South Georgia Great Explorer Cruise

In a trip like this, we cannot guarantee the itinerary, it will depend on the weather and the condition of the ice. The final say for routes is with the captain of the ship.

Thursday 13th November – Ushuaia, the end of the world

• Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, the largest in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. YPT can advise on the best way to get here and arrange pre-tour accommodation. If you arrive a few days early, we can also advice you on the best way to discover this incredible place.
• Per local regulations, luggage must be dropped-off in the morning in the city center, at a drop-off point that will be communicated to you prior to the trip.
• In mid-afternoon, we will board the m/v Hondius from Tierra del Fuego
• For the rest of the day we will be sailing through the Beagle Channel, flanked by the southern reaches of the Andes Mountains. Those first hours at sea will be quite busy, as we settle in our cabins, learn about the safety rules on the ship, and attend the traditional welcome cocktail ceremony.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 14th November – into the Southern Ocean

• Today we’ll be sailing the Drake Passage and get our first hint of what it’s like to be out at sea heading towards the Antarctic. We’ll have our mandatory briefings about how to behave in Antarctica. Our cruise follows IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) regulations to help conserve it as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. We’ll also receive our boots and clean our clothes to make sure we won’t bring seeds to Antartica!
• Lunch on the ship
• Our ship offers good options for wildlife watching, both outside on the panoramic deck, at the bow or in the comfort of our lounge. Watch out over the seas for several species of marine mammals (whales, orcas, dolphins…) and sea birds. The expedition crew is always on the lookout and will make announcements when they spot interesting wildlife.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 15th November – the Antarctic Convergence

• We will pass through the Antarctic Convergence, the border into Antarctica proper. Here, the temperature cools considerably within the space of a few hours, and nutritious water rises to the surface of the sea due to colliding water columns. This phenomenon attracts a multitude of seabirds near the ship, including several species of albatross, shearwaters, petrels, prions, and skuas.
• Lunch on the ship
• The naturalists on the ship will offer a program of lectures about various topics: the geography of Antarctica, penguins, whales, icebergs, the race to the South Pole… Those lectures are not mandatory: you can pick those that interest you most. And if you feel like it, you can even offer to give a lecture yourself!

Sunday 16th November – Shag Rocks

• Conditions permitting, we sail past the Shag Rocks, six jagged islets rising straight out of the ocean 150 miles (240km) west of South Georgia.
• Those are rich feeding grounds for birds and whales, and home to South Georgia shags with their electric-blue eyes. It’s a strange, beautiful signal that South Georgia is near.

Monday 17th November – South Georgia

• Landfall. Glaciers, jagged peaks, and beaches swarming with life. Today you arrive at the first South Georgia activity site. Please keep in mind that weather conditions in this area can be challenging, largely dictating the program.
• Our goal during the trip is to be off the vessel as much as possible. While our planned schedule and activities are always subject to change due to local conditions (ice, weather, wildlife spotting opportunities), a typical day involve a zodiac cruise and a landing in the morning, and another cruise and landing in the afternoon.
• We make our first landing possibly at Fortuna Bay, where king penguins waddle and fur seals snarl.
• If conditions are right, we hike part of Shackleton’s legendary final trek toward Stromness. This path cuts across the mountain pass beyond Shackleton’s Waterfall, and as the terrain is partly swampy, be prepared to cross a few small streams.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

Tuesday 18th November – South Georgia

• Today we aim to visit one or two of South Georgia’s crown jewels: Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, or Gold Harbour.
• Salisbury Plain is the second largest king penguin colony in South Georgia and one of the largest in the world, with around 60,000 king penguin pairs comprising one very popular hangout. While this massive number of penguins will be the focus of many of your photographs, the place is also home to many Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

Wednesday 19th November – South Georgia

• Today, we will check out the abandoned whaling station of Grytviken, where king penguins walk the streets and elephant seals lie around like they own the place – because they basically do! Formerly the largest settlement on the island, Grytviken closed in 1966 when dwindling whale stocks made it uneconomical.
• Here you can the South Georgia Museum as well as Shackleton’s grave. Sir Ernest Shackleton was one of the main figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, in the early 20^th He passed away in Grytviken in 1922.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

Thursday 20th November – South Georgia

• Today, we’ll explore Stromness, Leith Harbour, or Husvik. They were once hubs of the South Atlantic whaling industry and are now eerie, rust-streaked ghost towns slowly being swallowed by nature. These sites were at the heart of industrial whaling in the early 20th century, where factory ships offloaded their catch and workers rendered blubber in vast, smoke-belching facilities. Today, elephant seals sprawl across the crumbling docks and gentoo penguins waddle between twisted metal and collapsed buildings, .
• At Husvik, you may spot South Georgia diving petrels darting near the shoreline, and Antarctic prions circling above the hills. The rusting remnants of old whaling boats lie half-submerged in kelp, while the surrounding green slopes have regrown into tussock-covered hillsides teeming with life.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

Friday 21st November – South Georgia

• Possible other landings sites are Cobblers Cove and Godthul, home to macaroni and gentoo penguins, sooty albatrosses, and relics from early 20th-century whalers. You’ll hike past whalebones and nest sites, with seabirds swirling overhead and seals lounging on shore.
• We may also aim for King Haakon Bay, where Shackleton made landfall after his death-defying 800-mile journey from Elephant Island. It’s a quiet place now, dominated by elephant seals and birds, but it carries one of the greatest survival stories of all time.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

 Saturday 22nd November – South Georgia

• If the weather gods allow, we head into Royal Bay, a notoriously windy and dramatic stretch of coast. Black sand, green tussock grass, and a looming wall of glacier. Around 30,000 king penguin pairs live here. Zodiac cruising through the surf is raw and unforgettable.
• We may also cruise Drygalski Fjord, flanked by towering, ice-draped cliffs. It’s one of South Georgia’s most cinematic moments.
• Dinner and overnight on the ship

Sunday 23rd to Wednesday 26th November – Return through the Drake

• We begin the return voyage. As South Georgia slips behind us, seabirds pick up our trail once more. Time to breathe, reflect, sort your photos, and relive some of the greatest wildlife encounters on Earth.
• There may be sea ice on this route, south polar skuas and snow petrels could join the other seabirds such as albatrosses and petrels trailing the vessel. Eventually we reach the Drake Passage and you’re again greeted by the vast array of seabirds remembered from the passage south.

Thursday 27th November: Back to Ushuaia

• As we return to Ushuaia, the circle complete. You’ve stepped ashore on one of the planet’s most remote, untamed islands, walked with kings, watched four-ton bulls fight for dominance, and cruised fjords barely touched by time.
• Our ship will arrive back at the end of the world at Tierra del Fuego where we disembark and say our goodbyes
• End of tour, YPT can assist with onward travel plans