Your itinerary
Day 1
Start Punta Arenas, Chile
Your journey begins in Punta Arenas. This port city is situated at the southern tip of Chile, on the north bank of the Strait of Magellan. Once a Chilean penal colony, Punta Arenas has transformed into a vibrant city offering you plenty of attractions including historic sites and museums. Explore the city by day, and then join us for an evening dinner to meet your fellow Antarctic adventurers.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2
Embarkation day
Today you board your chartered flight to Antarctica. The journey over the Drake Passage takes less than four hours, whereas our ship-based travelers take two days to make the journey by sea. Your first glimpse of Antarctica comes into view shortly before the aircraft descends towards King George Island –hope for clear skies so you can appreciate the vastness of this great continent! You have free time to photograph parts of the island and stretch your legs before joining the ship. Once aboard, you’ll enjoy your first trip in a Zodiac and begin your exploration of the Antarctic region.
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
Day 3
Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snow covered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days.
Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island.
Even common travel experiences like mailing a postcard take on an extra level of excitement in Antarctica. While weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, your Expedition Team will ensure that each day of your Antarctic adventure leaves a lasting impression.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 4
Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snow covered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days.
Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island.
Even common travel experiences like mailing a postcard take on an extra level of excitement in Antarctica. While weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, your Expedition Team will ensure that each day of your Antarctic adventure leaves a lasting impression.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 5
Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snow covered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days.
Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island.
Even common travel experiences like mailing a postcard take on an extra level of excitement in Antarctica. While weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, your Expedition Team will ensure that each day of your Antarctic adventure leaves a lasting impression.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 6
Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands
You’ll get a sense that you’ve arrived on a new planet during the start of your Antarctic voyage, as the pristine nature and dramatic environments are like nothing else on earth. From the vessel you can watch whales swim and feed in nutrient-rich waters and spot penguins frolicking in the water and jumping aboard ice floes. Just as amazing as the wildlife are the towering snow covered mountains and massive glaciers of the Peninsula, which will be your playground for the next few days.
Every Zodiac excursion and landing presents new sights, sounds and smells. Some landings may be as relaxing as sitting on a beach, taking photographs of curious gentoo penguins. Other landings may provide exhilarating panoramic views of the Antarctic continent by hiking atop a hill. Perhaps you’ll catch a calving glacier crumbling into the sea at Petermann Island, or take a Zodiac cruise in search of fur and elephant seals around Pleneau Island.
Even common travel experiences like mailing a postcard take on an extra level of excitement in Antarctica. While weather and sea conditions determine which landings we can make, your Expedition Team will ensure that each day of your Antarctic adventure leaves a lasting impression.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 7
Crossing the Drake Passage to Ushuaia
A rite of passage for any Antarctic adventurer, crossing the Drake signals the end of your journey. No matter the sea conditions, you will benefit from having developed your sea legs over the course of the previous four days. While the journey home has begun, your wildlife spotting continues. Your expedition team will be available on deck and on the ship’s bridge to help you spot the majestic wandering albatross and a number of whale species, such as minke and humpback.
When you’re not looking at photos and reminiscing about the previous days, the expedition team will conclude their series of engaging presentations on subjects such as marine biology, polar history and glaciology.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 8
Crossing the Drake Passage to Ushuaia
A rite of passage for any Antarctic adventurer, crossing the Drake signals the end of your journey. No matter the sea conditions, you will benefit from having developed your sea legs over the course of the previous four days. While the journey home has begun, your wildlife spotting continues. Your expedition team will be available on deck and on the ship’s bridge to help you spot the majestic wandering albatross and a number of whale species, such as minke and humpback.
When you’re not looking at photos and reminiscing about the previous days, the expedition team will conclude their series of engaging presentations on subjects such as marine biology, polar history and glaciology.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 9
Disembark in Ushuaia, Argentina
You will arrive in Ushuaia in the morning, after which you can continue your onward journey, or catch your flights home.
Meals: Breakfast,Dinner
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Food
All meals while on the ship are included.
Typical meals
The ship’s galley offers good-quality service and cuisine throughout, with excellent chefs preparing international menus, including vegetarian dishes. If there is one constant on board, it is that you’ll enjoy delicious meals. While meal times may change due to landings and wildlife sightings, you’ll always be served three well-prepared meals per day. Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for on this adventure – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.
Breakfast: Buffet style – unlimited tea and coffee, a selection of fruit juices, hot options including bacon and eggs or omelettes, a selection of bread and toast and jam/honey/marmalade, fruit and cereal.
Lunch: Three-course set meal or the occasional buffet or barbecue.
Dinner: Three courses with a starter of soup, salad or anti-pasto, a choice of three mains with at least one vegetarian and one seafood option and a dessert of sweet pudding or ice cream or fruit, tea and coffee.
