Antarctica Expedition Cruise from Puerto Williams Itinerary
ONE NIGHT PRE CRUISE IN SANTIAGO AND ONE PRE CRUISE NIGHT IN PUERTO WILLIAMS.
DAY 1 – PUERTO WILLIAMS
Puerto Williams is a remote Chilean city on Navarino Island and is widely recognized as the southernmost human settlement with city status in the world. Its dramatic backdrop of the jagged Dientes de Navarino peaks rivalling Torres del Paine for Patagonian grandeur. The Beagle Channel separates the town from Argentine Ushuaia, and the surrounding forests of lenga beech and the endemic flightless steamer duck define this most remote of urban outposts.
DAY 2&3 – DRAKE PASSAGE
Cruise to the Drake Passage, which connects the southern tip of the Americas to Antarctica, dropping off from Cape Horn into icy waters below. Converging warm and cool ocean currents attract spectacular wildlife including soaring albatrosses and pods of humpback and hourglass dolphins. The South Shetland Islands, including Elephant and Deception Island, are typically among the first Antarctic landmasses encountered.
DAY 4 – ANTARCTIC SOUND
The Antarctic Sound is the first stop on the cruise that really brings the harsh chilling wilderness of Antarctica to life, and is commonly referred to as ‘The End of The World’. Come face-to-face with stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary birdlife that call this whitewash kingdom home. Watch on, as colonies of Gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around you. If you are travelling here the first time, you may want to brush up on your photography skills, it offers great photography opportunities.
- There is two available excursions on Day Two: A Zodiac Cruise and Hiking with The Silversea Expedition Team
DAY 5 – 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. 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.
DAY 6 – ANTARCTICA PENINSULA
- There is two excursions that are available when visiting the Antarctica Peninsula: A Zodiac Cruise and Hiking with The Silversea Expedition Team
DAY 7&8 – ANTARCTICA PENSISULA
DAY 9 – SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
The ice-coated Antarctic Peninsula forms perhaps the most accessible region of mainland Antarctica, lying a mere 480-miles away from South America, across the fabled waters of Drakes Passage. Lying close to the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait, 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. The triple peaks of Mount Foster tower above the archipelago, and you’ll feel your heart pumping a little quicker, as you sail into the core of Deception Island’s magnificent collapsed volcano caldera. Hike the luna landscapes within, and even dip into the improbably warm, geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove. Elephant Island, meanwhile, is written deep into the annals of Antarctic expedition legend, as the site where Ernest Shackleton and the stricken crew of the Endurance miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter, in 1916.
DAY 10 – KING GEORGE ISLAND
The largest of all the South Shetland Islands, King George Island is known as the gateway to Antarctica. It is a connection with ‘real life’ and ‘Artic life’, more than ten different countries have scientific research stations on this island. Many international scientists may be staying here, but are outnumbered heavily by the species of wildlife on the island. Many types of penguins can be seen here as well as seals and numerous species of birdlife. The island is named after King George III who discovered the island in 1819 , the island is now a part of The British Antarctic Territory.
ONE POST-CRUISE NIGHT IN PUERTO WILLIAMS
