Ultimate Luxury Antarctic Fly & Cruise

Included travel arrangements before embarkation

The date of Day 1 for each voyage reflects the date you will be scheduled to fly down to Antarctica and embark on your ship, weather conditions permitting. However, the price of your trip also includes additional services for a hassle-free experience from start to finish. As well as your scheduled time on the ship, three nights of accommodation are included in Chile. These comprise a night in the capital city of Santiago on arrival, followed by a night in southerly Punta Arenas before you fly down to Antarctica. On your return from Antarctica, a final hotel night is included in Punta Arenas.

On arrival into Santiago, make your own way to your included 5* city centre hotel, where you will spend the night.

The following day, you will be transferred to the airport for the included charter flight to Punta Arenas (3.5 hours). This is the gateway to Antarctica, where you'll spend the night, ready for the flight tomorrow. In the evening there is a welcome dinner offering a chance to get to know your fellow travellers.

Please see the final paragraph of this itinerary for the included arrangements once you have disembarked. 

Day 1: Flight from Punta Arenas to Antarctica - embark your ship 

Today you will be transferred from your included hotel in Punta Arenas to the airport for your flight to Antarctica. The flight timings will be completely dictated by the need for a safe weather window, so the flight could depart at any time, day or night. Your flight will last approximately 2 hours. To provide maximum comfort during the flight, the middle seats on each row will not be occupied. On arrival at King George Island, your luggage will be transported to the ship separately as you make your way to the Zodiacs on the ice-strewn beach ready for embarkation.  

As the largest of all the South Shetland Islands, King George is considered the gateway to Antarctica. At just 75 miles (120 kilometres) from the Antarctic Peninsula and the only airport in the South Shetlands, it is the connection between “real life” and “Antarctic life”. More than 10 different nations have year-round or summer-only scientific research stations on the island (considering that 90% of the island is covered by snow and ice, that is quite an achievement!). Maintaining a base on the island allows membership of the Antarctic Treaty. 

Once aboard the ship your Antarctic adventure begins in earnest. The exact schedule will be announced daily as the Expedition Leader and Captain plan for the best possible experience based on the current weather and ice conditions, along with taking advantage of impromptu wildlife opportunities such as whale sightings.

Day 2: Antarctic Sound

The Antarctic Sound may be one of your first encounters of this whitewashed kingdom, located at the northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Taking its name from the first ship to brave the passageway between the peninsular and the Joinville Island groups back in 1902, the Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Come face-to-face with stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife that call Antarctica home. Watch on, as colonies of gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you. Brush up on your photography skills in advance, to capture this unforgiving continent in all of its unrestrained glory. 

Days 3 to 5: Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards towards South America. Stretching up from the heart of the world’s southernmost continent, the Antarctic Peninsula lies a mere 620 miles (998 kilometres) from Patagonia’s Tierra del Fuego and, for many, offers a spectacular first taste of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which make up Earth’s least-explored continent. Unseen by humans until 1820 this is an adventure sure to make your hairs stand on end, as you experience the thrill of the truly unknown and extraordinary. The vast peninsula is sprinkled with research bases, which are at the front line of human scientific endeavour, pushing to study and understand this unique landscape, its exceptional wildlife, and the impact that humans are having on this pristine continent. 

Witness cathedral-sized icebergs up close, and blue-hued glaciers, slowly slipping from imposing locations like Hope Bay. Blanched mountain peaks cover the peninsula, and you’ll find thousands of charming Adelie penguin pairs thriving undisturbed in the peninsula’s unique setting.

Day 6: South Shetland Islands

Returning north, lying close to the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait, the South Shetland Islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with plump elephant seals, and crowds of gentoo, chinstrap and Adelie penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little crowded at times. These islands offer extraordinary adventure in one of the most remote locations on Earth.

Day 7: King George Island - flight back to Punta Arenas

Today return to the airstrip for your charter flight back to civilization. Please note that the timing of the flight will be determined by a safe weather window, so you may depart earlier or later than planned. 

Included travel arrangements after disembarkation

On arrival back into Punta Arenas you have a further night included at the hotel here, to allow a buffer for any flight delays.  The following day you will take your included charter flight back up to Santiago, arriving late afternoon. Please make sure you leave a sufficient gap before booking any onward travel arrangements. 

PLEASE NOTE: While choosing to fly to/from Antarctica is the most expedient option, it's also more weather dependent than travelling by ship across the Drake Passage. Charter flights to/from Antarctica operate on a very flexible schedule to accommodate the changeable weather conditions. As a result, flight timings may be brought forward or delayed to ensure safe operating conditions. To discuss in more detail, please get in touch. 

This itinerary is for guidance only, as each voyage will vary depending on ice and weather conditions as well as taking advantage of impromptu wildlife opportunities.