In-Depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia

The sights of Santiago de Chile 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. Here, you’ll enjoy an overnight stay.

Embark from Port Stanley Instead of flying to Punta Arenas and sailing through the Strait of Magellan, this option flies you straight from Santiago to Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands. Once you arrive, it’s time to board the ship, get settled in, explore, 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 adventure.

Enjoy birding and hiking in these green islands The Falkland archipelago is filled with seamless horizons and white sands teeming with birdlife. Only the occasional farm dots the landscape. You’ll find grassy hills and wildflowers, in contrast to the vast whiteness of Antarctica to come. Our landings, hikes, and excursions are, as always, guided by the conditions. We hope to visit albatross and penguin colonies, which are often found sharing space with seals, and getting as close as we can without disturbing them.

Cruising the South Atlantic Sailing from the Falklands, we spend two days cruising towards beautiful South Georgia. You can look forward to seeing an archipelago filled with diverse wildlife. Meet up with the Expedition Team as they prepare you for what lies ahead. They’ll tell you everything they know about South Georgia, including the area’s wildlife, polar history, geology, glaciology, and stories of Norwegian whalers. The Expedition Team will also talk about the IAATO environmental guidelines and sustainability rules that we follow to make your visit as safe and low-impact as possible.

Visit a wildlife watcher’s paradise 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 a breeding site for large colonies of penguins, other seabirds, and seals. In fact, it’s an Important Bird Area, home to albatrosses, petrels, shags, skuas and terns. You'll spend five days exploring this remarkable area. We’ll also try to reach Grytviken, the final resting place of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. We’re always guided by nature, responding to daily conditions to bring you the best possible experience. While our itineraries are always flexible, they’re even more so during peak breeding seasons when the wildlife is most vulnerable to disturbance. When opportunities allow, we’ll land and wildlife watch. When our presence could disturb the animals, we’ll choose another place to visit and as always, these decisions are made by your Expedition Team and are based on lifetimes of combined experience in these destinations. Sometimes we’ll land, sometimes we’ll cruise, it’s all part of the adventure!

Time to relax and reflect After visiting the Falklands and South Georgia, take some time while we head towards Antarctica to relax and reflect on your journey so far. Antarctica is a symbol of global cooperation, dedicated to peace, science, and wildlife conservation. Protected by the Antarctic Treaty, it remains free of military conflict, preserving its pristine environment for future generations. As a hub for scientific research on climate change and ecosystems, it offers unique insights into nature's resilience. Why not join one of our citizen science programmes to help collect data for global research projects.

Experience Antarctica in all its natural 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 upright from the shores. Countless seabirds wheel overhead. Nature is in charge. While we’re here we’ll explore several possible landing sites, on and around the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. Wherever we go and whatever we do, each day will offer something different and thrilling. We might sail into a flooded volcanic caldera or land in icy bays, where remnants of whaling paraphernalia lie abandoned. You may also get a chance to go kayaking among icebergs and seals, or snowshoe to a stunning viewpoint. Bird enthusiasts should look skywards for Antarctic seabirds such as skuas, petrels, and terns. Through onboard lectures and onshore talks, you'll learn more about this precious habitat and how we can all protect it for the future

Looking for land ahead As we say goodbye to the frozen continent, MS Fram turns to take you north over the Drake Passage and towards Punta Arenas. This is the perfect time to go through your pictures and relive your experiences in the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. Enjoy the onboard comforts. Relax in the hot tubs or sauna, or unwind in our Explorer Lounge & Bar. When the Drake Passage is behind us, we’ll 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.

Onwards from Punta Arenas Your expedition cruise of the Falklands, 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 no doubt endure.