop. You plan to make an expedition stop on the island.

Days 13-15: Antarctic Peninsula

Cruise the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula and its adjacent islands, your daily schedule of landings dependent upon weather and ice conditions. There is the possibility that you may visit a research station and witness the scientific activities conducted by the multinational community of scientists working there. Though the expeditionary nature of our voyage precludes guaranteeing specific stops, the ship plans to visit the following places:

Paulet Island / Antarctic Sound ? In an area of often heavy ice concentration, Paulet Island sits at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and on the border of the Weddell Sea. A colony of Adelie penguins estimated at 100,000 pairs, as well as a smaller number of blue-eyed shags, is found here. The Antarctic Sound is traditionally a good place for viewing tabular icebergs brought into the sound by coastal currents from Weddell Sea ice shelves.

Devil?s Island ? Named for its two distinct peaks, or "horns," this rarely visited island is the nesting site of some 10,000 pairs of Adelie penguins, and home to a large skua population along with snow petrels and Wilson's storm petrels. Huge icebergs, often anchored offshore, add to the photogenic element of the island.

Brown Bluff ? The volcanic promontory of Brown Bluff rises 2,450 feet above an ash beach littered with huge and bizarrely shaped boulders. Some 20,000 pairs of Adelie, and hundreds of gentoo penguins, make their home here, often building their nests against the rocks. Skuas and pintado petrels nest near the top of the cliff and kelp gulls fill the air with perpetual sound and motion.

Deception Island ? As we approach Deception through Neptune's Bellows, a channel just wide enough for our ship to navigate, southern fulmars and pintado petrels soar overhead. Our anchorage is inside a volcano whose collapsed cone was filled by rushing seawater. Brave souls may dip into the thermal waters near Pendulum Cove to experience swimming in the Antarctic! Weather permitting, we make a landing on the outside of the caldera at a colony of more than 100,000 nesting chinstrap penguins?the largest chinstrap rookery in the world.

Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay ? We hope to set foot on the Antarctic continent at Neko Harbour. Occasionally, Weddell seals haul out on the beach, and a gentoo penguin colony overlooks a spectacular glacier that is sometimes quite active calving icebergs. In our Zodiacs we weave our way among these fantastic shapes sculpted by wind and water. Later, the ship navigates the scenic waters of Paradise Bay, where Chile and Argentina both maintain bases.

Lemaire Channel and Pleneau Island ? Cruising the beautiful Lemaire Channel, we keep watch for the humpback and minke whales frequently spotted here. This narrow channel is one of the most visually impressive areas of the Antarctic Peninsula and is often referred to as the "Kodak Gap," "Canon Channel," "Fuji Funnel," or "Nikon Niche" because of the wonderful photo opportunities it offers. Steep mountain peaks jut out of the sea on both sides, and the waters surrounding our vessel are often choked with icebergs and frequented by crabeater seals. A stunning labyrinth of grounded icebergs lies in the shallow waters west of Pleneau Island, presenting a superb Zodiac cruising experience. Crabeater and leopard seals haul out on the ice, and elephant seals and gentoo penguins occupy the island itself.

Petermann Island ? Discovered by a German expedition in 1873-74 and named after geographer August Petermann, the island is home to the world's southernmost colony of gentoo penguins. Snow-capped and small at just a mile long by half a mile wide, it offers close-up, picture-perfect scenes of penguins?both gentoo and Adelie?as well as skuas and blue-eyed shags that nest nearby.

Days 18-19: Drake Passage

Named for the 16th-century English seaman, Drake Passage is a deep waterway spanning 600 miles from the southern tip of South America to the South Shetland Islands. Strolling the decks, you have opportunities to see and photograph the wandering and black-browed albatross in company with sooty shearwaters and white-chinned petrels. Keep a lookout for the whales that are often seen in these waters.

Day 20: Ushuaia, Argentina / Santiago, Chile

You disembark in the world?s southernmost town and transfer to the airport for your flight to Santiago, connecting with independent overnight flights to the USA.

Day 21: Return Home

Early-morning arrival in the USA and connect to your homeward flights.