Antarctica, Falkland Islands, & South Georgia: Ushuaia to Montevideo

The small city of Ushuaia is the perfect starting point for your expedition cruise to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Located near the southern tip of South America, it boasts beautiful views of the Andres Mountains and the Beagle Channel. Stroll the lively main street of cafes, shops and outfitters, perhaps picking up a last-minute item for your voyage, or enjoying a typical Argentine grill entrée at one of the many casual restaurants. If you arrive early, visit beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park.

Arriving at the ship in the afternoon, your Expedition Team and ship's officers greet you and present a safety and orientation briefing followed by the Captain's welcome dinner. Then, watch the city lights fade in the fresh night air as you sail seaward down the scenic Beagle Channel.

Through presentations and informal conversations, your team of experts on Antarctic wildlife, history and geology enlighten you about what to expect to see in the days ahead. Keep a sharp eye out as you cross the Antarctic Convergence, where ocean dynamics create a unique zone of marine life and activity. In the early evening of the fourth day, weather and sea conditions permitting, plan to have your first landing in the South Shetland Islands.

In the region of the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, get a great variety of opportunities to actively explore the unique wildlife and breathtaking scenery. With nearly 200 recognized sites here, the Expedition Team uses all of its experience to offer you the best places and ways to explore the enchanting world of the Sixth Continent. A flexible planning is a key to successful expedition.

Your Captain and Expedition Leader do their best to show you all the faces of Antarctica. Hope to tick off 5 penguin, 6 seal, and several whale species in the Antarctic check-list. While cruising along narrow Antarctic waterways admire huge icebergs of different shapes, sizes and colors. Visit scientific stations representing several different countries and learn about Antarctic scientific research straight from the source. Setting foot on the actual Antarctic Continent is also on the agenda.

On the way to South Georgia, the ship crosses the Scotia Sea. Attend informative presentations, or watch for a multitude of southern seabirds including several species of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, prions and skuas.

For many, South Georgia is a not-to-be-missed destination within the Antarctic region. These sub-Antarctic islands are mountain peaks emerging from the Scotia Arc, an underwater mountain chain that extends from the Andes to the White Continent. Shaped like a long and narrow whalebone, the islands are home to:

∙ Four seal species – southern elephant seal, Antarctic fur seal, Weddell seal, and leopard seal.
∙ Several whale species – southern right whales, humpbacks, fin whales, sperm whales, killer whales (orcas), and southern bottlenose whales.
∙ Antarctic seabirds, about 46% of the world's breeding population of grey headed albatrosses; northern giant petrels, white chinned petrels and Antarctic prions. Most of the world's population of the South Georgia blue eyed shags live there - some 7,500 pairs.
∙ Penguins – around half the world's population of macaroni penguins, along with 100,000 pairs of Gentoo penguins and about 6,000 breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins.
∙ The most attractive residents of South Georgia are king penguins with their orange-yellow crowns. The total number of king penguins is around 400,000 breeding pairs.

Spend three days among the alpine landscapes and penguin colonies. Also visit the historic settlement of Grytviken. With its whaling-era remnants and Earnest Shackleton’s gravesite, the one-time whaling town is one of the highlights of South Georgia.

More informative presentations are in store these next few days, as the ship heads to the Falkland Islands.

The Falkland Islands offer an unforgettable vista of moors and rugged coastlines carved by the South Atlantic, where the wildlife and plant life form a link between Patagonia and Antarctica. On the beaches, elephant seals are a spectacular sight when battling among themselves to establish territories or just simply relaxing. Sea lions and fur seals are also common sights. As many as a million penguins nest in the Falklands every summer, representing five of the world’s seventeen species – king, Gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic and macaroni. The Falklands are home to the largest population of Gentoo penguins on Earth. Look for black-browed albatrosses nesting on grassy hillsides overlooking the sea.

The capital of the Falklands, Port Stanley, is the southernmost British outpost in the world. With many reminders of its British heritage, such as red phone booths and English pubs, the town boasts other unusual sights like a whalebone arch and shipwrecks along the coast.

Reality begins to set in during this final sea passage separating the magic world you’ve just explored from the rest of the world you'll soon be rejoining. Refresh your memories through a photo exchange with new found friends, and bid farewell to seabirds and whales that you can identify more easily now.

Arrive in the morning in Montevideo and disembark.