South Georgia, Falklands & Antarctic Odyssey

Arrive in Ushuaia, where an Aurora Expeditions representative will greet you and transfer you and fellow expeditioners to your designated pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, please proceed directly to your hotel. Check-in is available from 3:00 pm.  

This afternoon, visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the hotel lobby between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm to collect your luggage tags and confirm participation in tomorrow’s Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour. The team will provide embarkation details, answer questions, and offer dining and last-minute shopping recommendations.  

Expeditioners arriving after 7:00 pm will receive a welcome pack at check-in and are requested to visit the hospitality desk between 8:00 am and 8:45 am the following morning.  

The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure. All meals today are at your own expense.

Assigned accommodation: To be advised

This morning, enjoy breakfast and check out. Ensure your cabin luggage is securely tagged with your name and cabin number, then drop it off at hotel reception before or during check-out. Your luggage will be safely stored and transferred to the port for clearance, arriving in your cabin before your embarkation. Keep all valuables and personal items with you throughout the day.  

Please meet in the hotel lobby at 8:45 am for those joining the Lake Escondido tour. This excursion takes you on a breathtaking panoramic drive through glacial valleys, lush evergreen and deciduous forests, and past waterfalls and rivers, all set against the backdrop of the Andes. Traveling northeast of Ushuaia, pass through peat bog valleys before ascending the winding road to Garibaldi Pass. From this vantage point, enjoy stunning views of Lake Escondido and, weather permitting, Fagnano Lake. Descend toward Fagnano Lake’s shore to visit a local ranch, where you can take in the scenery and savor a traditional Fuegian lamb barbecue. After some free time, return to Ushuaia for embarkation.  

Alternatively, enjoy a leisurely day before meeting in the hotel lobby or at the designated meeting point near the pier (details provided by your ground staff) for your transfer to the ship.  

Once onboard, settle into your cabin before attending mandatory safety briefings. As the ship departs, gather on deck to take in sweeping views of Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego, marking the start of your Antarctic expedition.  

This evening, join your fellow expeditioners, the expedition team, and the crew for a welcome dinner, celebrating the journey ahead.

Settle into your stateroom and make yourself comfortable! The onboard gym, well-being center, and well-equipped library are yours to discover, and your expedition team will offer a series of presentations on Antarctica’s history, wildlife, and environment to help enrich your experience. Collect your Muck Boots and attend important biosecurity, wildlife-watching guidelines, and Zodiac safety briefings in preparation for your first landing in Antarctica. 

On day four, the excitement is palpable as you near the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, with everyone converging on the observation decks to spot their first iceberg. Now that you’re south of the Antarctic Convergence, the ocean takes on a new character, surrounded by porpoising penguins and dramatic icebergs. The memory of your first iceberg sighting will likely remain with you forever. Time and weather permitting, you may attempt your first Antarctic landing in the late afternoon.

It is 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 many choices available. Because you are so far south, 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 daily, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions, and wildlife opportunities. 

You generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. 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 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. If you have chosen an optional activity, you can have the option to do participate in the activity whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting! The polar plunge can take place any time during the voyage, so listen out for the announcement from the expedition team and get ready for the most exhilarating dip of your life!  

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 traveling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain’s discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendor. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into the sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent. 

If you have chosen an optional activity, you have the option to enjoy that activity whenever conditions allow.

Enjoy informative and entertaining lectures from your expedition team and learn about the wildlife, history, and culture of the places you can visit on the voyage. You may want to use the sauna and jacuzzis, stay active in the gym borrow a book from the well-stocked library, and relax in one of the many observation areas on board the vessel.

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

As you near the rugged island of South Georgia, 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. Still, with a 3,000 m (9,842 ft) snow-capped mountain range, some of the world’s largest congregations of wildlife, and a truly fascinating human history, South Georgia is an island of incredible riches. On approach, jagged mountain peaks rise steeply, while seabirds are often spotted soaring around the ship.  

Remember to layer up before joining Zodiac cruises around 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.  

Zodiacs will also shuttle you from ship to shore, where you can visit some of the largest king penguin colonies on the planet, 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.

As you sail towards the Falklands~Malvinas, there is plenty to keep you occupied on board.

Your expedition team will continue to share their wealth of knowledge about the wildlife, history, and natural world as part of the onboard lecture series. You can have ample time to enjoy observing seabirds from the stern of the ship, keeping a close watch for whales and other marine wildlife, or simply enjoying the many facilities on the ship.

Sea and weather conditions will determine your arrival time to the Falklands~Malvinas today.

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.  

Even though you are north of the Antarctic Convergence, it can be quite chilly here, so layer up before joining Zodiac cruises into rocky coves or along sea cliffs, keeping watch for seals, sea lions, dolphins, and penguins. You may visit albatross colonies and penguin rookeries on landings and perhaps even have a traditional English ‘tea and scones’ at a local cottage.

Conditions permitting, you aim 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.

With lectures and film presentations to complete your Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the South Atlantic Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what you have seen and experienced. Tell your family, friends, and colleagues about your journey to this magical part of the planet, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region and experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.  

As you approach the tip of South America, your Captain may sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather and time permitting.

During the early morning, you cruise up the Beagle Channel before quietly slipping into a dock in Ushuaia, where you can disembark around 8:00 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. 

Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked their accommodations through Aurora or for those staying in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 12:30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport. Those with flights after 12:30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.

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