This voyage explores the extraordinary landscapes and wildlife of the Falkland and South Shetland Islands. From dalliances with the king penguins of the Falklands to sailing between the same ice-floes as Shackleton and, finally, walking the unique trails of Deception Island – an active volcano. This is a varied and unique expedition.
M/V Ortelius is a former Russian scientific vessel, built in Poland. Named after the cartographer who published the first modern world atlas, Ortelius is a good expedition vessel for exploring the more remote polar regions because of its high ice-class rating (meaning it can navigate difficult conditions). It also has a large amount of deck space from which passengers can observe the passing wilderness and a good number of on-board experts and Zodiacs to maximise wildlife-viewing
Itinerary
[+] Detailed Itinerary
Day 1:
Falkland Islands
Flight from Santiago de Chile to the Falkland Islands. In the late afternoon we set sail to Volunteer Point, where an evening landing is scheduled. Volunteer Point offers Magellanic Penguins, ca. 850 breeding pairs of Gentoo Penguins and 500 breading pairs of King Penguins.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Dinner
Day 2:
Observe Wildlife at Sea Lion Island
Sea Lion Island in the south is famous for its large breeding site of Elephant Seals and during our hike to the west we may observe sea lions and at Rockhopper Point ca. 470 pairs of Rockhopper Penguins. Other birds are King Cormorants, Southern Giant Petrels, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins. Killer whales are regularly spotted close to shore.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 to 4:
At Sea
At sea. We will observe several species of albatrosses, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5:
Falklands history
We schedule two landings on Elephant Island. The Island will always be connected with the British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. After the loss of his ship Endurance in the Weddell Sea, he and his crew finally reached Elephant Island on drifting ice floes. They established a camp on Elephant Island (Wild Point), but decided to set sail with an open life boat to South Georgia from where they could travel back to England. At Wild Point we will try our first landing, where we can visit the monument for Shackleton and his men. In the south at Cape Lookout we will make a second attempt. On Elephant Island we can observe Gentoo, Macaroni and Chinstrap Penguins, Wilson’s storm-Petrels and Fur Seals.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6:
Hope Bay
Hope Bay, at the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Antarctic Sound, was discovered by the Swedish Antarctic expedition of Nordenskjöld in 1902. Three expedition members spent the winter there (hope) and it was therefore named Hope Bay. The remains of their hut can be found close to the vessel’s landing site. On Hope bay we can observe Adélie Penguins and Snowy Sheatbills are also commonly present.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7:
South Shetland Islands
We will visit Astrolabe Island which was discovered by the French Expedition of Jules Dumont d’Urville (1837-40) and named after his expedition ship Astrolabe. Alternatively we visit Half Moon Island. The latter is situated on the east side of Livingstone Island and was known by sealers as early as 1821. Confirmed nesting sites include Chinstrap Penguins, Blue-eyed Shags, Wilson’s storm-Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Snowy Sheatbills, Antarctic Terns and Antarctic Brown Skuas. Southern Elephant Seals as well as Antarctic Fur Seals regularly haul-out on the beaches.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8:
Deception Island
At Deception Island, we will try to land at Baily Head home to a colony of ten thousands Chinstrap Penguins (please note this landing is not always guaranteed and is only possible in good weather conditions). Good walkers may hike from Baily Head over the ridge of the crater into Whalers Bay, while our ship braves its entrance into the crater through the spectacular Neptune’s Bellow into the ring of Deception Island.
Deception itself is a sub-ducted crater, which opens into the sea, creating a natural harbour for the ship. Here we find hot springs, an abandoned whaling station, thousands of Cape Pigeons and many Dominican Gulls, Brown and South Polar Skuas and Antarctic Terns. Wilson’s Storm Petrels and Black-bellied Storm Petrels nest in the ruins of the whaling station in Whalers Bay.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 to 10:
At sea
At sea - On our way north we are again followed by a great selection of seabirds while crossing the Drake Passage.
Overnight Cruise Boat (H++)
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11:
Back to Ushuaia
We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.
Included meals: Breakfast
