Falkland Islands and South Georgia Islands
aboard the M/V Magellan Explorer

17 days - 16 nights

Day 1 - Punta Arenas

Boarding is from 9 in the morning, you can go to Expldorers House in Punta Arenas and enjoy the facilities. At 4 in the afternoon a group transfer will take us to the port to begin boarding. As we sail through the Strait of Magellan, our expedition team will introduce you to the history of this legendary sea route.

Day 2 - At sea towards the Falkland Islands

As we sail out to sea towards the Falkland Islands, we enjoy the hospitality of the ship. We begin a series of conferences and presentations.

Day 3 - Saunders & Carcass Islands: Falklands Archipelago

We enjoyed the long white sand beach during a morning visit to Saunders Island. A wilderness experience, the main attractions of which are rockhopper penguins, nesting black-browed albatrosses and subantarctic gentoo penguins. In the afternoon we visit Carcass Island. There is the option of taking an easy walk to the settlement, bird watching and having a typical English Falklands tea.

Saunders Island (Trinidad Island) is one of the islands of the Malvinas archipelago, located northwest of Greater Malvina Island and north of San Francisco de Paula Bay. It has an area of 120 km² and is the fourth largest in the Falklands. It is currently used for sheep breeding. It is under the control of the United Kingdom, claimed by Argentina. Carcass Island (Isla del Rosario) is another of the islands of the Falklands archipelago. It is located north of San Francisco de Paula Bay, northwest of the Great Malvina Island.

Day 4 - Port Stanley & Gypsy Cove

Together with our expedition team we take a guided tour of Port Stanley or Gipsy Cove. Another option is to walk the town on your own, having lunch at the local pub, visiting the maritime museum, the church, looking for souvenirs or walking along Ross Road, paying respects at the war memorials on the seafront.

Gypsy Cove is located 6 6km from Port Stanley and is the most accessible wildlife site from the capital city. It is part of the Cape Pembroke Peninsula, which is a National Nature Reserve. The small bay with its white sand beach is protected from the prevailing winds. Magellanic penguins breed here and nest underground in burrows. We can spot black-crowned night herons, oystercatchers, long-tailed larks, two-banded plovers, flightless Falkland steamer ducks and upland geese and kelp. Sea lions very occasionally come to the coast.

Day 5 to 6 - At sea

We are heading towards the South Georgia Islands. We took advantage of sailing at sea to attend presentations about the history and fauna of the archipelago. In the company of expert guides, observe wildlife from the living room or from the outside terraces. You will be able to observe magnificent seabirds, such as albatrosses and petrels, as well as different species of whales.

Day 7 - Elsehul Bay

Depending on the sea conditions of the previous days, arrival is scheduled for the afternoon. Provided we receive approval from the South Georgia government, we plan to do a night sailing in Zodiac boats in Elsehul Bay. It is a small bath that is the breeding center for sea lions. Birds such as macaroni penguins, seabirds and albatrosses nest here

Day 8 - Grytviken, Fortuna Bay

Our first landing is in Grytviken. We passed through Customs and then visited the historical site with the museum and the grave of Ernest Shackleton. We disembark in Fortuna Bay and then go to Stromness in the afternoon to see king penguins. Here we learn more about Shackleton and his expedition. We can optionally take a “Shackleton walk”, which lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Fortuna Bay is named after the whaling ship of Argentine origin that at the beginning of the 20th century collaborated in the creation of the first whaling station in Grytviken, on San Pedro Island, in 1905. Grytviken is also part of the Archipelago of the South Georgia Islands, as well as Fortuna Bay. It was the main site of industrial whaling production in the Atlantic Ocean in the early years of the 20th century. Despite two world wars, Grytviken never stopped operating. It was also the refuge of several scientific expeditions that came to Antarctica to carry out research. To date, there are no longer people living constantly, the Museum has only been operating since the months of October and March, opening its doors to world tourism that comes to these inhospitable areas. It is controlled by only 5 employees who come exclusively for the season.

