The Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica

Antarctica is a land of superlatives. It is the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest and highest of all the major landmasses of the world. It is a continent of extremes, but also one of extreme beauty! Those fortunate enough to explore its icy shores cannot fail to be awe-struck by the sheer grandeur of the landscape, the towering glaciers, rugged snow-covered mountains and huge icebergs calved into myriad shapes by the relentless pounding of the Southern Ocean. This encircling ocean is, in turn, one of the richest of all seas and the basis for the food chain that supports Antarctica’s huge concentration of wildlife. Every spring, as the pack-ice slowly retreats, millions of penguins, seabirds and other creatures leave the vastness of these turbulent waters to converge on the continent and its surrounding necklace of islands, to breed and raise their young. By mid January the breeding season is at its peak, penguins and albatrosses are busily feeding chicks and the race to fledge is in full swing, before darkness descends once more, heralding the return of winter’s even icier grip.

In January 2027 and January 2029 Naturetrek will be taking full charter of the 109-berth, ice-strengthened, MV Plancius, with the aim of repeating the itinerary — and success — of our past exclusive charters around the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula. Taking a full charter of MV Plancius the key to the success of our polar expeditions, for it allows us to design the itinerary to include only the very best wildlife sites and to fill the ship with like-minded Naturetrek clients. It also allows us to bring along a selection of our most experienced naturalist tour leaders, ensuring that all aspects of natural history are covered and that our group enjoy three weeks of unforgettable wildlife sightings and breathtaking scenery! It is a winning formula we plan to repeat every few years.

We begin the holiday with a flight to Buenos Aires in Argentina, and then to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. From here we board our ship and head out along the Beagle Channel and into the Southern Ocean. En route to the Falkland Islands there will be plenty to entertain us, as the ship will be accompanied throughout by a wonderful variety of exciting seabirds. These are sure to include plenty of Black-browed Albatross and Southern Giant Petrel, plus the occasional Wandering Albatross. Indeed, an undoubted highlight for many will be our first sighting of a ‘Wanderer’ gliding effortlessly over the ocean, held aloft by the longest wings in the avian world.

We now have two days to enjoy the scenery and wildlife of the Falkland Islands. Arriving from Britain the visitor finds a landscape which brings to mind the northern isles of Scotland, although the wildlife is excitingly different. We will visit Rockhopper, Magellanic and Gentoo Penguin rookeries, plus colonies of Black-browed Albatross which nest on windswept tussock-covered slopes. King Penguins also nest here in smaller numbers, whilst in the surrounding seas we will be looking out for Commerson’s and Peale’s Dolphins.

A further two days of pelagic bird and whale-watching brings us to the isolated island of South Georgia, home to some of the world’s great wildlife spectacles. For the next four days we will enjoy the mountains, glaciers and abundant wildlife of this remote outpost, including - if the conditions allow - the vast King Penguin colony at St Andrew’s Bay. Huge Southern Elephant Seals crowd the beaches and create a somewhat grumpy obstacle course for the thousands of Macaroni and Chinstrap Penguins as they make their way to their huge and raucous colonies. Light-mantled Sooty Albatross also breed here and we will also take a quick break from the wildlife to visit the grave of Ernest Shackleton, one of history’s great Polar explorers. The whale-watching around South Georgia can also be superb with sightings of Humpback, Fin and Southern Right Whales all likely.

Moving on, we visit the South Orkney Islands before arriving at the Antarctic Peninsula itself, a truly awe-inspiring landscape that dwarfs the ship and its inhabitants. Flock after flock of Gentoo and Adélie Penguins porpoise rapidly through the water on their way to and from numerous breeding colonies. South Polar Skua and the ghostly white Snow Petrel are also to be seen here, whilst beneath the waves the summer bloom of plankton and krill attract ocean giants such as Humpback and Antarctic Minke Whales. The mighty Orca also patrols these waters and the menacing, almost reptilian, outline of Leopard Seals is frequently seen, as they lie hauled up on ice floes awaiting their next unfortunate penguin snack!

We will have four days in which to absorb the majesty and grandeur of the Antarctic Peninsula, before heading back out to sea for the final time to cross the Drake Passage, past Cape Horn, back to Ushuaia and ultimately home.