A Glacial Paradise

Take a flight from Punta Arena to the airstrip at Frei Station on King George Island, the main island of the South Shetland Islands. The Yacht will be anchored in Maxwell Bay, a one mile walk away. Once on board, sail out into the Bransfield Strait and south along the Antarctic Peninsula passing icebergs and chinstrap penguins.

An island in the Weddell sea just 2km around, with a distinctive cone over 353 metres high, Paulet Island is home to 100,000 pairs of Adélie penguins, as well as striking species of bird. The ruins of Nordenskjöld’s ship, the Antarctic, sank 40km from the island. Its ruins are now a penguins’ playground.
Discover the story of the Nordenskjold Expedition, which took place in the early 1900’s and became one of the greatest stories of survival in exploration. The remains are still here to be discovered.

Deception Island offers one of the few respites from the Antarctic storms and rollers. Better still, this land of fire is one of the few places in the world where you can sail directly into the crater of a live volcano. Explore the ruins of the whaling factory and scientific station, plus the eerie bones of Whalers Bay. Braver guests can dive into the (marginally) warmer waters heated by hot springs under the beach.

Hike up Ronald Hill. Wander up to Neptune’s Window overlooking the Bransfield Strait. The ultimate photo opportunity lies even higher at The Nipple, where lava fields gently steam when air pressure is low. On nearby Bailey Head, 100,000 pairs of Chinstrap penguins call the seashore home.

Cierva Cove is a bay of floating crushed and brash ice, the gateway to the West Antarctic Peninsula. Discover how the local population lives at the Argentinean Base Primavera scientific research centre. Bring wine or coffee – the staff at the centre live in extreme isolation. Spot leopard seals and whales. Watch Weddell and crabeater seals snowbathing on the ice. See glaciers calving. Find yourself surrounded by ice in every form: arches, bergs, glaciers.

Paradise Harbour’s 360º backdrop has welcomed many a mariner after a stormy Southern Ocean crossing. Protected by mountains of ice, it’s perfect for kayaking, wildlife spotting and cruising though ice floes. Step ashore on the lost continent at the Argentine Almirante Brown Base. Here, birds including nimble Wilson’s storm petrels and blue-eyed shags nest on copper-stained cliffs. Tender into Skontorp Cove, below a dramatic glacier front which floods the bay with ice loungers for leopard and crabeater seals. Near the Chilean Gonzalez Videla Base, a local gentoo penguin colony includes very rare leucistic (semi-albino) birds.

Situated on the football pitch-sized Goudier Island in a sheltered natural harbour, former British scientific base Port Lockroy is now a protected historical site. A centre of learning, its museum is the centre of a long-term environmental study, and worth visiting for a tour of extreme work life. Outside, guests can meet the friendly local gentoo penguin population. This is also the site of the most southerly British post office in the world.

This 11km-long gorge-like channel between the mainland and Booth Island is one of the great Antarctic highlights. It’s guarded by twin peaks colloquially called ‘Una’s Peaks’, after a personal assistant in the Falkland governor's office. Look out for migrating whales, especially Minkes, humpbacks and orcas. The area is a favourite with rock climbers, photographers and arctic explorers. Behind on Booth Island, a cairn marks the winter anchorage of the French Charcot expedition 1903-05, which recorded penguin data still valued today.

If your Captain doesn’t mind a challenge, have him anchor between the constantly moving icebergs in the bay of Pleneau Island, propelled by the current. A large colony of Gentoo penguins play on the ice, chased by Leopard seals. Nearby is the Vernadsky Research Station, which has its own pub. Sample the fiery homemade vodka to warm up.

Before heading home, disembark at Frei Station where you can visit the Russian Orthodox Trinity Church. Say your farewells and depending on the weather conditions, board the flight to Punta Arenas to begin your journey home.