South Georgia Cruise

"South Georgia"

In late 1914, celebrated polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, leader of the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, set sail with a 27-man crew, many of whom, it is said, had responded to this recruitment notice. What followed has often been described as the most incredible adventure of this era. What makes it even more remarkable is the fact that all men made it back alive.
After their ship, the 'Endurance' had been caught in the ice of the Weddell Sea and had sunk in November 1915, the expedition eventually found refuge on Elephant Island. Desperately seeking aid, in April 1916 Shackleton and five companions sailed for South Georgia in the James Caird, one of the lifeboats from the 'Endurance'.
After 16 days in an open boat, encountering the most turbulent and unpredictable ocean in the world, they landed on the north-western shore of South Georgia, at King Haakon Bay. There remained, however, one last obstacle in their search for rescue. The Norwegian whaling station at Stromness lay on the opposite side of the island. In order to reach civilization they had to cross the never-before-climbed mountains and ice fields of South Georgia, with no maps, limited food and no proper climbing equipment.
Over the past years, the epic story of Shackleton and his men has inspired a number of books, an IMAX film and television documentary, as well as several re-enactments of Shackleton's legendary open boat journey and South Georgia mountain crossing.
Experience firsthand the history and beauty of South Georgia, and join us for a commemorative crossing of this spectacular island. We slowly cruise along the coast, exploring the wildlife and beauty of this wilderness area - which is especially exciting at the beginning of the Austral summer!

The Itinerary

Th first voyage to South georgia begins in Montevideo and ends in Ushuaia, whereas the second voyage is done in the reverse order.
However, no two voyages are exactly the same and the itinerary outlined here is for your guidance only. The Captain and Expedition Leader will assess daily conditions and take full advantage of every opportunity to make landings with our Zodiacs, using the almost continuous daylight to maximize time ashore.

Day 1 Montevideo (Uruguay)
In the afternoon, we embark in Montevideo, Uruguay and sail towards the south along the Argentina coast.

Days 2-5 At Sea
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 see a multitude of southern seabirds near the ship; several species of albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, prions and Skuas.

Days 6-11 South Georgia
On the north-side of South Georgia we visit the bay of Elsehul with it´s very active fur seal breeding beach, and then take course to Right Whale Bay, Salisbury Plain, Prince Olav Harbour, and Fortuna Bay, which give us a good opportunity to see a wide spectrum of landscapes and local wildlife, like the huge Elephant seals, King and Gentoo penguins, Grey-headed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels, White-chinned Petrels, several species of prions and storm petrels, Brown Skuas, Dominican Gulls, Antarctic Terns, sheathbills and the endemic South Georgia Pintail, as well as introduced species, such as reindeer. One of the highlights might be our visit to Prion Island, where we witness the breeding efforts of the huge Wandering Albatross and enjoy watching their displays.
At Fortuna Bay we might try to follow in the footsteps of the great British Explorer Ernest Shackleton and hike over to Strømness Bay. We can see where explorer Shackleton succeeded his famous mountain climb over the more then 2000 meter mountains when he rescued his men from his thrilling voyage from Antarctica. We also attempt to visit the stations Leith, Strømness and Husvik.
At Grytviken we offer a visit to the Whaling History Museum as well as to Shackleton´s grave near by the old whaling town, where King Penguins now walk in the streets and seals have taken over the buildings. We also plan to visit the British Research Station which is half an hour walk from Grytviken.
Godthul and Ocean Harbour are waiting for us in the late afternoon and the next day might find us early in the morning at Gold Harbour and later at Cooper Bay, where we might have a chance to see macaroni penguins breeding. The impressive Drygalski Fjord yet be another highlight, as we´ll round the main island of South Georgia.

Day 12 South side South Georgia
We explore the quite unknown south-side of South Georgia. We might land at Undine South Harbour and King Haakon Bay, the site, where Shackleton landed after his epic boat journey from Elephant Island.n.

Days 13-15 Southern Ocean
At sea on our way back to Tierra del Fuego we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds and time to let our new experiences sink in. Our lecture team will provide informative talks.

Day 16 Ushuaia, Argentina
Today in the morning we arrive in Ushuaia, often referred to as the southernmost city in the world. After breakfast we disembark and you continue independently to the airport for your flight back home.

General Information

Rated: Easy

Important: Vessels do not wait ! We advise passengers to arrive in Ushuaia one day before. In case your international flight to Montevideo or your flight to Ushuaia is delayed or cancelled, you still have time to arrive on time for the departure. If you miss the departure, no money is paid back.

Additional services: These itineraries do not include any land or air service in Uruguay and Argentina. We can book hotels, transfers between airports and airport/hotel, excursions and domestic flights. Contact us for a quotation !

THERE WILL BE NO SOUTH GEORGIA CRUISE FOR THE 2006-07 SEASON.

Included: • Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary.
• All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea;
• All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac.
• Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff.
• All miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the programme.
• Comprehensive pre-departure material.

Not included: Any airfare, whether on scheduled or charter flights; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; meals ashore; supplement for single hotel accommodations; baggage, cancellation and personal insurance (which is strongly recommended); excess baggage charges and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar and beverage charges and telecommunications charges; and the customary gratuity at the end of the voyage for those who have served you aboard (guidelines will be provided).

Special booking & cancellation conditions
A deposit of 20% of the expedition rate is required to confirm a reservation with final payment due 60 days prior to departure. In case the contracting party books more than 9 travel participants or more than 9 berths on a ship voyage in one reservation, special conditions will apply (contact us)
All requests for cancellations must be received in writing. Cancelation fees are as follow:
- Up to and including 60 days prior to departure:    20 % of the total price
- from 59 days up to and including 30 days prior to departure:    30 % of the total price
- from 29 days up to and including 15 days prior to departure:    45 % of the total price
- from 14 days up to and including 6 days prior to departure:    75 % of the total price
- from 5 days up to and including the day of departure :    100 % of the total price

Please note that all dates & rates are subject to change. All voyages will operate subject to a minimum of 30 participants.