Falklands, South Georgia, Antarctica

November 16, 2023: Arrive in Santiago, Chile. Overnight at our recommended hotel, we’ll make the arrangements for you, and we will invoice you before the expedition. 

November 17, 2023: You’ll have this day free to explore Santiago. We meet as a group at 4:00 PM for orientation and to discuss the expedition.

November 18, 2023: We have a very early flight from Santiago to Mount Pleasant, Falklands. We have arranged this flight and have bought your tickets. Our flight is at 5:10 AM so we will leave from our airport hotel quite early, approximately 2:00 AM since this is an international flight. If you are not with us at our group hotel, you are responsible to get to the airport on your own, and not later than 2:10 AM.

Upon arrival in Port Stanley, we will embark on the Polar Pioneer and begin our expedition. After a welcome drink, we’ll introduce the Muench Workshops team and our expedition staff, and you’ll have some time to get to know your new shipmates. We’ll set sail this evening and aim for a landing at one of our favorite spots in the Falklands, known for its wealth of seabirds.

November 19, 2023: In the Falkland Islands. Weather permitting, we will have another morning landing before heading out in the afternoon toward South Georgia.

November 20–21, 2023: At Sea.

We have an extensive lecture program for you during our days at sea. Our signature image review sessions and lectures will be offered these days, enabling the Muench Workshops pros and expert naturalists to share their knowledge of photography, wildlife, and the unique ecosystems we will be encountering.

November 22, 2023: At Sea—South Georgia

South Georgia is in our sights! With its heavily glaciated peaks and abundant wildlife, Rugged South Georgia is regarded as one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places on earth. If the weather is favorable for a landing, we’ll aim to visit one of the following sites in the late afternoon:

Elsehul

Elsehul is a beautiful little harbor situated at the northwestern extremity of South Georgia, on the eastern side of the knife-edged summit ridges of the Parydian Peninsula. It is the only visitor site on the island. Colonies of nesting black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses nest above the harbor-sheltered waters and are easily observed by zodiac.

Right Whale Bay

Historical records for Right Whale Bay date back to at least 1922, when South Georgia was still a center for commercial whaling. Situated between Craigie Point and Nameless Point, along the north coast of South Georgia, the bay’s black ashen beach is home to a small colony of king penguins, giant petrels, gulls, and breeding elephant seals.

November 23–28, 2023: South Georgia

Our exact itinerary will depend on local ice, wind, and sea conditions, but the following destinations are among those that we would like to explore:

Salisbury Plain

Sometimes called the “Serengeti of the South,” Salisbury Plain is a wildlife site without parallel. Several large glaciers provide a dramatic backdrop for thousands of king penguins nesting among tussock grass. Crowds of curious, gentle penguins surround us. Southern Giant Petrels and Elephant seals also abound. Prepare for an awe-inspiring experience as massive male elephant seals joust on the beach and female elephant seals tend to their heavy big-eyed pups. Fur seals will also be present at the back of the beach.

Prion Island

Prion Island is a beautiful islet covered in tussock grass and an ideal nesting site for wandering albatross. The site offers comfortable viewing platforms, accessed by a wooden boardwalk, where we hope to watch the albatross engage in their spectacular courtship displays.

Grytviken

Grytviken lies within King Edward Cove, a sheltered harbor between Hope Point and Hobart Rock on the western shore of Cumberland East Bay. The rusting ruins of the Grytviken whaling station are situated on a level plain at the head of the cove. Now the site of the South Georgia Museum, the station remains a focal point of interest for many visitors, as does Sir Ernest Shackleton´s grave in the nearby whaler´s cemetery and his memorial cross on Hope Point.

The scenery in this area is breathtaking, even by South Georgia standards. The glaciers and snow-covered peaks of the Allardyce Range—Mt. Sugartop, Mt. Paget, Mt. Roots, Nordenskjöld Peak, Mt. Kling, and Mt. Brooker—form a magnificent backdrop to the cove, and the views from King Edward Point, in particular, must be among the finest on earth.

Godthul

Godthul is a 3km long inlet, situated 9km east of Cumberland East Bay, on the eastern shores of Barff Peninsula between Cape George and Long Point. A floating factory ship was stationed here each summer between 1908 and 1929, and a small shore depot supporting the whaling operations was established close by at the southeast corner of the harbor. Rusting barrels, wooden boats, and scattered bones are fascinating relics of the whaling era. Today, gentoo penguins are abundant on Godthul’s tussock plateau, and light-mantled sooty albatrosses nest in the cliffs that encircle the harbor.

