Wednesday, January 26 - USA
Depart from home on your independent flight to Buenos Aires.

Thursday, January 27 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Upon arrival, transfer to our centrally-located hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or enjoy a sightseeing tour. Brunch, welcome dinner, and overnight at our hotel.

Friday, January 28 - Buenos Aires / Ushuaia / Board Clipper Adventurer
Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia where we have lunch and a tour before boarding the Clipper Adventurer. Set sail for the Falkland Islands this afternoon.

Saturday, January 29 - At Sea
Enjoy a day at sea as we make our way to the Falkland Islands. Lecturers introduce us to the natural and historical highlights ahead.

Sunday, January 30 - Carcass Island / Saunders Island, Falkland Islands
On Carcass Island we explore gentoo and Magellanic penguin rookeries and walk the beautiful beaches rich with seabirds. On Saunders Island we hope to see gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic, and king penguins, as well as black-browed albatross.

January 31–February 1 - Cruising the South Scotia Sea
Our lecturers recap our experiences and prepare us for our visit to South Georgia. On deck, join naturalists in search of seabirds and marine mammals that flourish in these nutrient-rich waters.

February 2–4 - South Georgia
Flexibility in this area is a must. Many of our leaders have been to South Georgia numerous times and, if the weather is in our favor, we may want to make a landing before breakfast or even after dinner. We call at some of the many islands, bays, and coves where we can see outstanding birdlife and elephant and fur seals close at hand. The following is a list of places we plan to visit on South Georgia. Some of them are pending final government approval.

Elsehul Bay - This beautiful bay is home to thousands of fur seals as well as macaroni penguins, the most numerous of all penguin species. Listen for the high-pitched trumpeting of king penguins amid the magnificent sounds of marine mammals that echo the bay.

Salisbury Plain - Two glaciers flank Salisbury Plain on South Georgia’s north coast. Here, more than 200,000 king penguins congregate and breed, and we are greeted by one of the more remarkable sights—and sounds—on Earth.

Stromness Bay - Site of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his party’s arrival after their harrowing crossing of the island’s glaciers on foot, Stromness offers views of cliffs and a glacier from which the adventurer and his companions descended.

Grytviken - We go ashore and explore here, discovering the old ruins of this once-active whaling station. The cemetery holds a special fascination, as it is here that Shackleton is buried. Walking along the coast, we spy seabirds, penguins, and marine mammals.

Gold Harbour - At the foot of the Bertrab Glacier, Gold Harbour is often referred to as the “jewel in the island’s crown.” In addition to a large king penguin colony, we are likely to see elephant and fur seals, gentoo penguins, giant petrels, and perhaps even some light-mantled albatross.

Saturday, February 5 - South Scotia Sea
Our lecture series continues as we venture south. Naturalists recap our memorable visit to South Georgia and introduce us to the history, geology, and wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula and its surrounding islands.

Sunday, February 6 - South Orkney Islands
These mountainous islands were once known as “The Inaccessible Islands.” In winter a solid sheet of fast ice joins this island group to the Antarctic Peninsula, some 450 miles away. A scene of unparalleled beauty awaits, with penguins everywhere, including Adelie, chinstrap, gentoo, and the occasional macaroni penguin.

Monday, February 7 - Elephant Island
This morning we arrive at Elephant Island, made famous by the Shackleton expedition. Awesome glaciers, speckled with pink algae, create a dramatic backdrop. Weather permitting, we enjoy a Zodiac cruise around the island and have an opportunity to view a thriving chinstrap penguin colony.

February 8–12 - Antarctic Peninsula
As we cruise the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula and its adjacent islands, our daily schedule of landings are dependent upon weather and ice conditions. There is the possibility that we may visit a research station and witness the scientific activities conducted by the multinational community of scientists working there. The expeditionary nature of our voyage precludes guaranteeing specific stops; in the past we have visited the locations below. This list serves as a guideline only of the places you may experience.

Brown Bluff - Located on the Antarctic continent, the volcanic promontory of Brown Bluff rises 2,450 feet above an ash beach littered with huge and bizarrely shaped boulders. Some 20,000 pairs of Adelie, and hundreds of gentoo penguins, make their home here. Skuas and pintado petrels nest near the top of the cliff and kelp gulls fill the air with perpetual sound and motion.

Deception Island - As we approach Deception through Neptune’s Bellows, a channel just wide enough for our ship to navigate, southern fulmars and pintado petrels soar overhead. Our anchorage is inside a volcano whose collapsed cone was filled by rushing seawater.

Lemaire Channel and Pleneau Island - Cruising the beautiful Lemaire Channel, we keep watch for the humpback and minke whales frequently spotted here. This narrow channel is one of the most visually impressive areas of the Antarctic Peninsula. Steep mountain peaks jut out of the sea on both sides, and the waters are often choked with icebergs and frequented by crabeater seals. A stunning labyrinth of grounded icebergs lies in the shallow waters west of Pleneau Island, presenting a superb Zodiac cruising experience. Crabeater and leopard seals haul out on the ice, and elephant seals and gentoo penguins occupy the island itself.

Petermann Island - Discovered by a German expedition in 1873-74 and named after geographer August Petermann, the island is home to the world’s southernmost colony of gentoo penguins. Snow-capped and small at just a mile long by half a mile wide, it offers close-up, picture-perfect scenes of penguins—both gentoo and Adelie—as well as skuas and blue-eyed shags.

February 13–14 - Drake Passage
During our Drake crossing, we have opportunities to see and photograph wandering and black-browed albatross, sooty shearwaters and white-chinned petrels. We keep a lookout for whales often seen in these waters.

Tuesday, February 15 - Ushuaia, Argentina / Disembark / Buenos Aires
Disembark in Ushuaia and transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires, connecting with your independent overnight flight to the USA.

Wednesday, February 16 - USA
Early-morning arrival in the USA and connect to flights homeward.

Clipper Adventurer

This sister-ship of Lyubov Orlova, built in 1975, underwent a $13 million conversion in 1998. She has a proud reputation as a well-appointed, elegant expedition ship for softer adventures. The ship is equipped with Zodiacs for shore landings and ocean level, cruising, yet offers fine dining, and a cabins with exterior views and facilities en suite.