FALKLANDS, SOUTH GEORGIA & VALDES PENINSULA

SHIPS OFFERING THIS ITINERARY

LE SOLEAL

The Le Soléal provides a luxurious and comfortable experience to the final frontier – Antarctica. Carrying a maximum of 200 passengers she creates a welcoming and intimate atmosphere for you to take in the awe of this majestic continent. This ship offers excellent facilities including a spa, fine dining restaurants and exquisite décor throughout. The fleet of Zodiacs take you off the ship on excursions to explore the wonders of Antarctica.

LE BOREAL

The Le Boréal (200 guests) was launched in May, 2010. She features elegant design and innovative state-of-the-art marine technology. The vessel boasts a convenient layout, aided by three passenger elevators. She offers a single seating dining room, al fresco dining, an outdoor heated pool, and a modern lecture facility and theatre, as well as an ample and comfortable gathering area and library.

L’Austral

L’Austral (200 guests) was launched in May, 2011 and is a sister ship to Le Boreal and Le Soleal. She features 132 staterooms offering elegant design as well innovative state-of-the-art marine technology. The vessel boasts a convenient layout, aided by three passenger elevators. She offers a single seating dining room, al fresco dining, an outdoor heated pool, and a modern lecture facility and theatre, as well as an ample and comfortable gathering area and library.

Day 1 Buenos Aires

Overview:

Arrive in Buenos Aires and head to your hotel. Here you will be met by local representative. Check-in for the hotel is available from late morning. Enjoy the remainder of the day relaxing or exploring the city. Enjoy a dinner with some of your fellow travellers.

Day 2 Ushuaia, Argentina

In the morning, you will be given a light morning breakfast before leaving for the airport for your Buenos Aires/Ushuaia flight which you will be transferred to the airport for. You will be greeted at the airport in Ushuaia before transferring to either an optional (additional cost) Tierra del Fuego National Park excursion or choose to enjoy a lunch in Ushuaia.

In the afternoon you will board your ship in port and set sail.

Days 3 – 5 At Sea

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. There is plenty to do on your way to South Georgia. Perhaps you would like to unwind at the spa or simply admire the vastness of the ocean from the panoramic lounge.

Days 6 – 8 South Georgia

Aboard your ship, discover South Georgia, a region formed by an underwater mountain chain that extends from the Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula. All the wildlife of the Far South can be found there: king and Gentoo penguins, elephant seals, fur seals… You might get the chance to discover the majestic glaciers of Gold Harbour and the vast plains of Fortuna Bay. If you are fortunate enough to land at Salisbury Plain, you can expect a wonderful spectacle: more than 300,000 king penguins, which you will recognise by the bright orange mark on their head and neck, have taken up residence there.

Days 9 – 10 At Sea

This journey without a port of call will be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, to do some shopping in the boutique, or many other activities.

Days 11 Port Stanley and Volunteer Point

Situated at the far eastern end of the Falklands’ largest island, Port Stanley, is the capital of this remote archipelago in the South Atlantic, composed of nearly 700 islands and islets. In 1764, Louis Antoine de Bougainville settled the first pioneers here and the port grew rapidly. Placed under the Spanish crown in 1767, then under British sovereignty since 1833, the town has retained some South American features fused with the Victorian style that punctuate the city, and the houses with their colourful roofs brighten the moorland landscapes with their windy and harsh climate reminiscent of the Scottish islands of Orkneys or Shetland. In front of the Cathedral, built in 1933, an arch made of whale jaw bones reminds us that Port Stanley was once a whaling port.

A peninsula located at the far north-east of the Falkland Islands, Volunteer Point, named after the ship The Volunteer which called there in 1815, promises moving encounters in the heart of totally unspoiled nature. Due to its exceptional birdlife, the spot is identified as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and is, above all, renowned as the home of the island’s largest king penguin colony. These elegant birds, which are expressive and not particularly timid, will offer you moments of pure awe and the opportunity to take magnificent photos. You’ll certainly be touched by the fledglings, dressed in their thick brown plumage.

