Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica - Douglas Mawson

Arrive in Ushuaia (USH), where you will be met by a representative and transferred to your assigned pre-voyage hotel. If you are already in Ushuaia, we ask you to make your way to your hotel. Check-in is from 3 pm. This afternoon, visit the hospitality desk in the hotel lobby, between 3 - 7 pm to collect your luggage tags, and confirm if you wish to join the Lake Escondido pre-embarkation tour the following day. The team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information on where to dine or purchase last minute items.

Expeditioners arriving after 7 pm will find a welcome pack waiting for them at check-in. We ask you to visit our hospitality desk tomorrow between 8 am - 8.45 am. The remainder of your day is at leisure.

This morning, check out after breakfast. Please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number and take your cabin luggage to hotel reception, prior to, or at check-out. Your luggage will be stored and transferred directly to the port for clearance, to be placed in your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Please keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day.

Those wishing to join the Lake Escondido tour today, please meet in the hotel lobby at 8.45 am. This tour offers us an unforgettable panoramic drive through big valleys of glacial origin, evergreen and deciduous forests, waterfalls and rivers, in the vastness of the Andes Mountain Range. We will leave Ushuaia city to the northeast of Tierra del Fuego, driving through peat bog valleys to reach Garibaldi Pass, only accessible by a winding road that will take us to a panoramic point. From here we will have amazing panoramic views of Lake Escondido and, if weather conditions allow, of Fagnano Lake. We will start our descent towards the northeast to reach Fagnano Lake's shore where we will visit a local ranch. After appreciating the landscape, you will have the chance to enjoy the typical Fuegian Lamb barbecue. Enjoy some free time there before returning to Ushuaia for ship embarkation. Alternatively, enjoy your day at leisure and meet at your hotel lobby or from the meeting point at the parking lot near the pier (details will be given by our ground staff at the hotel), to be transferred to the pier for embarkation.

Once onboard, you'll have time to settle into your cabin before our important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, we'll gather on the deck to commence our adventure with spectacular views over Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.

As we commence the Drake crossing, make the most of the time on board the ship and enjoy informative lectures from the expedition team who will prepare you for your first landings. They will provide entertaining talks on Antarctica's history, wildlife and environment.

Enjoy watching and photographing the many seabird, including the majestic albatross and giant petrel, who follow in our wake. They rise and fall skilfully, using air currents created by the ship to gain momentum.

It is almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever. Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.

We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You'll want to layer up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whale, seal and porpoising penguin. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to shore, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.

While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you'll have the option to do that whenever conditions allow and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters - conditions permitting! In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whale travelling or feeding.

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship-cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. This is a great time to enjoy the observation lounge or make your way to the bridge (open at the captain's discretion) for uninterrupted views of Antarctica in all its splendour. Listen out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve into sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of the pristine paradise of the splendid white continent.

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

Enjoy informative and entertaining lectures from our expedition team and learn about the wildlife, history and culture of the places that you will visit on the voyage.

You may want to treat yourself to a massage in the wellness centre, stay active in the gym or borrow a book from our well-stocked library and relax in one of the many observation areas on board the vessel.

As you near the rugged island of South Georgia, spare a thought for Captain James Cook who arrived here in 1775 and believed it to be the northern tip of a great southern continent. In fact, it is a small island only 176 km long, but with a 3,000 m snow-capped mountain range, some of the world's largest congregations of wildlife and a truly fascinating human history, South Georgia is an island of incredible riches. On approach, jagged mountain peaks rise steeply, while seabird are often spotted soaring around the ship. Take a deep breath and marvel at the spectacular glaciated scenery and perhaps enjoy some shelter from the prevailing westerly winds. This enchanting island is yours to explore. Sea and weather conditions will determine our arrival time to South Georgia today.

South Georgia lies within the Antarctic Convergence and it can be quite chilly. Make sure you layer up before joining Zodiac cruises around craggy coves and along the rocky coastline in search of nesting penguin, seal haul-outs and bird cliffs. Remember to keep an eye out for South Georgia's kelp forests as well - these remarkable underwater ecosystems are quite mesmerising as their fronds sway back and forth on the water's surface.

