Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula

Note: We advise all passengers to plan to arrive in Ushuaia one night before the cruise departure.

Carcass Island – Despite its name, this island is pleasantly rodent-free and hence bounteous with birdlife.  Anything from breeding Magellanic and gentoo penguins to numerous waders and passerine birds (including Cobb’s wren and the tussock-bird) live here.

Saunders Island – Here you can see the black-browed albatross and its sometimes-clumsy landings, along with breeding imperial shags and rockhopper penguins.  King penguins, Magellanic penguins, and gentoo penguins are also found here.  Overnight aboard the ship.  (B,L,D)

Prion Island – This location is closed during the early part of the wandering albatross breeding season (November 20 – January 7).  From January on, the breeding adults have found their partners and are sitting on eggs or nursing their chicks.  Enjoy witnessing the gentle nature of these animals, which possess the largest wingspan of any birds in the world.

Fortuna Bay – Near beaches inhabited by penguins and seals, you have the chance to follow the final section of Shackleton’s route to the abandoned whaling village of Stromness.  This route cuts across the mountain pass beyond Shackleton’s Waterfall.  The terrain here is partly swampy, so be prepared to cross some small streams along the way.

Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour – These locations not only house the three largest king penguin colonies in South Georgia, they’re also three of the largest breeding beaches for southern elephant seals in the world.  Only this time of year do they peak in their breeding cycle.  Watch the four-ton bulls keep a constant vigil (and occasionally fight) over the territories where dozens of females have just given birth or are about to deliver.  You can also see a substantial number of Antarctic fur seals here during the breeding season (December – January).

Grytviken – You have the opportunity to check out this abandoned whaling station, where king penguins now walk the streets and elephant seals lie around like they own the place – because they just about do.  You might also see the South Georgia Museum as well as Shackleton’s grave.  Overnight aboard the ship.  (B,L,D)

After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island.  You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags.  After this, other visits might be possible.  In Neko Harbour or Paradise Bay, you may be able to set foot on the Antarctic Continent in an epic, otherworldly landscape of alpine peaks and mammoth glaciers calving at sea level.  Humpback whales and minke whales are also known to be spotted in this area.  Cuverville Island is a potential stop in the early hours of your last landing day.  Here you can pick around the rocks, enjoying the morning in good company: The largest gentoo penguin rookery of the Antarctic Peninsula lives here.  Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.  Overnight aboard the ship.  (B,L,D)