Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia: The Highlights

There are so many superlatives rushing to the front of my mind that it is hard to know where to even start describing last month’s charter to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica – five years in the making, and my goodness was it worth the wait!

After boarding our 100-berth expedition ship, we departed from Ushuaia, an artillery of binoculars and cameras lined up at the front of the ship, and set sail towards our first destination, the Falklands. Visiting Carcass and Saunders Islands provided fabulous views of Magellanic, Gentoo, Southern Rockhopper and King Penguins, plus nesting Black-browed Albatross and, from the cliffs, Commerson’s Dolphins riding the turquoise waves and Sei Whales further out to sea, all in gorgeous sunshine! Excellent views of Long-tailed Meadow Lark, Upland Geese and Falklands Thrush (a subspecies of Austral Thrush) and the endemic Cobb's Wren pleased the birders in the group. Hospitality on Carcass Island was also outstanding, as we finished our glorious coastal walk at a guesthouse where there was a fabulous spread of freshly baked cakes and biscuits with tea and coffee. The following day we also stopped at Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. A small group of South American Sea Lions were on the quay to meet us (and an old London bus, still flagged up that it was going to Tottenham Court Road, was a strange sight!). Folk visited the information centre and Falklands Conservation office, bought stamps and postcards at the post office and visited the excellent museum and nearby café. A stroll along the waterside provided great views of Falkland Steamer Ducks, plenty of Magellanic Oystercatchers and small colonies of nesting Rock Shags.

Once at South Georgia, we spent two days exploring the coastline via a combination of zodiac and ship’s cruises around Right Whale Bay, Prion Island, Salisbury Plain, Stromness, Leith and Hercules Bay. We marvelled at the noisy colonies of King and Macaroni Penguins, plus the Wandering Albatrosses of Prion Island. Landing at Grytviken, we were welcomed by a ranger who gave us an informative talk outside the museum, as well as a guided tour around the old whaling station – the rusty remains of which still stand, although it has now turned into a playground for young Fur Seals, with the pups clambering about on the old frames and barrels. We all visited the brilliant museum (and were entertained by the endearing Fur Seal pups joyfully lolloping and bouncing around the grass outside – next to a far more sedate, enormous, female Elephant Seal). We then made our journey south, towards Antarctica!

After a couple more days at sea, we sailed past ‘A23a’, the largest iceberg in the world (twice the size of Greater London!) – we’d been told we’d approach it around 4:30am for those who wanted to get up to see it, but ‘not to worry if you sleep in, because it will take four hours to sail past’! Those on deck woke to find the colossal ’berg on our port side, stretching off into the distance. The sculpted caves and arches and various smaller bergs were photographed many times. Later that afternoon, we were delighted that the captain was able to take us to Elephant Island. Upon reaching Point Wild (the beach where Shackleton famously left his men), most jaws on deck dropped open in astonishment. It seemed incomprehensible that 22 men had managed to survive for four months on what looked to be nothing more than a rocky outcrop completely exposed to waves from both sides. Utterly humbling and, for many on board, one of the main historical highlights of the trip.

The same day, we officially made it down to the Antarctic Peninsula, where we would spend the next four days in search of wildlife. Key places visited were Portal Point (where we first set foot on Antarctica!), the Lemaire Channel, plus Half Moon, Yalour, Pleneau, Danco and Cuverville Islands (the latter being where 15 members of the group, including myself, opted for a ‘polar plunge’!) and Wilhelmina and Charlotte Bays. Highlights had to be our visits to Adélie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguin colonies (which stole our hearts!) and Foyn Harbour, where we spent a sunny morning in silent, mirror-calm waters, gently cruising around icebergs with napping Humpback Whales not paying us any attention (and why should they?). We also had an unforgettable afternoon in the ‘iceberg graveyard’ – where Mike, my co-leader, found the elusive will-o’-the-wisp of Antarctica, an Emperor Penguin! To say folk were ‘delighted’ would be an understatement – guests and leaders were over the moon, this being a denizen on many people’s ‘wish lists’ (and was the cause of many a toast in the bar later that evening!). Afterwards, zodiac pairs continued cruising around the ice maze, weaving around small icebergs, bumping into Humpbacks (metaphorically!) and finding a total of seven Leopard Seals – more than any of the expedition guides had ever seen! Later that evening, we found a pod of seven Orca, and stayed with them for an hour as they travelled in the channel with us. What a day!

On our final night in Antarctica, we had a BBQ (with mulled wine!) out on the helipad deck which, once finished, turned into a disco in the snow! It was a truly surreal experience, watching 100 people boogie in parka jackets whilst Humpback Whales silently appeared around the boat every minute or so (it seemed so unthinkable – even rude – to ignore them, but we’d seen almost 200 by this point!).

After experiencing the majesty of this truly unspoilt wilderness, it was with great reluctance that we left the peninsula. Our return journey was fairly plain sailing (the infamous Drake Passage being pretty calm, to the relief of many!) and we were grateful to the captain for skilfully taking us so close to (within 2 miles of) Cape Horn. We disembarked – two and a half weeks after we had set off – back at the port in Ushuaia, with waistbands much tighter, hearts warmed with great memories and smiles solidified onto faces. This was not a tour – this was an adventure!

At the end of March/beginning of April 2024, Sara and one of her co-leaders, Tim Melling, will host an 'Antarctica Highlights' evening on zoom, reflecting on the sightings from the trip. To register your interest for this, please fill in the form below. To register your interest in joining our 2027 charter, click here. You can also view the main tour page here.