Your journey begins in Ushuaia, Argentina, renowned as the planet's southernmost city. Nestled at the southern tip of South America, this charming town on Tierra del Fuego, often called "The End of the World," is your starting point. In the afternoon, board your vessel and sail through the scenic, mountain-lined Beagle Channel, embarking on an unforgettable adventure as evening falls.

During the next two days on the Drake Passage, experience the same rugged beauty that greeted the legendary polar explorers: cool salt breezes, rolling seas, and perhaps even a fin whale spouting up sea spray. Crossing the Antarctic Convergence—a natural boundary where frigid southern waters meet the warmer seas to the north—you enter the rich, biodiverse waters of the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Here, both marine and bird life flourish, and you may spot wandering albatrosses, grey-headed and black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels, and Antarctic petrels, among other remarkable seabirds.

Gray stone peaks sketched with snow, towers of broken blue-white ice, and dramatically different wildlife below and above. You first pass the snow-capped Melchior Islands and Schollaert Channel, sailing between Brabant and Anvers Islands.

Sites you may visit include:  
 
Danco Island – Activities here may focus on the gentoo penguins nesting on the island and the Weddell and crabeater seals that can be found nearby.

Neko Harbour – An epic landscape of mammoth glaciers and endless wind-carved snow, Neko Harbour offers opportunities for a Zodiac cruise and landing that afford the closest views of the surrounding alpine peaks.
 
Paradise Bay – You may be able to take a Zodiac cruise in these sprawling, ice-flecked waters, where there’s an excellent chance to encounter humpback and minke whales.

Pleneau & Petermann Islands – If the ice allows it, you could sail through the Lemaire Channel in search of Adélie penguins and blue-eyed shags. There is also a possibility of encountering humpback and minke whales here, as well as leopard seals.

Port Lockroy – After sailing through the Neumayer Channel, you may get a chance to visit the former British research station – now a museum and post office – of Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. You may also be able to partake in activities around Jougla Point, meeting gentoo penguins and blue-eyed shags. 
 
At the nearby sites, such as Damoy Point there may be the opportunity for snowshoeing to the old ski-way, this is also one of the favorite camping sites.

Wilhelmina Bay & Guvernoren is a great place to spot humpback whales. You also may embark on a Zodiac cruise ending at the ghostly wreck of the Guvernøren, a whaling vessel that caught fire here in 1915. Around the Melchior Islands, amid a frozen landscape peopled with icebergs, you may encounter even more whales, leopard seals, and crabeater seals.

Conditions on the Drake Passage determine the exact time of departure.

On the way north, while crossing the Drake, you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south. But they seem a little more familiar to you now and you to them.

In the afternoon, new passengers embark in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, located at the Beagle Channel. Sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

Spend these days sailing eastwards toward South Georgia. After passing the Antarctic Convergence, a natural boundary formed when north-flowing cold waters collide with warmer sub-Antarctic waters, you enter the circum-Antarctic upwelling zone. Not only does the marine life change, but the bird life changes, too: A variety of albatrosses and petrels show up, along with Cape pigeons and southern fulmars. 

Today, visit some of the world’s top king penguin rookeries. This time of year, you have a good chance of seeing these animals nesting on eggs with their chicks nearby. The rookeries are sometimes overflowing, with penguins traveling to and from the beach.
Possible visits in this region include:

Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Gold Harbour – Here, you can see the massive king penguin colony, elephant seals, and limitless fur seal pups playing in the surf.

Grytviken – You also have the opportunity to check out this abandoned whaling station, where king penguins walk the streets, and elephant seals lie around like they own the place – because they do! You might also see the South Georgia Museumands Shackleton’s grave here.

Cooper Bay – This is a fine place for a Zodiac cruise, and this bay also houses a rookery of macaroni penguins. King penguins, pintails, and giant petrels may also appear here.

Moltke Harbour – Located in Royal Bay, this scenic spot allows you to see the vast king penguin colony that lives here. 

A pleasant tailwind often accompanies the vessel through the westerlies, and on both sides of the Antarctic Convergence, you might see large numbers of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic seabirds.

Approach Gough Island for a zodiac cruise around Quest Bay, weather permitting. Here, you might see northern rockhopper penguins and sub-Antarctic fur seals. In previous years, it has been possible to circumnavigate most of Gough Island’s 33-mile circumference, taking in this area’s splendid scenery and abundant wildlife.

The remote islands of Tristan da Cunha are famed for their plentiful bird populations, including rockhopper penguins, several albatross species, petrels, skuas, terns, and many others. During this stage of your voyage, the goal is to visit the small settlement on the west side of the main island, but you might also land at Seal Bay on the south side of Tristan da Cunha or at Sandy Point on the east side.

In these stunning locations, you could encounter such exotic wildlife as yellow-nosed albatrosses and sub-Antarctic fur seals, all while exploring a rarely visited spot. You also intend to land at Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island, which offer great views of beautiful seabirds ranging from yellow-nosed albatrosses to brown noddies.

Two days are reserved at Tristan da Cunha in case of bad weather. Still, please remember that nature determines your itineraries here: Since the beginning of the Atlantic Odyssey cruise in 1998, adverse weather led to the cancellation of 35% of Tristan da Cunha's landings. If you have to divert for safety reasons, the team will find suitable alternatives.

Seabirds and dolphins indigenous to this region often follow the vessel.

After you land at Jamestown on Saint Helena Island, you can have the opportunity to enjoy the area’s local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic bird life. You can visit Longwood House, where Napoleon died in exile; walk the 699-step Jacob’s Ladder if you’re feeling ambitious; or snorkel the shallows offshore, seeing multitudes of tropical and subtropical fish. 

After you land at Jamestown on Saint Helena Island, you can have the opportunity to enjoy the area’s local culture, pleasant climate, and endemic bird life. You can visit Longwood House, where Napoleon died in exile; walk the 699-step Jacob’s Ladder if you’re feeling ambitious; or snorkel the shallows offshore, seeing multitudes of tropical and subtropical fish. 

Disembark after breakfast and fly home from Jamestown.