We’ve eliminated the anxiety of missed connections and flight delays by providing a two-night hotel stay at the beautiful Arakur Resort & Spa. Most flights arrive in Ushuaia in the late afternoon or early evening. Bring your bathing suit, lounge in the spa, or take a bath, and then get over your jet lag with good night’s sleep. You’ll have a full day on day two to relax at the resort or explore town, before embarkation on day three.

Today is all yours: explore some of the sights that Ushuaia has to offer, from museums to Argentinean leather markets, or continue relaxing at the lovely Arakur. Our optional evening briefing is a great opportunity for you to ask questions and meet some of your fellow travelers.

This morning, you’re free to explore Ushuaia or unwind at the resort until our mid-afternoon transfer to the ship. On board, you’ll be greeted by our expedition team and the ship’s officers. A concise safety and orientation briefing will be followed by the captain’s welcome dinner. After dinner, relax and take in the scenery on our early evening sail through the Beagle Channel, past porpoising Magellanic penguins, Rock Cormorants, and Black-browed albatross.

Among the wildlife spotting opportunities as we sail south are the albatrosses, prions, and petrels that frequently follow the ship. Our expedition team will be out on deck as well, looking for the whales and dolphins that can be seen in the area. Our experts will begin their presentations with informative and entertaining talks on the wildlife, history, and geology of the Falkland Islands and Southern Ocean.

The westernmost settled outposts in the Falklands are remote farms that have been family-owned for six and seven generations. The sheep graze alongside albatross colonies and Rockhopper, King, and Magellanic penguin rookeries while striated caracaras patrol overhead and upland geese graze at the water's edge. A visit to one of these homesteads often includes an invitation for cakes and a cup of tea.

Chosen for its sheltered harbor and access to abundant fresh water and peat for fuel, Stanley is easy to discover on foot as most shops and services are centered on the port. The museum, the post-office featuring first day covers, plenty of shops with locally made wool items, and Stanley's lively pubs will all be available. It is possible to experience the wildlife of the Falklands from the town including sea lions and Peale's and Commerson's dolphins in the harbor or bird life in nearby Gypsy Cove.

There will be plenty of wildlife spotting as we make our way east across the Antarctic Convergence and officially enter Antarctic waters. Shipboard presentations will continue, featuring the exciting history and abundant wildlife of South Georgia.

Its unique position inside the Antarctic Convergence yet outside the limit of the yearly sea ice, makes this 1,500 sq mi (3,755 sq km) island home to tens of millions of breeding penguins, seals and seabirds. Magnificent mountain scenery, glaciers galore, a rugged coastline punctuated with castellate and tabular icebergs, a rich historical tapestry, and an astounding array of wildlife are all available to us as we travel down South Georgia's leeward coast.

Landing sites feature huge Elephant seals, aggressive Fur seals, Gentoo penguins, albatross, petrels, skuas, and gulls. King penguins from fuzzy little chicks to fattened adults can be seen in the hundreds of thousands. We will visit historic Grytviken whaling station, home of the whaling museum, Norwegian seaman's church, the active British Antarctic Survey station plus the tiny graveyard where the great Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried.

Heading farther south, we continue our informative presentations and wildlife watch as the icebergs become more and more plentiful.

In the waterways of the Antarctic Peninsula, we will hope to make as much time as possible to explore by inflatable Zodiac boats and marvel up close at nature’s glory. Our expedition leader and captain will create a flexible itinerary based on weather, ice, and opportunity. We will aim for the most scenic bays and channels of the Peninsula with stops at penguin rookeries, seal wallows, bird colonies and whale feeding areas, as well as sites of historic and scientific interest.

Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins abound, and Weddell, Crabeater and Elephant seals are often found hauled out to rest along with predatory Leopard seals and the assertive Antarctic Fur seal. Minke and Humpback whales are frequent visitors in the late season and Orca sightings are also common.

This part of the trip may include the historically rich Elephant Island, the stunning and picturesque Antarctic Sound where giant tabular icebergs drift in the current. Depending on weather and ice conditions we may land on the continent at Brown Bluff where wildlife thrives and explore the Humpback whale favored Cierva Cove and Gerlache Strait. If time and weather permit, we may stop off in the South Shetlands and visit Deception Island, the famous Whaling station in Whalers Bay, or take one last look at the penguins at Halfmoon Island before heading North.

As we leave this magical place and make our way north, heading again across the Antarctic Convergence and the Drake Passage, we will continue our presentation series and wildlife spotting. Sailing back to Ushuaia through the Beagle Channel, we celebrate the conclusion of our expedition with a special slideshow.

Morning disembarkation lets you catch a flight to Buenos Aires or stay in Ushuaia for more sights and adventure.