The Falklands Islands, South Georgia & the Antarctic Peninsula

18-19 nights from £8,093

This Antarctic expedition holiday provides an in-depth experience of not only the snow-drenched mountains and icebergs of the White Continent but also the bleakly beautiful landscapes of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. These windswept Sub-Antarctic islands are brought to life by the chattering and wheeling of birdlife: beaches are choked with Macaroni penguins in their tens of thousands, and the vestiges of a human history of struggle and endeavour are everywhere to be seen. It’s a long time at sea, but the variety and intrinsic fascination of what can be seen is spell-binding.

Sail east from Ushuaia to the Falkland Islands and, following in-depth briefings on the natural and human history, spend a couple of days exploring the rugged coastline and draughty plains, spotting Magallenic and gentoo penguins, maybe a nesting albatross or two. Pop into Port Stanley, the Islands’ friendly capital.

South Georgia is a more savage landscape with jagged, harshly glaciated mountains. Former centre of the sealing and whaling and industries, there are mournful reminders of the human struggles here, with shipwrecks and pioneering scientific stations. It was here that Shackleton scaled the unforgiving range of ice-clad peaks to seek help for his ship-wrecked crew. But it is the multitude of wildlife that really stuns the visitor here: elephant seals, king and macaroni penguins, albatrosses and even the introduced reindeer abound.

Continue south towards Antarctica passing close to - or dropping anchor at - the South Shetland Islands, much visited long ago by scientists and whalers, where towers of black rock shield the flooded caldera of an active volcano and wildlife abounds.

You do not have to travel deep into the continent to see and feel the sheer scale and majesty of Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is a slim finger of land pointing up towards the southernmost tip of South America and defined by mountains considered to be the extension of the Andes. It is the most accessible and mildest region, adorned with hundreds of tiny islands, and a rich breeding ground for Antarctic wildlife: seabirds, penguins and seals. Ships edge their way south through the slush and abstract patterns formed by the fractured ice and, like the early whalers, visitors may be excited to spot a humpback, orca or Minke or two. Place names recall the early explorers: Neumeyer Channel, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island.

Visits to the Peninsula typically include Port Lockroy, Cuverville Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumeyer Channel , Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay and the Melchior islands. Stops on the South Shetlands may include Deception Island.

Return northwards to Ushuaia crossing through the Drake Passage where conditions range from lake-like to stormy but where a multitude of birds are likely to accompany the vessels.