Luxury South Georgia & Antarctica Fly & Cruise

Included travel arrangements prior to embarkation

The date of Day 1 for each voyage reflects the date that you will be scheduled to embark on the ship, weather conditions permitting. However, for those booking on a door-to-door basis the price of your trip also includes additional services to ensure a hassle-free experience from start to finish. In total there are three nights of accommodation included in Chile, in addition to your scheduled time on the ship.

You will be collected from your home for your private airport transfer in time for your flight to Santiago, Chile's capital city.

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your 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 Puerto Williams.

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

Day 1 - Embark in Puerto Williams

Today your charter flight from Santiago will land into Puerto Williams, which is located on Navarino Island on the southern shores of the Beagle Channel. Established as a naval base in 1953, it claims to be the “southernmost city in the world”. Though with around just 2500 inhabitants this claim is contested by the much larger Argentinean city of Ushuaia, which sits on the northern side of the same channel.

Surrounded by windswept mountains that are regularly dusted with snow, the city itself has the dramatic backdrop called “Dientes de Navarino” (literally “teeth of Navarino”). The area was originally home to the hunter-gatherer Yaghan people. You will board the ship and set sail on your expedition. 

Day 2 - At sea: to the Falklands

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and attend the educational presentations put on by the expedition team in preparation for time off the ship exploring.  There’s also time to go to the gym or visit the spa, making a perfect balance with the upcoming busy days once you reach your first landing sites. We strongly recommend spending time out on deck with your binoculars and camera as this can be an excellent area for birdwatching.

Day 3 - West Falklands

On the western side of the Falkland Islands is New Island, where the human population is far outweighed by the extraordinary birdlife that abounds on its craggy coastline. Home to five different species of penguin, including king penguins, you will also find huge albatrosses here.  Enjoy sweeping landscapes, littered with shipwrecks and colourful wildflowers. A warm welcome from the human residents is guaranteed, especially when the local custom of smoko is served up – towering platters of cakes and biscuits with tea and coffee. Things haven’t always been so peaceful here, however, and you may be able to pay a visit to the battlefields and memorials of the costly war in 1982, when the British and Argentinians clashed fiercely over these islands.

Another potential landing site may be at wind-lashed West Point Island. Here you'll be welcomed ashore by the calls and cries of a huge colony of black-browed albatross. Indeed, the island was originally known as Albatross Island before being renamed to reflect its geographic location. The scattering of humans and sheep are outweighed by a huge army of birdlife; look out for the rockhopper penguins who scamper and burrow along the coast's boulders, as well as the imperial cormorants who rest here in great numbers. You may also spot Magellanic penguins during your explorations. Hike the island's quiet landscapes, and look out for endemic plants like Felton's flower carpeting the green interior. Cliff Mountain is the island's standout - a towering sandstone monolith, and the archipelago's highest cliff, falling away to swirling waves below where you might find Commerson's dolphins at play. This is also a good location to look out for whales and as well as fur seals.

Day 4 - Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Today you may visit Stanley, where you may find the odd pub serving ales and even fish and chips. While iconic landmarks such as Christ Church Cathedral, with its whalebone arch are 100% local, there is also a good smattering of imported garden gnomes and Union Jacks.

The islands’ ownership has long been a matter of controversy, ever since colonisation in the 18th Century. At various points in their life the islands have been considered French, British, Spanish and Argentine. Following the Falklands War in 1982 the islands remain part of the British Commonwealth today.  Margaret Thatcher, under whom the war was masterminded, remains something of a local hero, reflected in the street signs (such as Thatcher Drive). For those who want to dig deeper into the past, the Historic Docklands Museum provides lots of information on the chequered historical and political background of the Falklands. Potential excursions for the day include the highlights of Stanley itself, a Falklands war tour or an extensive 4 hour hike over Mount William and Mount Tumbledown. 

Day 5 & 6 - At sea 

You will be sailing en route to South Georgia and the expedition team will be filling your days with their excellent educational lecture series. It is also a prime time to get out on deck to look for wildlife. 

Days 7 to 9 - Exploring South Georgia

Dramatic landscapes of jagged mountains ladled with snow, giant glaciers and thriving wildlife combine to make South Georgia one of Earth’s most breathtaking islands. Here you'll witness a cacophony of calling birds, with crowds of colourful king penguins stretching out as far as the eye can see. An overseas territory of the UK, these isolated, subantarctic islands once formed a remote whaling centre - and you can still visit the haunting former whaling stations. Nowadays the giants of the sea are free to cruise the icy waters uninhibited with some populations beginning to recover. Fans of Ernest Shackleton’s tale of Antarctic exploration, shipwreck and survival will know that the Endurance’s crew were saved when he reached the salvation of South Georgia’s shores in 1916 - before returning to collect the remaining sailors from desolate Elephant Island. A museum commemorates the legendary mission, and you can see the memorial to Shackleton that stands over his final resting place on this fabled island.

South Georgia’s vast colonies of king penguins - with vivid bursts of yellow and orange around their necks - stand, squabble and curiously investigate, enjoying the isolated respite of this island. They’re joined by smaller penguin species like Macaroni penguins and other glorious birdlife such as wandering albatrosses, which you can see gliding on gusts of wind, over the choppy waves.

Days 10 & 11 - At sea 

You will have a couple of days at sea as you head on to the White Continent. There will be more educational presentations from your expedition team, time to relax and enjoy the ship’s many amenities and also to look out for wildlife. As you draw closer, be on standby for large icebergs, which have broken away from the Peninsula. 

Day 12 - Antarctic Sound

Few voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to the planet’s most remote, extreme and enchanting wilderness. An adventure in its purest form, only a select group of people will ever be lucky enough to experience Antarctica first-hand. 

The Antarctic Sound will be one of your first sights, 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 home to towering tabular icebergs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Cape petrels sweep overhead as penguins porpoise through the ice-littered waters. 

Days 13 to 15 - Exploring the Antarctic Peninsula

A mere 620 miles (997 kilometres) from the tip of South America, the Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards, reaching out a beckoning finger to the adventurous, who dare to explore this untamed realm. The Peninsula offers a spectacular taste of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which make up Earth’s least-explored continent. 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 adorable penguins thriving undisturbed in this unique setting.

Day 16 - Fly out of King George Island 

As the largest of all the South Shetland Islands, King George is considered the gateway to and from 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. There is even a Russian Orthodox church, with a permanent on-site priest. The island was named for King George III after a British explorer discovered it in 1819. Since then the island has been claimed by both Chile (1940) and Argentina (1943), but remains part of British Antarctic Territory.

The island is home to a simple airstrip, which is the landing location for your flight out of Antarctica and back to Chile. This takes approximately 2 hours and cuts out 2 days sailing across the notorious Drake Passage. Please note that flight schedules are always subject to safe weather conditions. 

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, Chile. There is an optional included final night at your Santiago hotel before continuing your onward travel back home.

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.