Compare Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica: Explorers and Kings by Exodus Travels vs Weddell Sea - In search of the Emperor Penguin incl. helicopters by Oceanwide Expeditions

Day 1 Start Ushuaia, Argentina

Begin your journey in Ushuaia, a small but bustling port town at the tip of South America. This Argentine town is an ideal gateway for you to explore the southern extent of Patagonia while preparing for your adventure ahead. Get active in the mountains or enjoy handcrafted chocolate at a café in town

Day 2 Board ship and sail along the Beagle Channel

The morning is free to explore Ushuaia and the surrounding area, to do some last minute shopping, stroll around the town and down to the port or maybe go for a walk in the nearby national park. The transfer to the ship takes place in the afternoon. Once on board there is a get together for introductions to the expedition team, to learn about the ship and its layout, talk about the itinerary for the next 18 days and participate in the obligatory lifeboat drill. Departure from Ushuaia is normally around 6:00 p.m, and we set sail through the Beagle Channel in the early evening. The long days mean plenty of evening light in which to experience the beauty of the channel, and to perhaps enjoy your first wildlife sightings.

Day 3 Sail east towards the Falkland Islands

We sail in a north-easterly direction, enjoying a series of presentations that prepare you for the coming adventure. On deck the first sightings of albatross and petrels add to the sense of excitement.

Day 4 - 5 Falkland Islands

The rugged and remote Falkland archipelago contains two main islands - East and West, which we will explore by Zodiac excursions and daily landings. One landing that will surely stick out in memory is at Port Stanley. This unique British outpost has a ramshackle charm to it. The largest settlement in the Falklands, we’ll spend a day here visiting churches, museums, wandering around town and perhaps mingling with locals at a typical British pub. In terms of wildlife, the archipelago is home to a variety of penguin species, including Magellanic, Gentoo and Rockhopper. If lucky, we may spot King penguins here as well! We can also expect to see Black-browed albatross and many other bird species around the islands, including an opportunity to see the two endemic species: Cobb’s wren and the Falklands flightless Steamer duck. Our team of lecturers and specialists will be sure to educate you on the local flora and fauna in order to get the most of a memorable time in the Falklands.

Day 6 - 7 At sea sailing towards South Georgia

Sailing south, we’ll enter Antarctic waters by crossing the invisible biological boundary unique to Antarctica – the Antarctic Convergence. Encircling the continent, cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet and mix with the warmer waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, creating the abundance of krill and microscopic marine life that attracts whales and other species to this part of the world. Ship staff will be sure to keep you posted when we cross this invisible, yet important, line.

Day 8 - 10 South Georgia

Reaching South Georgia you will observe towering, snow-covered mountains and glaciers when conditions are clear. South Georgia is the most mountainous of the many islands of the Southern Ocean and is a spectacular sight. We will cruise the more protected eastern coast of the island, seeking out suitable landing spots as conditions permit. We hope to get ashore at Salisbury Plain where colourful King penguins crowd the beaches in numbers that will leave you spellbound. The vast area is covered in a sea of birds: of adults and their young in hundreds of thousands. Another 75,000 pairs of King penguins nest at St Andrews Bay. Everywhere, albatross, skuas and Giant petrels wheel overhead, whilst Fur seals are found in good numbers along the shore or are seen frolicking in the water. At Grytviken, you visit the old whaling station, and the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton, undoubtedly one of the greatest of the Antarctic explorers.

Day 11 - 12 At sea sailing towards the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula

En route to the South Shetland Islands there is sometimes the chance to visit Elephant Island, depending on the ship’s progress and the weather. It is from this island that Sir Ernest Shackleton set out for South Georgia in a small boat in 1916, undertaking one of the most remarkable sailing journeys of all time and returning 132 days later to rescue his men.

Day 13 - 17 South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula

The most common reaction to arriving at the white continent is a sense of reverence and awe. The experience is hard to put into words, as few places are as untouched, unique and enduring as Antarctica. You will discover that Antarctica is a land of extremes. At one moment you’ll be overcome with a feeling of complete desolation and silence, at the next moment you’ll be inspired by nature as a calving glacier crashes into the brilliant blue sea or a penguin comes waddling by to inspect your footwear. Guided hikes with the Expedition Team will have us trekking up a glacier, visiting a research station, or consorting with penguin colonies. Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie penguins are found here, along with Fur, Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals. Curious whales, such as Minkes, are often attracted to Zodiacs as well, giving us a chance to get within reaching distance of these majestic animals. Each day and each landing will present a new collection of creatures to entertain us.

Day 18 - 19 Sail back through the Drake Passage

Leaving the Antarctic Peninsula overnight our ship heads back across the Antarctic Convergence and the Drake Passage. The crossing is completed with the rounding of Cape Horn, weather permitting.

Day 20 Disembark and end in Ushuaia

In the early morning you arrive back in Ushuaia where your voyage ends. You are transferred either to town on to the airport for your onward flight to Buenos Aires.

Day 1: In the afternoon we embark our vessel m/v Ortelius in Ushuaia

In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

Day 2 - 3: At sea, en-route to the Antarctic Peninsula where we cross the Antarctic Convergence

During these two days we will sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area we may meet Wandering Albatrosses, Grey-headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels.

Day 4 - 7: The Weddell Sea! During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins.

A typical itinerary in the Weddell Sea could be as follows. This is a sample only, the final itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Leader on board.  We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.   During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages we were always able to locate emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us - helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.   Possible landing sites is for example Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls and tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above, beautiful volcanic creations and the scene is complete with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes, and a few Gentoo’s mixed in for fun.   Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice floes; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.   A beautiful helicopter flight over huge blue icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.  If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.   On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-floes. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

Day 8: Early in the afternoon we will sail to Deception Island

In the morning we plan to visit Half Moon Island where we can see Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, various other bird-species as well as a chance for Southern elephant seals and Weddell seals. Early in the afternoon we will sail to Deception Island where we have the last landing of our voyage at Pendulum Cove or Whalers Bay.

Day 9 - 10: At sea en-route to Ushuaia

On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.

Day 11: The end of our voyage. We disembark m/v Ortelius in the maorning in Ushuaia

We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark after breakfast.

Day 5 - 6: Alternative program if the route to Snow Hill Island is free of multi-year pack-ice (less than 50 % chance)

The use of helicopters has a great advantage and can support us in our goal to reach the Emperor Penguin colony, but the itinerary is ruled by the forces of nature, ice and weather conditions. If the conditions are favourable, we intend to spend the first two days in the Emperor Penguin rookery. The helicopter operation will take a full day and the flight duration takes approximately 15 minutes. The helicopter can accommodate 6 passengers per helicopter flight. The landing point of the helicopters will be carefully chosen and we will make sure that the Emperors Penguins are not disturbed or stressed by helicopter noise. Therefore, after arrival, the passengers continue their expedition on foot.   After a walk of approx. 45 minutes, passengers will experience an amazing rendezvous with the magnificent Emperor Penguins. Keep in mind that we are in the world’s most remote area and there are no guarantees, including a specific amount of helicopter time. Conditions may change rapidly, having its impact on the helicopter operation and passengers should understand and accept this. Safety is our greatest concern and no compromises can be made.