In-Depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia Expedition

Welcome to Santiago, Chile’s bustling capital. With its colonial-era architecture, award-winning restaurants, and fascinating museums, it’s the perfect place to start your expedition cruise. There’s a lot to see, from the Mercado Central market to the Plaza de Armas and the Presidential Palace. Check out the Sky Costanera, which offers panoramic views of the city from 1,000 feet up.

You’ll have an early start today, as we depart Santiago and fly to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost port. Your expedition ship awaits. Once on board, get settled in, explore the ship, and meet your Expedition Team.

As well as being your guides, hosts, and local experts, they’re also your travel companions for the next three weeks. Friendly and welcoming, they’ll answer any questions you may have during your Antarctic adventure.

With our course set for the Falkland Islands, soak up the mesmerizing views around you as you cruise through the Strait of Magellan. Take in the scenery from the deck, the outdoor hot tub, or the panoramic Explorer Lounge & Bar.

Join your Expedition Team in the onboard Science Center to listen to lectures, participate in Citizen Science projects, and more. Whether it’s marine biology, Arctic survival, oceanography, or photography, your Expedition Team will offer fascinating insights into the places you’ll see on your journey. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

The Falkland archipelago is filled with seamless horizons and white sand beaches teeming with birdlife. Only the occasional farm dots the landscape. Here, you’ll find grassy hills and wildflowers in contrast to the vast whiteness that’s to come in Antarctica.

You can also enjoy a community walk of Stanley, taking in the Jubilee Villas gardens, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Historic Dockyard Museum.

Our landings, hikes, and excursions are – as always – subject to weather conditions. We hope to visit albatross and penguin colonies, where seals can often be found as well, and to get as close as possible without disturbing them.

After the Falkland Islands, we will spend two days cruising toward beautiful South Georgia. Look forward to seeing an archipelago filled with diverse wildlife.

The Expedition Team will prepare you for what lies ahead. They will tell you everything they know about South Georgia, including information about the area’s wildlife, polar history, geology, glaciology, and stories of Norwegian whalers.

You’ll also learn how to make your visit as safe and low impact as possible. You can join our Citizen Science programs to help collect data for global research projects.

South Georgia’s abundant wildlife has earned it the nickname ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’. Its unique position, free from sea ice, makes the island an ideal breeding site for large colonies of penguins, other seabirds, and seals. In fact, it is listed as an Important Bird Area, home to albatrosses, petrels, shags, skuas, and terns.

During five days in the area, we’ll land as often as we can to explore the wilderness and observe the wildlife. We’ll also try to reach Grytviken, the final resting place of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. We’re always guided by nature and we adapt to daily conditions to bring you the best possible experience.

After visiting the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, take time to relax and reflect on your journey so far as we head toward Antarctica.

Antarctica is a continent dedicated to peace, science, and wildlife. As we approach, the Expedition Team will talk about the IAATO environmental guidelines and sustainability rules that we follow when visiting. We leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures!

Experience Antarctica in all its majesty

Nothing prepares you for your first sight of Antarctica’s immense, frozen beauty. Icebergs, sculpted by nature, float in the straits. Gentoo, chinstrap, and Adélie penguins watch from the shores. Countless seabirds wheel overhead. Nature is in charge.

During the next five days, you’ll explore several possible landing sites on and around the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do, every day will be thrilling and unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

We might sail into a flooded volcanic caldera or land in icy bays where remnants of whaling paraphernalia lie abandoned. You may also have the chance to kayak among icebergs and seals or snowshoe to a stunning viewpoint.

Bird enthusiasts should look skyward for Antarctic seabirds such as skuas, petrels, and terns. Through onboard lectures and onshore talks, you’ll learn more about this precious habitat and discover how we can all protect it for the future.

As we say goodbye to the frozen continent, MS Fram turns to take you north through the Drake Passage and toward Punta Arenas.

This is the perfect time to go through your pictures and relive your experiences in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. Enjoy the onboard comforts. Relax in the hot tubs or the panoramic sauna or unwind in our Explorer Lounge & Bar.

With the Drake Passage behind us, we will enter the scenic Beagle Channel, surrounded by mountains plunging straight into the icy water. Watch for Patagonian wildlife as we sail through this wild and remote area.

Your expedition cruise of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica comes to an end in Punta Arenas. From here, you’ll catch a flight back to Santiago de Chile, taking with you a wealth of fantastic memories that will last a lifetime.

If you’re not ready to end your adventure just yet, we recommend signing up for one of our optional Post Programs.