This itinerary will give you a brief idea of what you may encounter on this voyage. However we stress that this is an "expedition" style cruise. Our emphasis is on wildlife encounters, personal contact with the environs, visiting sites of historical interest and to a lesser extent scientific stations. Polar Pioneer is not a luxury ship although she is very comfortable with well-appointed cabins and common areas. She is maneuverable and strong, ideally suited for the sea passages between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The bridge is open to us at all times unless there is some tricky navigational situation.

Our actual program will vary to take best advantage of local conditions, spontaneous opportunities and wildlife. No two voyages are the same; there is always an element of the unexpected. This journey combines the best of the sub-Antarctic with the beauty of the Antarctic Peninsula.

In Ushuaia we will board Polar Pioneer around 4.00 pm for a 6.00 pm departure. Sailing down the Beagle Channel, we will settle into shipboard life, enjoy our first meal, and set our course for the Falkland Islands.

Cruising towards the Falklands we will commence our lecture program. Our various destinations are a photographer’s paradise, for the professional or the amateur. There will be discussions about how to protect your equipment from salt water and tips about taking good pictures, as well as discussions about approaching wildlife and using our Zodiacs.

The mood on board is definitely casual. A favourite pastime is to stand at the stern deck watching the many seabirds, including majestic albatross and giant petrels following our wake, skillfully using the air currents created by the ship to gain momentum. Feeling transformed, we approach the Falklands, receptive and open.

Weather permitting, we would like to visit New Island, half of which is owned by naturalist Ian Strange who is dedicated to the study and preservation of the wildlife. To get ashore we will use Zodiacs (inflatable rubber boats). A short walk across the grassy slope behind his farmhouse brings us to a large rock-hopper penguin colony, balanced on the edge of spectacular cliffs that drop steeply to the crashing surf. Between the penguins' nests are gentle black-browed albatross sitting serenely upon their beautifully moulded nests. The air is filled with soaring albatross, turkey vultures, skuas and many species of sea birds. We will also visit a small colony of Magellanic penguins whose burrows can be seen amongst the tussock grass.

If we have time we may also visit West Point Island where we will enjoy the hospitality of the family that own and farm this island. We may walk or be ferried by jeep to another rock-hopper penguin rookery and black-browed albatross colony. Alternatively we could set course for Sea Lion Island, a low-lying island that appears dull and uninteresting as we approach. But don't be fooled! The mud flats, beaches and tussock grass are teeming with creatures including, of course, the sea lions that breed here.

If time allows, we will also visit Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. We can visit the museum, go shopping, post letters, or simply enjoy a beer at the Globe Hotel.

Our lecture program will be resumed and we can share our experiences from visiting the Falkland Islands. Between the Falklands and South Georgia you will be entranced by the ceaseless flight of the many seabirds that follow our wake. You may decide to join the whale watchers on the bridge, or just relax and read a favourite book. If time and weather conditions permit we could pass close to Shag Rocks, a fascinating group of jagged rocky islets protruding from the sea. Blue-eyed cormorants fill the air and the meagre nesting sites are white with guano. We should approach South Georgia some time during late afternoon on the sixth day. South Georgia is a tiny speck in the far South Atlantic Ocean, located in one of the most desolate parts of the planet. A 9000-foot mountain range traces the spine of this long, narrow island. Between the mountains, shattered glaciers carve their way through tussock grass to the deeply indented coastline.

To us, South Georgia is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Though geographically speaking the island lies in the sub-Antarctic area, as do the islands of Macquarie and Heard, it has a climate more in keeping with the true Antarctic regions. This is because South Georgia lies wholly within the Antarctic Convergence. South Georgia is a British possession, having been claimed and named - for King George III by Captain James Cook on January 16th, 1775, who records in his journal:

"The wild rocks raised their lofty summits till they were lost in the clouds and the valleys lay buried in ever-lasting snow. Not a tree or a shrub was to be seen, no, not even big enough to make a toothpick. I landed in three different places, displayed our colours and took possession of the country in His Majesty's name under a discharge of small arms."
Quote from " Antarctic Housewife" by Nan Brown.

Originally a Norwegian sealing & whaling station, finally abandoned in 1965. Here we must be careful to avoid stepping on sleeping elephant seals as we walk tentatively amongst the ghostly remains of whale slips and blubber cookers. Abandoned ships lie sunken by old wharves, while pitted concrete walls remind us of the more recent Falkland's War. Sir Ernest Shackleton was laid to rest here and it is well worth a pilgrimage to visit the cross his men erected in his memory looking out across beautiful Cumberland Bay.

