Day 1: Puerto Madryn, Argentina
The expedition starts in Puerto Madryn, where we overnight at a centrally located hotel. Further on in this brochure you can read about our domestic flights and extension in Buenos Aires.

Day 2: Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Today we visit Peninsula Valdés, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to countless elephant seals, sea lions and magellanic penguins. We also have good chances of seeing the magnificent southern right whales which congregate here every year to give birth to their calves. In the afternoon we embark the Polar Star and set sail.

Day 3 - 4: At Sea
We spend two days at sea accompanied by hundreds of sea birds such as pintado petrels, fulmars and the impressive wandering albatross. Our on-board specialists give lectures on the wildlife and history of the area.

Day 5 - 6: The Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are isolated and windswept, but a haven for wildlife. Wandering across beautiful yellow goarse-covered islands we meet gentoo, magellanic and rockhopper penguins. Armies of majestic king penguins march along the white sandy beaches. Higher up on the islands we see nesting albatrosses and in the surrounding waters we may encounter dolphins and porpoises. Places we are planning on visiting are West Point Island in the northwest and Sea Lion Island in the southeast, where we can see three penguin species and many endemic sea and land birds. We will make sure to visit some of the many historic sites on the island and to call at Port Stanley, the charming capital of the Falklands.

Day 7 - 8: The Southern Ocean
While we continue southeast we listen to interesting lectures. Circling the ship are blackbrowed, wandering and perhaps even royal albatrosses. We cross the Antarctic convergence where the cold polar waters meet the warmer northerly currents. We are now officially in Antarctica - keep a lookout for the first iceberg, which may appear on the horizon at any time!

Day 9 - 16: South Georgia
The plan is to spend eight full days on this paradise island with snow-clad mountain peaks rising 9 000 feet and with 165 glaciers tumbling down towards the sea. We arrive early in the season when parts of the island are still covered by a thin layer of snow. For anyone interested in wildlife, South Georgia is a true oasis. In November the beaches are covered by elephant seal bulls and females with feeding pups. They share the beach with a myriad of nesting king penguins. Most of the other sea birds have arrived and started nesting. November is also the time when the great arrival of the fur seals starts. Millions of fur seals will, over a few weeks, return to the beaches to breed. Here is a selection of places we hope to visit during our time on the island:

Elsehul
One of the first landings we make will probably be in Elsehul, a picturesque bay with a wealth of wildlife. Macaroni and king penguins crowd the beaches and the sublimely beautiful greyheaded albatross nest in the tussock grass slopes. Later on in the season Elsehul becomes prohibitively dense with fur seals, but in early November we can land on the beaches and explore the surrounding hills without too many fur seals in our way.

Salisbury Plain
Enormous elephant seals crowd the beaches of Salisbury Plain. In November we can see impressive fights between the ruling beach master and challenging males. Here is also a large king penguin colony with some 60 000 pairs and their fluffy brown chicks. Giant petrels patrol the beach in search for food and leopard seals cruise the shores waiting to catch a penguin.

Prion Island
On Prion Island we visit the nesting place of the world`s largest flying seabird - the wandering albatross - just before their chicks are fully fledged. On this beautiful little island we also hope to see and hear the only singing bird of South Georgia, the endemic South Georgia pipit.

Fortuna Bay & Stromness Harbour
In this idyllic bay we will see nesting lightmantled sooty albatrosses and hope to witness their gracious courting flights. A few thousand king penguins nest here and it is not unusual to see a herd of South Georgia reindeer wandering through the penguin colony. If the snow and weather conditions are right we will attempt a hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness Harbour just like Shackleton and his men did in search for help after having sailed from Elephant Island to South Georgia. During the hike we will enjoy spectacular views of glaciers and meltwater lakes. In Stromness Harbour are three abandoned whaling stations - Stromness, Husvik and Leith.

Grytviken & King Edward Point
Grytviken is the administrative centre of South Georgia. This was once a booming whaling station, founded in 1903 by the Norwegian sea captain Carl Anton Larsen. We visit the old whaling station, an excellent little museum and the picturesque church which was moved here from Norway in the beginning of the 20th century. In the cemetary we visit "The Boss" - Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton - and old whalers` graves with elephant seals lazing atop of them.

St. Andrew`s Bay
An amazing place, which has to be experienced live! Here a carpet of hundreds of thousands of king penguins stretch from the shore, over therounded hills reaching the glacier snouts. A melt-water river runs through the penguin colony and penguins and fur seals bask in the currents. Thousands of elephant seals cover the beaches and we cruise between large males, and females with feeding pups. We are here in the middle of the breeding season - just a few weeks later the seals abandon these beaches and go out to sea.

Gold Harbour
In this glorious little bay we find breeding king and gentoo penguins as well as light-mantled sooty albatrosses. The beach, which is crowded with charismatic elephant seals, is located beneath an amphitheatre of dramatic glaciers.

Cooper Bay
The first creatures to meet us in Cooper Bay will probably be some of the chinstrap penguins nesting here. We also have a unique chance to visit a large colony of macaroni penguins with characteristic yellow plumes. We hike up in the tussock-covered slopes and sit quietly watching the frenzy of early breeding season activity.

Drygalski Fjord
A dramatic fjord with fascinating geology on the eastern tip of South Georgia. We are now surrounded by enormous glaciers, giving birth to the many icebergs which we cruise past. With Zodiacs we explore the small fjord arm Larsen Harbour where we often see weddell seals with young pups on the shores.

Day 17 - 19: At Sea
We leave South Georgia and sail towards Ushuaia via the Falkland Islands.

Day 20: West Falkland Islands
We plan to visit the wild and remote islands in the West Falklands. We hope to land on New Island, the westernmost island with one inhabitant (!) and 40 species of breeding sea birds including rockhopper penguins. Weather and wind conditions allowing, we may also land on Steeple Jason, the northwestern outpost with the world`s largest colony of black-browed albatross.

Day 21: At Sea
We cross the ocean separating us from the Argentinian mainland. During the crossing we are in good company of the graceful wandering albatross and other seabirds.

Day 22: Ushuaia, Argentina
Today we arrive in Ushuaia, disembark the ship and continue home. Or join our post cruise arrangements in Buenos Aires.

Please note: Our exact route will depend on ice, weather conditions and the wildlife we encounter! This is only a preliminary plan. Flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!

Polar Star

Built in Finland in 1969, refurbished in 1988, and converted to passenger use in 2000, this 100 passenger working icebreaker is the ultimate expedition vessel. Equipped with an ice strengthened hull and a fleet of 10 zodiacs, the Polar Star is able to venture into areas reserved for only a select few ships. Her relaxed atmosphere, open bridge, and comfortable public spaces make her ideally suited for polar exploration.