Stromness was South Georgia's most famous whaling station. In this place, Ernest Shackleton and two of his companions, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley, managed to find the necessary support to begin the rescue of the rest of their companions who were stranded on Elephant Island, due to the ship Endurance being trapped. by ice in the Weddell Sea. Shackleton and his crew sailed in ordinary boats to Elephant Island about 1,300km. He leaves his crew on said island and continues with Crean and Worsley to Georgia. When they arrived they realized that they were on the south side of the island, having to cross it, from Haakon Bay to Stromness. That walk was called SHACKLETON'S WALK, for 36 hours they crossed the island from end to end

Day 9 - Gold Harbor, Cooper Bay

In the morning, we plan a landing in Gold Harbour, a spectacular place with king penguins, elephant seals and hanging glaciers. There are also black albatrosses. In the afternoon on Zodiac boats we visited Cooper Bay to see macaroni penguins.

GOLD HARBOR: Formerly called Anna Bay or Golden Bay. It is a small bay of just 7.7km south of Cape Carlota, whose main head is the Bertrab Glacier, where the east of San Pedro Island, in the South Georgia Islands archipelago. Its name is due to the fact that the sun's rays shine on the cliffs in the early morning and at dusk. It is a breeding area for king penguins, gentoo penguins, elephant seals and albatrosses.

COOPER BAY: Cooper Bay is very small and is located southwest of Cape Vahsel and is separated from Cooper Island by the strait of the same name. Black-browed albatrosses, Antarctic prions and other seabirds can be seen, as well as numerous Antarctic fur seals. Tussock grasses grow abundantly, providing excellent habitat for seabirds.

Day 10 - St Andrews Bay, Ocean Harbor: King Penguin

St Andrews Bay is the destination of our morning excursion. The highlights here are a shipwreck and the remains of the baleeira industry. We see the largest colony of king pinguins and sea elephants. We plan to sail on Zodiac boats in the afternoon and disembark in Ocean Harbor.

St Andrews Bay is 30 km south of Gryviken, its landscape is unique, an extensive plain of grasses and bushes protected by snow-covered mountains, such as the Nordenskjold, Root, Kling and Brooker mountains and fed by geleiras . It is the favorite place of pinguim-rei. The sound that emits impresses with the large number that exists, it seems like a real concert, it is estimated that more than 150,000 pairs have been played. It is believed to be the largest reserve of king penguins in the world. The sounds can be clearly distinguished: the astonishment of two babies demanding food, the roar of two adults who are watching the sea with lulas, and the discomfort of those who are only forced to eat because they are changing their plumage.

Day 11 - Prion Island, Salisbury Plain

Next time, we plan to visit Ilha Prion to see the nesting wandering albatrosses. In the afternoon, we will continue to Salisbury Plain to see more king pinguins and dazzling landscapes.

PRION ISLAND: Located in the Bay of the Ilhas, it is famous for the presence of petrísimos. It is an area protected by the South Georgia Government as it is a free breeding area for wandering albatrosses. It must be accessed with special permission. There is a calçadão that prevents the erosion of the access ravina and the trampling of príon touches. We find cachilas because we don't have time.

SALISBURY PLAIN: This is a large subglacial coastal plain located in the Bay of the Ilhas, on the northern coast of the San Pedro Island, in the archipelago of the Southern Georgia Islands. It is the favorite place for the penguins. -reis, there is a colony of 500,000 penguins, in their beaches we find sea elephants. Its shores são de areia preta. There are two cais for tourists to disembark.

Day 12 to 14 - At sea

We continue with our educational program until we return to the Falklands Islands

Day 15 - Bleaker Island

In the afternoon we disembark on Bleaker Island, a nature reserve with a famous bird area that presents a wide variety of species. It is a very small island of volcanic origin that presents large waves when the sea is very rough. Like the rest of the region, Argentina claims the territory as belonging to the Ilha da Terra do Fogo, to Antártica and to the Ilhas do Atlântico Sul.

Day 16 - At sea

We continue sailing with the objective of returning to Punta Arenas.

Day 17 - Punta Arenas

We disembark in Punta Arenas. We continue in the group to the city center, where the expedition ends. You will be able to enjoy the Explorers House during the day.