The sandy black beach is resting place for hundreds of elephant seals that have recently given birth to their pups. Behind the beach the sight and sound of tens of thousands of king penguins will overwhelm us in different stages of the breeding cycle. The glacial river that runs into the sea here will be alive with penguin chicks and elephant seal pups testing their aquatic techniques. If we can lift our gaze from the wildlife for just a moment, we will glimpse the snow-capped peaks of some of the world's most spectacular mountains.

Imagine indented bays lined with bleached whalebones, teeming with fur seals and penguins just hanging about. Here we give you the opportunity of clambering through the tussock to a spectacular plateau offering magnificent views across the island and waters beyond. A careful descent from the plateau leads us to a magnificent Macaroni penguin rookery.

One of the highlights will be visiting Albatross Islands where the serene wandering albatross sitting proudly on their cute downy chicks. We can sit within metres of these gentle birds whilst they perform intimate courtship dances, feed their young or clumsily launch themselves into the air, bound for a fishing trip.

Elsehul Bay
Royal Harbour
Cooper Bay
Drygalski Fjord
Larsen Harbour
Stromness
Leith Harbour
Salisbury Plains
or a host of other stunning wildlife destinations.

Leaving South Georgia we head across the Scotia Sea in a southwesterly direction towards the South Orkney Islands, a stunning group of islands, remote and alone jutting out of the sea.

The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once we are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of the sight of your first iceberg will remain with you forever. Today we hope to make landings on and around the South Orkney Islands. We hope to visit beautiful Shingle Cove on Coronation Island where we may have our first view of Adelie Penguins.

Today we set course for the Antarctic Peninsula. Our recaps and lectures will resume and there will be time to gather strength for the busy days ahead. We will attempt to land on historic Elephant Island, the outer limits of the South Shetlands.

Once we arrive in the calmer waters of Bransfield and Gerlache Straits, we will be making landings two to three times a day. Sometimes we will cruise along spectacular ice cliffs, or follow whales that are feeding near the surface. European chefs will prepare delicious meals, accompanied by good conversation, which will become a focal point of our shipboard life.

There are many exciting places that we would like to visit. A sample of these follows:

A unique landing place on the Peninsula. - A tiny toe of land that is literally alive with wildlife. Here we will find two species of penguins breeding, Chinstraps and Gentoo. Sometimes there are a few vagrant Macaroni penguins nesting as well. It is not uncommon to find wallows of elephant seal that are 60 beasts strong. On the ridgeline Giant Petrels are nesting. The vegetation consists of mosses, lichens and the only grass species that grows in Antarctica. All this set in a stunning position, underneath long black scree slopes, at the foot of the mountains and glaciers of Livingston Island.

A wildlife rich island tucked into a neat bay at the eastern end of Livingston Island. On a clear day the glaciers and mountains of Livingston Island dominate the scene. There is a large Chinstrap penguin rookery tucked in between basaltic turrets coloured by yellow and orange lichens. Gulls nest on these turrets and we often see fur seals and elephant seals hauled out on the pebble beaches. At one extremity of the island there is a large colony of nesting blue-eyed shags. At the other, a small Argentine scientific station conducts research on the penguin colony and ecology of the surrounding waterways.

Visiting Deception Island is like making a journey to the moon. We enter the volcanic crater, on board the ship, through the narrow opening of Neptune's Bellows. Inside is an unworldly scene, virtually devoid of life. Glaciers flow down from the edge of the crater, littered by black volcanic ash.

We can explore the lifeless remains of a derelict whaling station and a vacant British base or climb to the rim of the crater. Steam rises from the shore indicating that the water is actually warm enough for a swim, for those who dare. Outside the crater, if conditions allow, we will land at the enormous Chinstrap penguin rookery that featured in David Attenborough's Life in the Freezer series.

Paradise Bay
Lemaire Channel
Petermann Island
Penola Strait
Neko Harbour, Andvoord Bay
Antarctic Sound
Scientific Bases of
Arctowski - Polish
Ferraz - Brazilian
Port Lockroy - British
Paulet Island
Elephant Island
Nansen Island
Penguin Island
Aitcho Island
and many other surprises

Time to head back to Tierra del Fuego, with lectures and videos to complete our Antarctic education. A time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and felt and what impact this voyage has had on our attitude to life. As we approach the tip of South America, our Captain will sail close to legendary Cape Horn, weather conditions permitting.

During the early morning we should cruise up the Beagle Channel, before docking in Ushuaia around 0700.