Antarctica Cruise : Falklands - South Georgia - Orkneys - Elephant Island, 17 days / 16 nights
Designed as an ice-strength vessel, the Molchanov was built in 1983 as an oceanographic research ship. Since then, the ship has been transformed into a passenger vessel great for polar exploration. You will be accompanied by an excellent staff of nature and hictorical lecturers which will fill you in both on the ship and during your many landings and wildlife sightings.
Triple with Shared Facilities
Located on Deck 3 with two lower and one upper berth, a desk, a small washbasin, storage and hanging space and portholes. Shared shower and toilet facilities are conveniently located on the same deck.
In this cruise you'll visit some of the best attractions in the Southern Sea. Huge numbers of seabirds and marine mammals breed along South Georgia's tussac fringed shores. It has more than 160 glaciers coming down to the sea and is home to millions of seabirds including the beautiful King Penguins and the enormous Wandering Albatrosses. The Falklands offer a broad variety of wildlife, scenery, geology, history, hiking and of course the warm hospitality of the people.
Day 1 :
In the afternoon, we embark Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands and sail at 18.00 hours to South Georgia.
Days 2 & 3 :
At sea, on our way to South Georgia we will cross the Antarctic Convergence. Entering Antarctic waters, the temperature will drop as much as 10 degrees C in the time span of only a few hours. Near the Convergence we will see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship; several species of Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Petrels, Prions and Skuas.
Days 4- 10 :
In South Georgia we shall visit the bay of Elsehul, with it´s very active fur seal breeding beach, and then take course to Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour and Cooper Bay to give you a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and wildlife, like the introduced Reindeer, Elephant seals, King and Macaroni Penguins. We will also land on Prion Island to witness Wandering Albatrosses. At Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the British Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Stømness Bay. There and at Grytviken we’ll see and abandoned whaling village, where King Penguins now walk in the streets and seals have taken over the buildings. At Grytviken we´ll also offer a visit to the Whaling History Museum as well as to Shackleton´s grave near by. On St. Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour we have again the possibility to see ten thousands of King Penguins. After a visit to Cooper Bay, Will Point and / or Brisbane Point, we set course to the beautiful Drygalskiy Fjord. South Georgia offers a variety of landscapes (fjords, mountains and glaciers) and at the same time a wide variety of wildlife, with bird species such as King, Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins, Wandering, Black-browed, Grey-headed and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, various Petrels such as South Georgia Diving Petrel, Southern and Northern Giant Petrels, Blue-eyed Shags, South Georgia Pintail, South Georgia Pipits. Common sea-mammals are the Antarctic Fur Seal and Southern Elephant Seal.
Day 11 :
At sea, where the ship is again followed by a multitude of seabirds. At some point we might encounter sea-ice, and it is at the ice-edge where we might have a chance to see some high-Antarctic species like the Maccormick Skua, Snow Petrel and the elusive Emperor Penguin.
Day 12 :
When weather and ice conditions allow us, we are aiming for a short visit at Orcadas station, an Argentinean base located in the South Orkney Islands. The friendly base personnel will show us their facilities and we can enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding glaciers. The island offers Antarctic species.
Day 13 :
Today will be spent at sea.
Day 14 :
Although landings are difficult, when weather and ice conditions are favorable, we will try to set foot on Elephant island, an ice-covered, mountainous island in the northern tip of the South Shetland Islands (Sub-Antarctic region). The island is most famous for the epic rescue boat trip of Explorer Ernest Shackleton. After he and his crew lost their exploration ship Endurance in Weddell Sea ice in 1916, Shackleton and his men sailed in an open life boat back to South Georgia and from there to Elephant Island. In the early afternoon we depart and sail back to Ushuaia, Argentina.
Days 15- 16 :
During these two full days we sail across the Drake Passage and may see Wandering Albatrosses, Grey Headed Albatrosses, Black- browed Albatrosses, Light- mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, Southern Fulmars, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels.
Day 17 :
We arrive in the morning in Ushuaia and disembark.
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