Drinks: Complimentary coffee, tea, cocoa and water stations are available around the clock, while soft drinks and juices are available during meals and when the bar is open—all included in the cost of your package. Enjoy complimentary select beer, wines and select cocktails during bar service hours and dinner as part of the “Raise a Glass and Stay Connected Free” program. Premium wines and champagne are available at extra cost and can be billed to your shipboard account. The well-stocked bars on the ship are open late morning, afternoon and evening, though hours may occasionally change to accommodate the expedition schedule.
Zodiac Transfer & Embarkation at King George Island
Board a Zodiac for a spray-kissed shuttle from shore to your vessel, skimming past brash ice and black-pebble beaches at King George Island. Crew assist as you embark your expedition ship, with the Antarctic seascape stretching to the horizon.
This hands-on transfer is a primer in small-boat operations in polar waters, offering close-up vantage points and the excitement of your first Zodiac ride amid towering bergs and seabirds on the wing.
Zodiac Landings on the Antarctic Peninsula
Explore remote coves and beaches on frequent Zodiac landings that deliver you to shore for guided, small-group exploration. Walk amid sculpted snow and ice, with towering peaks and blue-sheened glaciers framing every step on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Naturalists position the group for respectful wildlife viewing and photography. Expect variable terrain and the thrill to pause for photos and reflection as you listen for the crack and roar of a calving glacier across the bay.
Penguin Rookeries of the Antarctic Peninsula
Visit active rookeries where colonies of gentoo penguins, chinstrap and Adélie bustle over pebble-built nests. Watch courtship bowing, stone-stealing antics and the traffic of penguin highways as adults commute to sea and back.
Guides explain breeding cycles and the waterproofing, insulation and agility that let these birds thrive in frigid waters. The sound, spectacle and salty air combine for a wildlife encounter that is intimate, comical and deeply memorable.
Zodiac Iceberg Cruising
Cruise by Zodiac among sculpted icebergs, glassy brash and turquoise melt pools in sheltered bays. Expert drivers thread through fluted walls and arches while you scan for fur or elephant seals hauled out on low floes.
When conditions allow, routes may include iceberg-dense areas such as Pléneau Island, famed as an “iceberg graveyard.” The scale and shifting blues of the ice reward photographers and quiet onlookers alike.
Guided Hikes to Panoramic Viewpoints
Walk with your expedition team to elevated lookouts for panoramic viewpoints over serrated ridgelines, crevassed glaciers and drifting bergs below. Trails range from gentle snow slopes to firmer, boot-packed ascents.
Along the way, guides share fieldcraft for safe movement on snow and interpret the geology of a continent largely locked beneath ice. The reward is an expansive sense of place that only a high vantage can deliver.
Step Foot on the Antarctic Continent
Experience a milestone as you step onto the Antarctic mainland. Touch ancient bedrock, feel the bite of katabatic wind, and gaze across a horizon stitched with ice, sea and stone—an elemental moment many travelers dream about.
Landings are weather and ice dependent, but your team works to create this opportunity when conditions allow. It’s a personal connection to the grandeur of the Seventh Continent.
Expert-Led Presentations on Wildlife, History & Glaciology
Enrich your voyage with engaging presentations led by polar specialists covering marine biology, polar history and glaciology. In the lounge, vivid imagery pairs with clear explanations tied to what you’re witnessing outside as you meet your Expedition Team.
Learn how ice forms and flows, how whales feed in nutrient-rich upwellings, and how early explorers mapped these coasts. Each session adds depth and context to your landings and wildlife encounters.
Drake Passage Northbound Sailing & Seabird Watch
Sail the legendary Drake Passage toward South America, spending time on deck with guides to scan for wandering albatross, petrels and whale blows on the horizon as the Southern Ocean breathes around you.
Between wildlife watch sessions, enjoy recaps and Q&As that connect oceanography, geology and expedition highlights. This sea crossing is a rite of passage and a reflective close to days among the ice.
Welcome Dinner in Punta Arenas
Gather in Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan for a hosted welcome dinner that sets the tone for the adventure ahead. Share first impressions, practical tips, and meet your fellow Antarctic adventurers over Chilean cuisine and regional wine.
Guides outline expedition plans and safety essentials while you absorb the city’s frontier heritage—once a crossroads for clippers and explorers heading into the Roaring Forties and beyond.
Scenic Charter Flight to King George Island
Discover the fastest route to Antarctica as you fly over the Drake Passage on a charter aircraft, descending to land on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. From your window, take in pack ice, rugged coastlines and your first sweeping views of the Antarctic continent.
On landing, feel the crisp polar air and sense of arrival among a cluster of international research stations. This aerial gateway maximizes time in the ice and delivers a dramatic introduction to the White Continent’s scale and solitude.
