ANTARCTIC PENINSULA –
FLY THE DRAKE
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ANTARCTIC PENINSULA –
ITINERARY SUMMARY
| Day | Place | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Santiago, Chile | Spend the night in Santiago before your flight to Punta Arenas the following day |
| Day 2 | Santiago - Punta Arenas, Chile | Fly into Punta Arenas, explore, and spend the night in a hotel |
| Day 3 | Punta Arenas - King George Island | Fly to King George Island and embark your vessel for a briefing and welcome dinner |
| Day 4 | Antarctic Sound | Enjoy the wildlife and stunning landscpapes of this stretch of water |
| Days 5 - 7 | Antarctic Peninsula | Experience the wonder and awe of the incredible Antarctic Peninsula |
| Day 8 | South Shetland Islands | Explore these islands, what many consider the jewel in Antarctica's crown |
| Day 9 | King George Island - Punta Arenas | Farewell fellow passengers and crew before your return flight to Punta Arena, spend the night in a hotel |
| Day 10 | Punta Arenas - Santiago | Fly back to Santiago today to head home or continue your adventures |
SHIPS OFFERING THIS ITINERARY
Silver Endeavour
The Silver Endeavour brings new meaning to luxury in the Antarctic. Featuring 100 breathtaking suites to accompany up to 200 guests, you may never want your time on board to end. The ships sleek design fits all the specifications of Polar Class 6 enabling the Silver Endeavour to reach the farthest corners of the Earth.
The features on board seem somewhat endless. There’s a two story glass-enclosed solarium for relaxing as you watch the beautiful scenery pass you by or get a treatment at the full-service spa. Choose to dine from one of the six Michelin-level restaurants on board or spend sea days in one of the many other on board lavish public places. The ship is set to have a whole fleet of expedition toys including a fleet of 18 zodiacs, a submersible and two helicopters ready to take you on an adventure.
Silver Wind
The Silver Wind is a modern comfortable ship which has undergone refurbishments in December 2018 with a second planned for summer 2020 after her original build in 1995. Timelessly elegant and luxurious, the Silver Wind is enabled to comfortably carry 254 passengers (240 on Polar voyages) across her 6 passenger decks. Her new and improved strengthened ice-class hull makes for adaptable sailing through the Polar Regions with ease for whatever the conditions may bring.
Day 1 Santiago, Chile
Spend the night in Santiago before your flight to Punta Arenas the following day. Spend this day at your own leisure, exploring the city of Santiago or preparing for the adventure to come.
Day 2 Santiago – Punta Arenas, Chile
Arrive into Punta Arenas from your Santiago flight. Spend this day relaxing and finalising your preparations for your journey down South. Spend the night in a hotel.
Day 3 Punta Arenas – King George Island
Fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island and embark the ship to officially start your voyage!
As the largest of all the South Shetland Island, King George is considered the gateway to Antarctica. At just 120 kilometres from the Antarctic Peninsula and the only airport in the South Shetlands, it is the connection between “real life” and “Antarctic life”. More than 10 different nations have year-round or summer-only scientific research stations on the island (considering that 90% of the island is covered by snow and ice, that is quite an achievement!). Maintaining a base on the island allows membership of the Antarctic Treaty. There is even a Russian Orthodox church, with a permanent on-site priest. The island might be home to a few international scientists, but they are very much outnumbered by the diverse wildlife that considers King George Island rightfully theirs. Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins all commute to and from the Antarctic peninsula from the island, while Weddell and leopard seals are regular visitors and can be spotted either in the water or on the shore. Naturally, this brings a huge amount of birdlife: skuas and southern giant petrels are regular summer residents, attracted by the warm climate (warm being a relative term, average temperature is between 1.5 and -6.5˚C). The island was named after King George III after British explorer discovered it in 1819. Since then the island has been claimed by both Chile (1940) and Argentina (1943), but remains part of British Antarctic Territory.
Day 4 Antarctic Sound
Few voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to one of the planet’s most remote, extreme and enchanting wilderness, Antarctica. An adventure in its purest form, only a handful of people will ever be lucky enough to experience the majestic beauty of these monochrome landscapes first-hand. The Antarctic Sound will be one of your first encounters of this whitewash kingdom, located at the northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula – which sprawls up like a tentacle towards Tierra del Fuego, South America’s most southerly point, otherwise known as the ‘End of the World’. Taking its name from the first ship to brave the passageway between the peninsular and the Joinville Island groups back in 1902, the Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Come face-to-face with stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife that call this whitewash kingdom home. Watch on, as colonies of Gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you.
Days 5 – 7 Antarctic Peninsula
Cruise the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing along ice-filled fjords and among spectacular icebergs, while enjoying the company of sea birds, penguins, seals and whales. Each day, disembark by Zodiac and explore the landscape with your expert polar guides. On board the ship, attend an engaging program of lectures and presentations, and enjoy spectacular vistas from the glass-enclosed lounge while sharing your daily adventures with fellow guests.
No journey is the same, as flexibility is the key to success in Antarctica. The Expedition Team sets the voyage route to take advantage of the ever-changing opportunities provided by Nature, crafting a unique and extraordinary experience each time. While the itinerary will change with each expedition, you will explore several spots that offer the best possible overview of the varied Antarctic environment. Your voyage may include visits to sites such as Paulet Island, Hope Bay, Port Lockroy, Petermann Island, Paradise Bay, Deception Island, the Lemaire Channel, or many other magnificent places.
Day 8 South Shetland Islands
The ice-coated Antarctic Peninsula forms perhaps the most accessible region of mainland Antarctica, lying a mere 480-miles away from South America, across the fabled waters of Drakes Passage. Lying close to the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait, the South Shetland Islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little crowded at times. King George Island is the largest and most hospitable island, hosting the majority of the research stations – some of which are populated all-year-round by tiny, hardy crews. Don’t be fooled though, these islands offer extraordinary adventure in one of the most remote locations on earth. The triple peaks of Mount Foster tower above the archipelago, and you’ll feel your heart pumping a little quicker, as you sail into the core of Deception Island’s magnificent collapsed volcano caldera. Hike the luna landscapes within, and even dip into the improbably warm, geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove. Elephant Island, meanwhile, is written deep into the annals of Antarctic expedition legend, as the site where Ernest Shackleton and the stricken crew of the Endurance miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter, in 1916.
Day 9 King George Island – Punta Arenas
Return to King George Island and bid farewell to Antarctica before your flight to Punta Arenas. Spend the night in a hotel, reflecting on your incredible journey.
Day 10 Punta Arenas – Santiago
Today, fly back to Santiago from Punta Arenas to head home or continue your adventures!