St Andrews Bay

The surf-tossed coastline at St. Andrews Bay runs north-south in a 3km long uninterrupted sweep of fine dark sand, bounded in the interior by the Cook, Buxton, and Heaney Glaciers. The bay hosts the biggest colony of king penguins on South Georgia, and early in the season, fur and elephant seals are also abundant. Leopard seals patrol the rocks at this end of the beach, hunting for penguins along the edge of kelp beds. Sheathbills dart in and around the penguin colony, and Cape petrels nest in a small number on the cliffs north of St. Andrews Bay. A few white-chinned petrels and light-mantled sooty albatrosses nest on the tussock slopes. Brown skuas and Antarctic terns breed on the outwash plain and scree slopes at the north end of the beach.

Cooper Bay

Cooper Bay is an indentation in tiny Cooper Island, at the southeast extremity of South Georgia. Cooper Island holds Special Protection Area status, vital for its vast colonies of chinstrap and macaroni penguins, snow petrels, Antarctic prions, and black-browed albatross. We’ll likely also spot fur seals on the beach.

Drygalski Fjord

Drygalski Fjord is also located in the far southeast of the island. The glaciers in this dramatic fjord have retreated significantly in recent decades, but they remain one of the most striking features of the coastline. With a bit of luck, we may get a chance to see a glacier calve.

November 29–30, 2023: At Sea

We will spend the next two days crossing the Scotia Sea towards the Antarctic Peninsula. Take advantage of the time to be out on the deck, catch up on some reading, check through and edit your photos, or reflect on the magical experiences of South Georgia. Lectures and our signature image review sessions will be offered throughout these days.

December 1, 2023: Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands

We hope to have a chance to view the enigmatic Elephant Island from the zodiacs or the ship. Sir Ernest Shackleton fans will need no introduction to this historic windswept island. In 1916 Shackleton was forced to leave 22 of his men stranded on these shores while he and five others embarked on an unbelievable last-ditch rescue attempt. What followed is one of the most incredible rescue stories of all time.

December 2, 2023: At Sea—Antarctic Peninsula

We’ll meet with the Expedition Team to prepare for the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. Later today, we hope to arrive at the Antarctic Peninsula in the area of the scenic Antarctic Sound. Time and weather permitting, we hope to be landing today at Brown Bluff, located on the Tabarin Peninsula, south of Hope Bay. The site has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 20,000 pairs of Adelie penguins and about 550 pairs of gentoo penguins. Other birds nesting at Brown Bluff include Cape petrels, Wilson’s storm petrels, and kelp gulls. Weddell seals regularly haul out here, and leopard seals often hunt offshore.

December 3–5, 2023: Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands

Some of the sites we’ll potentially be visiting over the next couple of days:

Gerlache Strait

The Gerlache Strait separates the Palmer archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula. It offers scenic cruising through snow-covered mountains and large icebergs and is also a popular place for spotting humpback whales.

Cuverville Island

Dark, rocky Cuverville Island lies in the scenic Errera Channel at the center of the Gerlache Strait. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 6500 pairs of gentoo penguins, the largest for this species on the Antarctic Peninsula. Other birds nesting at the site include southern giant petrels and Antarctic shags. An alternative will be Useful Island.

Deception Island

Deception Island is an active volcanic crater accessed by a narrow inlet. Remnants of an old whaling station still line its steaming black sand beaches, and a walk up the caldera wall provides impressive views across the crater and out to sea. A handful of birds nest here, including Antarctic shags, and chinstrap penguins can sometimes be spotted on the beach.

Half Moon Island

Crescent-shaped Half Moon island stands at the entrance of Moon Bay, between Greenwich and Livingston Islands. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 100 pairs of south polar skuas. The island also supports about 2000 pairs of nesting chinstrap penguins, as well as many terns, gulls, storm petrels, petrels, skuas, sheathbills, and shags. Weddell and Antarctic fur seals regularly haul out on the beaches, and whales are often spotted just offshore.

December 5–7, 2023: At Sea

We leave Antarctica and head north across the Drake Passage. Join our lecturers and naturalists on deck as we search for seabirds and whales. We will also enjoy some final lectures. Take the chance to relax and reflect on our fascinating adventures over the past days.

December 8, 2023: Disembark Polar Pioneer at approximately 8:00 AM. Expedition concludes. Flights can be arranged for any time after 11:00 AM this day. We’ll have a bus transfer from the pier to the Ushuaia Airport, leaving from just outside the port at a time TBD. If your flights are later in the day, you can take taxis on your own.