In den wilden Süden – Falklandinseln, Südgeorgien & Antarktis

Reiseverlauf

Reiseverlauf abhängig von Wetter- und Eislage. Beschriebene Naturerlebnisse/Tiersichtungen sind mögliche Ereignisse auf den Expeditionen und nicht garantiert.

• Day 1: Departure from Montevideo

  Embarkation & Departure

  Your expedition begins in Montevideo, where you board Terra Nova Adventurer and meet your expedition team and fellow travellers.

  After settling into your cabin and completing our safety briefings, we leave Uruguay behind and set course across the South Atlantic. Ahead lies an extraordinary journey through the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica at the very beginning of the austral summer.

• Day 2: At Sea: Settling into Expedition Life

  Our first full day at sea is an opportunity to settle into life aboard Terra Nova Adventurer.

  Meet members of the expedition team, familiarise yourself with the ship and spend time on the outer decks as we travel south. Our lecture programme begins, introducing the wildlife, history and environments we'll encounter over the coming weeks.

• Day 3: At Sea: Following the Seabirds South

  We continue across the South Atlantic towards the Falkland Islands.

  Keep watch from the decks for albatrosses, petrels and other seabirds beginning to accompany the ship. The expedition team will help identify the species we encounter and explain how these remarkable birds spend much of their lives travelling across the Southern Ocean.

• Day 4: Preparing to Explore

  Our final day of the crossing brings us closer to the Falkland Islands.

  Presentations turn towards the wildlife and history of the archipelago as we prepare for our first expedition landings. Boots, equipment and Zodiacs are readied — tomorrow, the ship becomes our base for exploring ashore.

• Day 5: Our First Expedition Landing

  Welcome to the Falklands.

  Weather and conditions will determine exactly where we explore, but today we hope to make our first landing and experience the islands' rugged landscapes and remarkable wildlife.

  Penguins, seabirds and marine mammals all inhabit these remote shores, and we'll explore on foot and by Zodiac wherever the best opportunities present themselves.

• Day 6: A Second Day of Exploration

  We continue exploring the Falkland Islands, with our Captain and Expedition Leader choosing the day's programme according to weather, sea state and wildlife activity.

  One day here can feel completely different from the next: windswept beaches, seabird colonies, sheltered bays and encounters with penguins may all form part of our experience.

  Later, we turn east and begin our journey towards South Georgia.

• Day 7: Into the Southern Ocean

  The Falklands disappear behind us as we enter the Scotia Sea.

  These aren't simply transit days. The Scotia Sea is one of the Southern Ocean's most biologically productive regions, supporting extraordinary numbers of seabirds and marine mammals.

  Spend time outside with the expedition team watching for albatrosses, petrels and whales as we travel deeper into the Southern Ocean.

• Day 8: Approaching South Georgia

  Our journey east continues, and anticipation builds for South Georgia.

  Lectures introduce the island's enormous wildlife populations, exploration history and extraordinary landscape. Outside, the wildlife watching continues.

  Eventually, one of the Southern Ocean's great sights may appear on the horizon: the mountainous outline of South Georgia.

• Day 9: First Encounters

  Welcome to South Georgia.

  Snow-covered mountains rise almost directly from the ocean, glaciers descend towards the coast and beaches can hold wildlife in astonishing numbers.

  Today we hope to begin exploring this remarkable island by Zodiac and on foot, with our exact destination determined by conditions on arrival.

• Day 10: Elephant Seal Season

  October places us in South Georgia during one of its most dramatic natural events: southern elephant seal breeding season.

  Huge males compete for territory while breeding beaches fill with seals. The sounds, scale and intensity can be extraordinary.

  We'll seek the best opportunities to experience this spectacle while maintaining appropriate distances and following the guidance of our expedition team.

   

• Day 11: The King Penguin Colonies

  Today we hope to experience another of South Georgia's defining spectacles: its immense king penguin colonies.

  Thousands upon thousands of birds can fill valleys and beaches beneath snow-covered mountains and glaciers. King penguins have an unusually long breeding cycle, so colonies may contain birds at different stages of breeding.

  It's one of the great wildlife experiences of the Southern Ocean.

• Day 12: History, Wildlife & One Final Adventure

  Our final planned day around South Georgia gives us another opportunity to follow the conditions and wildlife.

  Conditions permitting, we may also visit Grytviken, once a centre of the island's whaling industry and today closely associated with the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

  Wherever the day takes us, we'll make the most of our remaining time before turning south towards Antarctica.

   

• Day 13: South Towards Antarctica

  We leave South Georgia behind and set a south-westerly course towards Antarctica.

  The environment gradually changes around us. Temperatures fall, Antarctic seabirds become increasingly common and we begin watching for our first icebergs.

  Lectures turn towards Antarctica as the expedition team prepares us for the next chapter of our journey.

   

• Day 14: Following the Ice South

  Today we travel deeper into Antarctic waters.

  At this early stage of the season, sea ice may play an important role in determining our route. The Captain and Expedition Leader will monitor weather, ice information and conditions as we approach Elephant Island, then the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.

  Then comes the moment everyone has been waiting for: our first sight of Antarctica.

• Day 15: First Antarctic Exploration

  Welcome to Antarctica.

  Winter has only recently loosened its grip. Mountains can remain covered in deep snow, bays may hold extensive sea ice and the landscape has the pristine character of the very beginning of the expedition season.

  Conditions permitting, we'll begin exploring by Zodiac and on foot.

• Day 16: Among Ice & Penguins

  Another day of exploration begins, but there is deliberately no fixed programme.

  We may navigate among sculpted icebergs, cruise beneath glaciers or go ashore near a penguin colony. Early-season snow and ice can transform familiar Antarctic locations into completely different landscapes.

  Where conditions permit, opportunities may also include kayaking, snowshoeing, hiking and photography.

• Day 17: Following the Best Conditions

  By now, the rhythm of expedition travel has taken over.

  The Captain and Expedition Leader will assess the weather, wildlife and ice before choosing where today's adventure takes us.

  Perhaps a sheltered bay offers spectacular Zodiac cruising. Perhaps ice conditions open a route towards an unexpected landing. Or perhaps wildlife changes our plans entirely.

  That's the beauty of expedition travel.

• Day 18: One More Day in the Wild South

  Our final planned day of Antarctic exploration gives us another opportunity to make the most of this extraordinary early-season environment.

  We'll follow the conditions and seek out the best experience available — whether that's ashore, among the ice by Zodiac, kayaking or simply stopping to watch wildlife.

  Eventually, we turn north and begin our journey towards South America.

• Day 19: North Across the Drake

  We begin our northbound crossing of the legendary Drake Passage.

  After days packed with exploration, today offers time to slow down and absorb what we've experienced — from elephant seal breeding beaches and king penguin colonies to the snow and ice of early-season Antarctica.

• Day 20: Towards Cape Horn

  Our final full day aboard takes us closer to South America.

  Join the expedition team's final presentations, share photographs and stories with fellow travellers or spend time outside watching for albatrosses, petrels and whales.

  As Cape Horn draws closer, we prepare to enter the Beagle Channel and return to Ushuaia.

   

• Day 21: Disembarkation

  We arrive in Ushuaia this morning.

  After breakfast, say goodbye to Terra Nova Adventurer, your expedition team and fellow travellers, bringing to a close an extraordinary journey from Montevideo through the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica.