Towering Antarctica Glaciers, Icebergs, Andean Mountain Peaks & wildlife encounters at the end of the world

Thursday, 10 October 2024

Fly to Santiago 

Depart on a direct overnight flight from London Heathrow to Santiago de Chile, arriving the next morning.

Friday, 11 October 2024

Santiago in-depth tour

On arrival you will be welcomed to Chile by our friendly guide, your host for the next couple of days. Transfer to your central hotel for a 2 night stay. After you have settled in, your guide will introduce you to the surrounding area. In the afternoon we will explore the historic and modern sights of Santiago de Chile, visiting the main streets and squares of the capital. The tour will include the Government Palace, La Moneda, Plaza de Armas and Santa Lucia hill, the hill on which the Spanish founded Santiago. Crossing the Mapocho River we explore Bellavista, the cultural and artistic neighbourhood of Santiago, at the foot of the Metropolitan Park's San Cristobal, the highest hill in town. Finally we will visit Providencia, one of the noble parts of Santiago, with top restaurants, elegant shops and modern high-rise buildings. 

Saturday, 12 October 2024

Cajon del Maipo

Today we head out towards the Andes and the Maipo River Valley, where we explore a park of rugged mountains and valleys, rivers, springs and waterfalls. Designed to help guests relax from the frantic pace of the modern world, this park is filled with flower gardens, and quiet forest trails for exploring. More adventurous activities include horse riding, trekking and hiking, white water rafting and zip line/canopy tour. 

Sunday, 13 October 2024

Travel to Torres del Paine

This morning we fly to Puerto Natales, gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. Transfer to you lodge for a 3 night stay. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, deemed a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Thick magellanic forests, barren pampa, turquoise lakes with huge glaciers and beautifully sculpted icebergs surround you; and soaring out of the earth stand the majestic, granite towers of Torres del Paine.

Monday, 14 October 2024

Torres del Paine and Glaciar Grey

In the company of an expert park guide you will get to know the National Park, visiting its most famous attractions, enjoying beautiful walks and learning about the flora and fauna of the marvellous mountains that form part of the Paine Massif. After enjoying a lunch outdoors we will take you to Lago Grey where you will have the option to take a walk around the lake shore or take the navigation and get close up to the Grey Glaciar.

Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Exploring Torres del Paine 

In the company of an expert park guide you will get to know the National Park, visiting its most famous attractions, enjoying beautiful walks and learning about the flora and fauna of the marvellous mountains that form part of the Paine Massif. After enjoying a lunch outdoors we will take you to Lago Grey where you will have the option to take a walk around the lake shore or take the navigation and get close up to the Grey Glaciar.

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Fly to Puerto Williams

Transfer to Punta Arenas airport and fly to Puerto Williams, a Chilean city located on Navarino Island on the southern shores of the Beagle Channel. It claims to be the “southernmost city in the world”, however owing to its small size – 2500 residents approximately – the much larger Argentinean city of Ushuaia, which sits on the northern side of the same channel, also claims that title. The surrounding scenery is magnificent. The wild windswept mountains rise above the tree line and are regularly dusted with snow. The city itself has the dramatic backdrop called “Dientes de Navarino” (literally “teeth of Navarino”), which rival the famous Torres del Paine further to the north. Embark the Silver Cloud and set sail in the evening.

Thursday, 17 October 2024

Drake Passage

Sailing the legendary Drake Passage is an experience that few are ever lucky enough to experience. The southern tip of the Americas already feels like a wild enough environment – but the sensation of watching the distant cliffs of the peninsular known as the ‘End of the World’ fade into the horizon, is one that’s equal parts epic, eerie and magical. Set sail, to slowly drop off the bottom of the map from Cape Horn, and voyage on an expedition down into the icy underworld of Antarctica. Drake Passage is an extraordinary voyage of romantic ocean faring legend, as you aim for Antarctica’s icy realm.

Friday, 18 October 2024

Drake Passage

Continue through Drake Passage on your way to the Antarctic Peninsula.

Saturday, 19 October 2024

Antarctic Sound

Few voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to one of the planet’s most remote, extreme and enchanting wilderness, Antarctica. An adventure in its purest form, only a handful of people will ever be lucky enough to experience the majestic beauty of these monochrome landscapes first-hand. The Antarctic Sound will be one of your first encounters of this whitewash kingdom, located at the northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula - which sprawls up like a tentacle towards Tierra del Fuego, South America’s most southerly point, otherwise known as the ‘End of the World’. Taking its name from the first ship to brave the passageway between the peninsular and the Joinville Island groups back in 1902, the Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. 

Sunday, 20 October 2024

Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards towards South America, reaching out a beckoning finger to the adventurous, who dare to explore this untamed realm. Stretching up from the heart of the world’s southernmost continent, the Antarctic Peninsula lies a mere 620 mile from Tierra del Fuego and, for many, offers a spectacular first taste of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which make up Earth’s least-explored continent. Unseen by humans until 1820 - a blink of an eye ago in relative terms - this is an adventure sure to make your hairs stand on end, as you experience the thrill of the truly unknown and extraordinary. 

Monday, 21 October 2024

Antarctic Peninsula

The vast peninsula is sprinkled with research bases, which are at the frontline of human scientific endeavour, pushing to study and understand this unique landscape, its exceptional wildlife, and the impact that humans are having on this pristine continent. Witness cathedral-sized icebergs up close, and blue-hued glaciers, slowly slipping from imposing locations like Hope Bay. Blanched mountain peaks cover the peninsula, and you’ll find thousands of adorable Adelie penguin pairs thriving undisturbed in this peninsula’s unique setting.

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

Antarctic Peninsula

A further exploring ashore with up to 3 excursions.

Wednesday, 23 October 2024

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adelie Penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little crowded at times. King George Island is the largest and most hospitable island, hosting the majority of the research stations - some of which are populated all-year-round by tiny, hardy crews.

Thursday, 24 October 2024

Drake Passage

We sail back towards Puerto Williams today, enjoying interesting talks on board and reflecting on our incredible experiences.

Friday, 25 October 2024

Puerto Williams

We arrive back in Puerto Williams in the late evening, where we moor and spend our last night on board.

Saturday, 26 October 2024

Fly to Santiago 

Transfer to the airport and fly to Santiago, arriving mid-afternoon. From here you will be met by your guide and taken back to your hotel for a 2-night stay including breakfast, with the rest of the day free.

Sunday, 27 October 2024

Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and Pacific Coast 

We end your unforgettable trip with a full day excursion to the coastal cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. En route we pass the agricultural valleys of Curacavo and Casablanca to reach Vina del Mar, famous for its shopping, parks of huge trees and palms that gave it the well-deserved name of 'Garden City'. We visit the beautiful park of Quinta Vergara with its amphitheatre, its arts museum and its public beaches.

We then travel down the coast to Valparaiso, whose picturesque bay is enhanced by surrounding hills covered in colourful houses. The city was once the most important maritime destination of the Pacific coast of South America and today offers a rich mix of arts and culture, as well as being the country's principal port and the home of the Chilean Navy. We will visit the downtown area, with its public buildings and monuments as well as its picturesque walkways and art galleries of the hill neighbourhoods. Return to Santiago for the evening.

Monday, 28 October 2024

Overnight flight to UK

You will have the morning at leisure to do some last minute sightseeing or shopping and to say goodbye to Chile before being collected for your transfer to the airport. A mid-afternoon flight travels overnight and arrives in the UK the next morning.

Tuesday, 29 October 2024

Arrive in the UK

Arrive back in the UK in the morning.