Zodiacs will transport you from ship to shore, where you can visit some of the largest king penguin colonies on earth, take guided walks among fur seals and elephant seals, carefully clamber up tussock grass steps not fully knowing what or who lies ahead, and wander along pebbled streams, grassy glacial outwash plains.

We also hope to visit the remnants of South Georgia's thriving whaling stations and pay our respects to Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose incredible voyage of survival is synonymous with this island. If you have chosen an optional activity, you'll have the opportunity to do that whenever conditions allow.

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship-cruise through fjords with towering cliffs of ancient stone, or into deeply indented bays towards dramatic glacier fronts. This is a great time to find a comfy spot in the observation lounge to enjoy uninterrupted views of South Georgia's majestic coast.

As we sail towards the Falklands~Malvinas, there is plenty to keep you occupied on board. Our expedition team will continue to share their wealth of knowledge about the wildlife, history and natural world as part of the onboard lecture series.

Perhaps you may want to practise your photo editing skills, stay active in the gym, or simply watch seabirds frolic alongside the ship as we spend time at sea.

The Falklands~Malvinas comprises of two large islands (East and West Falkland), with over 700 islands scattered off the coast. All but seven of these are uninhabited, with windswept coastlines, white sand beaches and crystal clear water. These beautifully barren islands are true wildlife havens, sheltering an impressive diversity of birdlife, including the largest black-browed albatross colony on earth. The cold, nutrient-rich waters surrounding the islands make this a prime location for spotting marine life. There are many beautiful areas to explore across the Falklands, each offering a unique perspective on this magnificent archipelago. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing winds, weather and wildlife opportunities. Sea and weather conditions will determine our arrival time into the Falklands~Malvinas today.

There are many beautiful areas to explore across the Falklands~Malvinas, each offering a unique perspective on this magnificent archipelago. Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing winds, weather and wildlife opportunities.

Even though we ' re north of the Antarctic Convergence it can be quite chilly here, so you will want to layer up before joining Zodiac cruises into rocky coves or along sea cliffs, keeping watch for seals, sea lions, dolphins and penguins. On landings we may visit albatross colonies, penguin rookeries and perhaps even have a traditional English 'tea and scones ' at a local cottage.

Conditions permitting, we aim to land in historic Stanley, the capital of the Falklands~Malvinas. This charming town has a distinctly British character, with terraced town houses, pioneer cottages and even an iconic red telephone box! Colourful buildings house cosy cafes, English pubs, souvenir shops, a post office and the fascinating Historic Dockyard Museum, with displays on the maritime history of the Falkland Islands, natural history and links to Antarctica.

As we sail towards Ushuaia, you may choose to spend your precious time editing photos, enjoying the onboard facilities, or attend final lectures. Celebrate the end of an unforgettable voyage with newfound friends at a special Captain's farewell dinner.

With lectures and film presentations to complete our Antarctic experience, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the magic of the Southern Ocean and the life that calls it home. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. We hope you become ambassadors for the Antarctic region, telling your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.

During the early morning, we cruise up the Beagle Channel, before quietly slipping into dock in Ushuaia, where we will be free to disembark around 8.00 am. Bid farewell to your expedition team and fellow passengers as you all continue on your onward journeys. Upon disembarkation, for those continuing their travels in the region, transportation to the hotel will be arranged exclusively for guests who have booked to stay in downtown areas near the port. Expeditioners departing on flights prior to 12:30 pm will be directly transferred to Ushuaia Airport, those with flights after 12:30 pm will have the opportunity to explore Ushuaia before an afternoon airport transfer, and the transfer procedures and details will be communicated onboard before disembarkation.

Note: At the conclusion of the voyage, we do not recommend booking flights departing Ushuaia prior to 12 pm on the day of disembarkation in case there are delays.