There is no doubt amongst those that have travelled to the Antarctic region on voyages that have included South Georgia, be they birders, naturalists or the general tourist, that they rate this unique island as awesome as the Antarctic itself:  the scenery is incredible, the penguin rookeries immense, how King Penguins are usually everybody’s favourite, that you have not lived until you have seen nesting Wandering Albatrosses, that the beaches filled wall-to-wall with Fur Seals are to be seen to be believed, that Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses are the most haunting of all the albatross, and that the sea crossing, filled with birds and often whales, is a highlight in itself.  Preceded with the splendours of the Falklands, and followed with the best of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetlands, this is truly the ultimate Antarctic trip.  Making this voyage in February ensures the maximum whale sightings too. Most people only do one Antarctic trip in their life, and if they do not include South Georgia, then they may always regret it. There is no doubt that we consider this to be the perfect itinerary for the trip of a lifetime. 

Antarctica is truly like nowhere else on Earth, a continent of dramatic ice-covered mountains, never-ending snowfields, innumerable glaciers and colossal icebergs fractured into fantastic shapes.  Captivated and spellbound by the incredible and ever changing beauty of our surroundings, you will thrill to unique wildlife spectacles that unfold daily on this trip.  Bring twice a much camera film as you think you could possibly need (or digital data storage!)!

As we travel, we will marvel at the exploits of the early explorers, especially Shackleton, and in particular his incredible open-boat journey from Elephant Island culminating in the traverse of South Georgia to save his men.  All this they accomplished without the help of modern navigation aids or high performance clothing.

Throughout the voyage, landings are made at the best areas for wildlife.  The sturdy Zodiac inflatables allow us to go ashore at the remotest of places with ease and comfort.  Days spent at sea on this trip are a major highlight for wildlife observation. A key element of our success is that by travelling in a group we will have many keen eyes, ensuring that more birds and cetaceans are spotted than on the average voyage.  We include a day’s birdwatching excursion in Ushuaia to visit our favourite local birding hotspots including several in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, and will seek the local specialties including Magellanic Woodpecker.

We will again travel on one of our favourite ships for this special Antarctic voyage – the Akademik Ioffe or Vavilov.  They were built in Finland, ice-strengthened for use in Polar waters and at 6,450 tons offers a good stable platform for sea watching.  Indeed, built for acoustic research they are almost vibration free.  They carry only about 100 passengers, plus fifty friendly, experienced Russian crew, and a Western expedition staff from Australia, Canada and other countries, whose lectures and expertise will greatly enrich our voyage.  These ships have travelled often to these waters and their experienced staff and crew are dedicated to ensuring that we have a successful, comfortable, safe and enjoyable trip and that we see as much of the wildlife as possible.  The Zodiac drivers take us safely ashore, and also on more leisurely cruises as well, so we gain an even more intimate and unique perspective of the seabirds and marine mammals.

The atmosphere on board is relaxing and informal and meals are taken at a single open sitting.  Western chefs produce an international choice of cuisine throughout the voyage.  The cabins are comfortable and all have an outside view, porthole or window.  Other on-board facilities include a sauna and sundeck, radio station, comfortable lounge, bar, a gift shop and a well-stocked library.  The bridge is usually open for those who wish to learn about navigation, see the ship's charts, or simply sea watch in comfort.

We are usually able to make two shore landings each day, sometimes three, thus maximising your South Georgian and Antarctic experience.  The two days on The Falklands are carefully planned to ensure that we have the best chance for all the specialities of the islands.

Your WildWings guide, Dick Filby, probably has more experience in Antarctica than any other UK tour leader.  This is his 17th consecutive season.  His unstinting enthusiasm for the birds, mammals and scenery is infectious.  Whether you are a serious birder, a keen naturalist, or just want to see the most incredible place on earth, don't miss this chance to join him. 

Itinerary

Day 1: Birding excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Board Akademik Ioffe or Vavilov and sail the Beagle Channel

Day 2: At sea

Days 3-4: The Falklands. Planned landings include West Point Island, Carcass Island and Port Stanley

Days 5-7: At sea

Days 8-10: South Georgia: planned landings could include Grytviken, Salisbury Plain and the Bay of Isles

Day 11: At sea

Day 12: South Orkney Islands or Elephant Island

Day 13: At sea approaching Antarctic Peninsula

Days 14-16: The Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands – frequent landings

Days 17-18: At sea

Day 19: Disembark Ushuaia.

NB: The itinerary is subject to ice, weather and local conditions at the time.  Depending on the conditions at South Georgia we may spend one extra night there and one less night in Antarctica.

Holiday Information

Dates :   5^th – 23rd February 2007 from £5465  (Ioffe)     and  9^th – 27^th January  2008 (Vavilov) from £5999

Leader: Dick Filby and ship’s expedition team.

Deposit:10%

Prices per person sharing:

Price includes:  Accommodation and all meals aboard ship (with free tea and coffee), port taxes, Zodiac landings, services of WildWings leader and ship’s expedition staff including lecture programme aboard. WildWings birding excursion in Ushuia, daily sea watching sessions (at sea), evening checklist, use of WildWings onboard library and marine radios (to maximise group sightings) and a WildWings pre-tour information pack and day-by-day checklist of mammals and birds. Transfers in Ushuaia to and from ship.

Price excludes: Flights UK – Ushuaia (available from £929), pre-cruise accommodation in Ushuaia (twin share from £55 per person per night), other drinks, laundry, souvenirs and items of a personal nature, crew gratuities (we suggest $10 per passenger per day aboard ship), passport/visa fees, travel insurance.   

2007 only: An optional 3 day/2 nights pre-cruise birding tour is available seeking all the specialities of Tierra Del Fuego including Magellanic Plover. More details available, £449 per person sharing a twin   

Previous trip reports and ship’s colour brochure available from us.