Upon arrival in Ushuaia, a representative of Aurora Expeditions will meet you and transfer you to your assigned hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, you must go to the hotel and check-in anytime after 3.00 pm. In the afternoon, between 3.00 pm and 7.00 pm, you can visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the hotel lobby to collect your luggage tags and confirm your participation in the Beagle Channel and Isla de Los Lobos Cruise (sea lion island) scheduled for the next day. The desk team will also provide information on your embarkation day, answer any questions, and suggest places to dine or purchase last-minute items. 

For those arriving after 7.00 pm, a welcome pack will be waiting for you at check-in. You must visit the hospitality desk between 8.00 am and 10.00 am the following day.

The remainder of your time is at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense. 

Enjoy your breakfast and complete your check-out formalities. Please attach your cabin tags with your name and cabin number to your cabin luggage before submitting it to the hotel reception. The luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance and placed in your cabins before your arrival on board. Please keep your valuables and personal items with you throughout the day. You can spend the morning exploring Ushuaia at your leisure. 

Those interested in afternoon activities are requested to meet at the hotel lobby at 12.45 pm to transfer to the port at 1.00 pm. Board a catamaran and sail the Beagle Channel to the city's iconic Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. The cruise offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding mountain range. Colonies of sea lions and imperial cormorants can be spotted sunning themselves on the rocky outcrops. The cruise also provides an opportunity to learn about the region's people and communities. 

Alternatively, you can spend the day leisurely and meet at the hotel lobby at 3.45 pm to be transferred to the pier for embarkation. Once onboard, you have time to settle into your cabins before attending mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls from the port, gather on the deck to commence your adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. 

Get to know your fellow expeditioners, the friendly expedition team, and the crew in the evening during the welcome dinner. It's a celebration of the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.

As you commence your trip across the South Atlantic Ocean towards the Falklands~Malvinas, make the most of your time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. The expedition team prepares you with essential wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures for your first landing. It starts the lecture program to help you learn more about the region’s history, wildlife, and environment.

Your wildlife experiences begin as you enjoy watching and photographing the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels, following the vessel. They rise and fall skilfully, using air currents created by the ship to gain momentum. 

The Falklands~Malvinas comprises two large islands (East and West Falkland), with over 700 islands scattered off the coast. All but seven of these are uninhabited, with windswept coastlines, white sand beaches, and crystal-clear water. These beautifully barren islands are true wildlife havens, sheltering an impressive diversity of birdlife, including Earth's largest black-browed albatross colony. The cold, nutrient-rich waters surrounding the islands make this a prime location for spotting marine life. 

There are many beautiful areas to explore across the Falklands Malvinas, each offering a unique perspective on this magnificent archipelago. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage daily, choosing the best options based on the prevailing winds, weather, and wildlife opportunities.
 
You generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. Even though you are north of the Antarctic Convergence, it can be pretty chilly here, so you want to layer up before joining Zodiac cruises into rocky coves or along sea cliffs, keeping watch for seals, sea lions, dolphins, and penguins. Zodiacs will also shuttle you from the ship to land, where you may visit albatross colonies and penguin rookeries and perhaps even have a traditional English' tea and scones' at a local cottage.
   
Conditions permitting, you plan to land in historic Stanley, the capital of the Falklands~Malvinas. This charming town is distinctly British, with terraced townhouses, pioneer cottages, and even an iconic red telephone box! Colorful buildings house cozy cafes, English pubs, souvenir shops, a post office, and the fascinating Historic Dockyard Museum, with displays on the maritime history of the Falkland Islands, natural history, and links to Antarctica.
 
If you have chosen an optional activity, you can do that whenever conditions allow. Of course, keen polar plungers will have the chance to immerse themselves in polar waters—conditions permitting entirely! 

Between the Falklands~Malvinas and South Georgia, be enthralled by the ceaseless flight of the many seabirds that follow and circle the ship. The onboard lecture program will continue with presentations from the team of experts. You can also enjoy the many facilities on the ship, borrow a book from the well-stocked library, or perhaps stay active in the fitness center.  

