Antarctic Peninsula: Fly the Drake - Fly/Fly Expedition

Upon arrival in Punta Arenas, you are greeted by a representative and taken to your hotel. Please ensure your arrival is no later than 2:00pm for an essential briefing later in the evening.

Stop by the hospitality desk in the lobby between 2:00pm – 6:00pm to collect your luggage cabin tags. The team provides embarkation details, addresses queries, and offers dining and last-minute shopping suggestions.

Situated overlooking the Straits of Magellan, Punta Arenas lies along one of history's significant trade routes. It reflects Chile's diverse cultural heritage, blending influences from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors. Modern Punta Arenas boasts an array of restaurants and bars offering local and international cuisine (meals not included today).

At 7:00 pm, join fellow expeditioners for a voyage briefing. We confirm transfer times for the following day, discuss flight procedures to King George Island, and review important IAATO regulations for Antarctic visitors.

Afterward, there’s free time to enjoy the local cuisine at one of Punta Arenas’s many restaurants.

Note: Please arrive no later than 4:00 pm so that you may attend the important voyage briefing by approximately 7:00 pm. In this meeting, your transfer times and the procedures for your flight to King George Island will be reconfirmed, and IAATO regulations for visitors to Antarctica will be discussed.
 

In the morning, you are transferred to Punta Arenas airport for your charter flight to King George Island, Antarctica (weather permitting). The flight takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Upon arrival at King George Island, the expedition team is on hand to greet you for your Zodiac transfer to board the vessel. You have time to settle into your cabin before the important briefings.

Note: A clear sky with great visibility is required for safe take-off and landing at King George Island. Should the weather be uncooperative at this remote airstrip, flights can be moved earlier, or delayed later.  Historically, 85% of flights occur on the day they are scheduled.  But if this is not possible, the ship operator will follow their established contingency plan, which can be read here. 

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 freshest, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever. The western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and you have a host of choices available to us. Because you are so far south, you will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

You generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You’ll want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of your favourite 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. If you have chosen an optional activity, you’ll have the option to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course, keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting!

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, you may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from the summit to sea, and take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

As you approach Frei Base on King George Island, it is time to farewell Antarctica and your amazing adventure before boarding your return flight (approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes) to Punta Arenas, Chile. On arrival at the Punta Arenas airport, you will be transferred to your group hotel. 

Please note: If the weather at King George Island does not allow for flights this morning, the ship operator will follow their well-established contingency plan, again. 

After breakfast, bid a fond farewell to your fellow travelers as you all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. A transfer to the airport is included in the voyage fare. 

Please note: Flights arranged for later in the day provide more buffer against any of those potential flight delays out of King George Island.