Itinerary
- Day 1
Ushuaia
You'll arrive in Ushuaia and get picked up from the airport for transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore this southernmost city. The Museo del Fin del Mundo gives you context on the region's history, or you can wander the shops along the waterfront. If you're up for it, hiking trails into Tierra del Fuego National Park start nearby, and boat tours through the Beagle Channel offer chances to spot sea lions and cormorants.
Included Activities
- Airport transfer to hotel
Optional Activities
- Visit Museo del Fin del Mundo
- Hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park
- Wildlife viewing in Beagle Channel
- Dinner at local restaurants featuring Patagonian lamb and Fuegian seafood
Landmarks/POIs Museo del Fin del Mundo Tierra del Fuego National Park Beagle Channel Martial Range - Day 2
Ushuaia to Ship
After breakfast at the hotel, head down to Ushuaia's waterfront where the Martial Range rises snow-covered across the water. Avenida San Martin runs through town with shops selling gear and souvenirs if you need anything warmer. In the afternoon you'll transfer to the pier, board the M/V Sea Spirit, and settle into your suite. Attend the welcome briefings and introductions, then have dinner on board as the ship sails through the Beagle Channel with evening light catching the peaks.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at hotel), Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board M/V Sea Spirit)
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
- Group transfer to pier
- Boarding M/V Sea Spirit
- Ship orientation and expedition briefings
- Dinner on board
- Sailing through Beagle Channel
Optional Activities
- Shopping on Avenida San Martín
- Cafés and gelato shops lunch
Landmarks/POIs Martial Range Avenida San Martín Beagle Channel - Days 3 - 4
Drake Passage Crossing
The ship heads south toward the Drake Passage, and you'll spend time on the open decks watching for wandering albatrosses and other seabirds that live this far south. As you cross the Antarctic Convergence, the water temperature shifts and you'll notice the change in marine life around the ship. The vessel's stabilizing fins help keep things steady if seas get rough. By evening of the second day you should be approaching the South Shetland Islands.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Seabird viewing from open decks and balconies
- Crossing Antarctic Convergence
Landmarks/POIs Drake Passage Antarctic Convergence South Shetland Islands - Days 5 - 8
South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Now you're in Antarctica with glacier-filled scenery and icebergs visible from the ship. Zodiac cruises take you to Elephant Island where Shackleton's team survived in 1916, and around the Gerlache Strait where massive penguin colonies live. You'll see gentoo, chinstrap, and Adelie penguins, plus humpback and minke whales during peak season. Seals including crabeater, Weddell, and fur seal varieties haul out on ice floes. With 14+ hours of daylight, there's plenty of time for both zodiac excursions and shore landings.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Zodiac cruises
- Shore excursions and scheduled landings (weather permitting)
- Wildlife viewing
Landmarks/POIs South Shetland Islands Elephant Island Gerlache Strait Antarctic Peninsula - Days 9 - 10
Scotia Sea Crossing
The ship sails northeast through the Scotia Sea toward South Georgia, and watch the water for humpback and fin whales that feed in these waters. The lecture staff gives presentations and runs briefings preparing you for South Georgia's wildlife and the biosecurity procedures required before landing. This is good time to catch up on sleep or relax in the cabin before things get busy again.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Expert briefings and presentations
- Bio-security procedures
- Whale watching
Landmarks/POIs Scotia Sea - Days 11 - 14
South Georgia
South Georgia comes into view with some of the highest concentrations of wildlife on Earth. Over 100 million seabirds live here including albatrosses and various penguin species. King penguins gather on legendary beaches by the thousands, and macaroni penguin chicks number in the hundreds of thousands. Elephant and fur seal pups crowd the shores. You'll visit the historic Grytviken whaling station and museum, including Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave. Guided treks take you through raw wilderness and optional kayaking gets you closer to the wildlife. Weather and ice conditions determine what's actually possible each day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Shore excursions and scheduled landings (weather permitting)
- Zodiac cruises
- Visit Grytviken and South Georgia Museum
- Wildlife viewing
Optional Activities
- Guided treks including Shackleton Walk
- Sea kayaking
Landmarks/POIs South Georgia Grytviken South Georgia Museum - Days 15 - 16
Sailing to Falkland Islands
Sailing west toward the Falkland Islands, you'll have time for expert presentations and workshops from the ship's staff. Check out the onboard facilities or just relax. Keep an eye out on deck for pelagic seabirds, dolphins, and whales passing through these productive waters.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Expert presentations and workshops
- Access to onboard recreation facilities
- Seabird and marine wildlife viewing
- Days 17 - 18
Falkland Islands
Stanley, the Falkland Islands capital, is your stop today. The waterfront promenade connects you to the Falkland Islands Museum, the governor's house, and various shops and pubs. Christ Church Cathedral has an impressive whalebone arch and overlooks shipwrecks in the harbor. Gypsy Cove offers white sand beaches, endemic flightless steamer ducks, young Magellanic penguins, and sea lions. You can also venture to outlying islands with windswept bluffs, black-browed albatrosses, rockhopper and gentoo penguins, and possible Peale's dolphins or killer whales.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Landing in Stanley
- Waterfront promenade walking
- Shore excursions and scheduled landings (weather permitting)
Optional Activities
- Visit Falkland Islands Museum
- Visit governor's house and war memorials
- Visit Christ Church Cathedral
- Excursion to Gypsy Cove national nature reserve
- Exploration of outlying islands
Landmarks/POIs Stanley Falkland Islands Museum Christ Church Cathedral Gypsy Cove - Days 19 - 22
South Atlantic Crossing
The ship sails north through the South Atlantic with warming air and water. Stay alert on deck for killer whales, blue whales, sei whales, and southern right whales in the deeper waters. Later in the evening the crew hosts the Captain's Farewell Cocktail and an end-of-voyage slideshow where you'll relive the journey.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Gourmet dinner on board)
Included Activities
- Whale watching
- Captain's Farewell Cocktail
- End-of-voyage slideshow
Landmarks/POIs South Atlantic Ocean - Day 23
Buenos Aires and Departure
You'll disembark from the ship and board a coach heading to Ezeiza International Airport or downtown Buenos Aires. As you drive north, you'll have time to think back on everything you've seen in the polar regions before your departure.
Included Activities
- Disembarkation
- Group transfer to Ezeiza International Airport or central Buenos Aires
Landmarks/POIs Ezeiza International Airport