Days 12 The Neck, Saunders Island and Carcass Island

The Neck is a narrow stretch of land connecting the two sides of Saunders Island, located on the north-western edge of the Falklands. You’ll safely enter these blustery surroundings with the assistance of your naturalist guides. And once there, a reward awaits you: a veritable paradise of endless shoreline lapped by turquoise waters. Several bird species, also attracted to this stunning location, have settled here. At the other end of The Neck, you’ll encounter Magellanic penguins, southern rockhopper penguins, black-browed albatross and king penguins, all basking in the beauty of their surroundings.

Situated in the north-west of the Falklands, Carcass Island was named after the ship HMS Carcass, which visited the island in the late 18th century. Its landscapes, combining steep rocks, sheer cliffs, wild expanses and white-sand beaches, form a rich and varied panorama that amateur or experienced bird watchers will appreciate. On this island, one of the few where no predators have been introduced, numerous species of birds live, breed and are born in total serenity. Due to the fresh, windy and humid subarctic oceanic climate, a fauna and flora similar to those of Patagonia, situated 460 km (286 miles) away, thrive here. You could get the chance to observe royal or southern rockhopper penguins.

Days 13 West Point Island and Steeple Jason Island

It is no coincidence that West Point Island was once called Albatross Island. Like everywhere else in the Falkland Islands, seabirds have taken up residence here. Among them, the huge colonies of black-browed albatrosses observe your arrival by zodiac dinghy, from the surrounding cliffs. The gentoo and king penguins are also curious about travellers arriving by sea. The turquoise waters of the island wash up against the undulating shores, where the stretches of yellow gorse brighten the scenery composed by this wild natural environment. On the hill overlooking the bay stand the dwellings of the few people still living in this remote land. The calm and serenity of the island is only broken by the sound of the wind.

If one island of the Falklands calls for use of superlatives, it would undoubtedly be Steeple Jason. Located at the extreme north-west corner of the Falklands, the island is home to the largest black-browed albatross colony in the world. You’ll be rapt at the sight of these magnificent birds with black-contoured eyes. Photographers will delight in immortalising the endless ballet of the albatross, who soars majestically and then alights awkwardly amidst nests. Caracaras, gentoo penguins and Magellanic penguins are also abundantly present, as if to prove to the visitor that here nature is king.

Day 14 At Sea

For lovers of the open sea, visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species.

Day 15 Camarones

Camarones is a small town located in Chubut Province, in Southern Argentina. Chubut stretches from the Atlantic to the Andes, the coast is marked by high cliffs and sandy beaches. Before the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, nomadic indigenous people had inhabited the Patagonia region. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish missionaries settled. Camarones is the head town of the Florentino Ameghino department which is noted for its wealth of geological and paleontological features. People are attracted to the region by its lengthy unspoiled coastline and its fauna. Camarones means ‘shrimps’ in Spanish, once the town was well-known for the abundance of shrimps in its bay.

Days 16 – 17 Puerto Madryn

On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Argentinian province of Chubut, stands the city of Puerto Madryn nestling in the Golfo Nuevo and surrounded by wild and abundant nature. You will be able to follow the narrow strip of land formed by the isthmus for a few kilometres, to reach the Valdes Peninsula nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its microclimate, protected from the extreme conditions of the Southern Atlantic, makes this an ideal breeding ground for southern right whales in winter, but also for southern elephant seals, southern sea lions, and orcas. You may get the chance to spot numerous birds, Magellanic penguins, guanacos and Patagonian maras living in this desert steppe.

Days 18 – 19 At Sea

Don’t forget to look to the sky to catch a glimpse of elegant albatross and Cape petrels, playfully floating about in the wind around your ship. You will also have time to sort through your photos, use the onboard facilities, attend lectures, visit the spa, or relax in the lounge areas sharing stories with fellow travellers of your adventure for the remainder of your cruise.

Day 20 Disembark in Buenos Aires

After breakfast you will farewell the expedition team and crew in Buenos Aires. A port city built on the south-western shore of the Rio de la Plata, between the Atlantic Ocean and the vast Argentine Pampas, Buenos Aires is a unique city in Latin America. Nicknamed “the Little Paris of South America”, the Argentine capital is a clever blend of architecture with European influences and a joyful Latin American atmosphere. Designed on an orthogonal grid plan, it has 48 districts, all of which are as charming as they are different, with a range of styles such as Belle Époque, gothic and baroque. With its markets overflowing with treasures, its legendary cultural and architectural heritage, and tango providing its background music, the Argentine capital will delight you on every street corner.