We discover the quaint farms and bird life of the Falkland Islands before sailing to Antarctica, one of the last truly pristine regions on Earth – a photographer’s utopia and a naturalist’s wonderland.

Sailing towards the West Falkland Islands we’ll watch for Commerson’s dolphins and spot many species of bird as we walk along the islands’ windswept shores. Learn from onboard presentations as we cross the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula. Here we will sail through a place where nature is in charge and we are but fleeting visitors. On a typical day we make several landings but their location and frequency will depend upon weather and ice conditions.

On reaching the Peninsula we hope to visit Paulet Island, home to one of Antarctica’s largest colonies of Adélie penguins. The island seems to attract huge tabular icebergs and we’ll photograph the penguins and icebergs up close and visit a stone hut built during the Swedish Nordenskjöld expedition of 1902 after their ship was crushed by ice and sank. We plan to land on the continent at Brown Bluff, populated by literally thousands of birds such as Adélie and gentoo penguins, kelp gulls, pintado and snow petrels

Using our Zodiacs we cruise through Paradise Harbour where blue-hued glaciers fill the calm waters with an unforgettable vista of icebergs.  Plan to be on deck as, ice conditions permitting, we cruise through the Lemaire Channel, one of the most spectacular waterways in Antarctica.  Relax and enjoy some gourmet dining or watch for the albatross following our ship’s wake as we return to Ushuaia.