Sea and weather conditions will determine your arrival time into South Georgia today.  

As you near the rugged island of South Georgia, please spare a thought for Captain James Cook, who arrived here in 1775 and believed it to be the northern tip of a great southern continent! It is a small island, only 176 km (110 mi) long, but with a 3,000 m (9,842 ft) snow-capped mountain range, some of the world’s largest congregations of wildlife, and a genuinely fascinating human history, South Georgia is an island of incredible riches.   

Jagged mountain peaks rise steeply on approach, while seabirds are often spotted soaring around the ship. Sail down the coast, taking in the spectacular glaciated scenery. This enchanting coastline is yours to explore!  

If time and weather conditions permit, en route, you could pass close to Shag Rocks, a fascinating group of jagged rocky islets protruding from the sea in the proximity of South Georgia. 

Your experienced expedition team will use their local knowledge to plan your voyage daily, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, sea state, and wildlife opportunities.  

Remember to layer up before joining Zodiac excursions that may zip into craggy coves and along the rocky coastline in search of nesting penguins, seal haul-outs, and bird cliffs. Remember to watch for South Georgia’s kelp forests as well - these remarkable underwater ecosystems are mesmerizing as their fronds sway back and forth on the water’s surface.   

The Zodiacs will also transport you ashore, where you can visit some of the largest king penguin colonies on Earth, take a guided walk among fur seals and elephant seals (making sure you listen to your guides and keep your distance!), and wander along pebbled streams and grassy glacial outwash plains. You also hope to visit the remnants of South Georgia’s thriving whaling stations and pay your respects to Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose incredible voyage of survival is synonymous with this island. If you have chosen an optional activity, you can do that whenever conditions allow.   

In addition to Zodiac and shore excursions, you may ship cruise through fjords with towering ancient stone cliffs or into deeply indented bays towards dramatic glacier fronts. This is a great time to find a comfy spot in the observation lounge or go to the bridge (open at the Captain’s discretion) to enjoy uninterrupted views of South Georgia’s majestic coast. 

Sea and weather conditions will determine your departure time from South Georgia today. 

Attend informative lectures to learn about Antarctica as you sail across the Scotia Sea towards the white continent. Enjoy the facilities on board the vessel, including the gym, sauna, and jacuzzis, or relax in one of the observation lounges; the choice is yours on how you want to enjoy days at sea. 

If time and weather permit, you may attempt to follow the coastline of Elephant Island en route to the peninsula. At the outer limits of the South Shetland Islands, it is a half-submerged mountain cloaked with an ice sheet.   

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.  

Once you arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are yours to explore, and you have a host of choices available to you. Because you are so far south, experience nearly 24 hours of daylight, and the days can be as busy as you wish.  

Rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals, and porpoising penguins. Your trusty Zodiacs will also shuttle you ashore, where you may visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts, and explore some of your favorite spots along the peninsula.  

While ashore, you aim to stretch your legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below.  

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland or linger in scenic bays to watch whales traveling or feeding. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into the sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent. 

As you commence the Drake Passage crossing, you make the most of your time getting comfortable with the motions of the sea. Your expedition team will prepare you for your first landing with important wildlife guidelines and biosecurity procedures and start your lecture program to help you learn more about Antarctica's history, wildlife, and environment. 

Your wildlife experiences begin as you watch and photograph the many seabirds, including majestic albatrosses and giant petrels, following the vessel. On sea days, you may enjoy the vessel's facilities, including the gym and wellness center, or relax in one of the observation lounges. 

In the early morning, you cruise up the Beagle Channel before quietly slipping into a dock in Ushuaia to disembark around 8 am. Farewell to your expedition team and fellow passengers as you all continue your onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature.   

On disembarkation, passengers on flights departing before 2.00 pm will be transferred directly to Ushuaia Airport. In contrast, those fortunate enough to continue their travels in this spectacular region of the world will be transferred to your post-voyage Ushuaia accommodation. Passengers flying after 2.00 pm will have time to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, the details of which will be provided onboard before disembarkation.  

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, it is not recommended to book flights departing Ushuaia before 12:00 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.