Day 1 Our overnight flight takes us from London to the Argentinian capital city of Buenos Aires, arriving Day 2.

Day 2 After settling into our hotel and having a light lunch, we will set off to the nearby Costanera Sur nature reserve for a relaxed wander around the ponds here, where we will look for Rosy-billed Pochard, Brazilian Teal, Limpkin and Southern Screamer, amongst others.

Day 3 We return to Costanera Sur for a longer walk, exploring the gallery forest, dry scrublands and open marshes, hopefully reaching the shores of the impressive Rio Plata. After lunch, we take a late afternoon flight south to Puerto Madryn, just south of the famous Valdes Peninsula.

Day 4 We have a relaxed day trip out along the coastline of the Golfo San José. The sheltered waters here are famous as a breeding site for Southern Right Whales, and we will be keeping our eyes peeled for these gentle giants just offshore, as well as enjoying the region’s birdlife. 

Day 5 After a free morning, we head to the port, ready to embark on our dream voyage. After boarding we will be introduced to the expedition team and crew, and to the ship, our home for the next three weeks, as we set off into the Atlantic, keeping our eyes peeled for Magellanic Penguin, Great Grebe and our first Black-browed Albatross as we head south.

Days 6 and 7 Our first ‘at sea’ days will see us settling in to the routine on board, gaining our sea legs, and getting to know some of the oceanic birdlife that will be accompanying us for the next 20 days: Black-browed Albatross, White-chinned Petrel, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, giant petrels, prions, Sooty and Great Shearwaters should all become familiar to us, and the first of the ‘great albatrosses’ will be Southern Royal and Northern Royal Albatross. Peale’s Dolphin, Sei Whale, South American Sea-lion and South American Fur Seal could all put in an appearance as we head south.

Day 8 We wake up offshore from the Falkland Islands. Our exact itinerary will depend on the local weather conditions, but we hope to visit Carcass Island, where the endemic Cobb’s Wren can be found, along with nesting Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins. Saunders Island is home to a nesting colony of Black-browed Albatrosses, alongside Imperial Shags and Southern Rockhopper Penguins. On the sheltered beaches we will look for Kelp Goose and the flightless Falkland Steamer-Duck.

Day 9 We visit the ‘capital’ of the Falklands, the charming little town of Stanley, where colourful houses, well-tended gardens and English-style pubs are all found. The small museum is worth a visit, covering the early days of the settlement through to the 1982 war, while we should never forget the wildlife: Austral Thrush, Black-chinned Siskin and Long-tailed Meadowlark may all be seen around town, and the pretty black-and-white Commerson’s Dolphin is frequently seen just off shore.

Days 10 and 11 During our next two days, enroute to South Georgia, we cross the Antarctic Convergence: the temperature drops noticeably, and nutritious water rises to the surface, bringing a change in the wildlife. Antarctic Prion, Blue Petrel and Pintado Petrel become more numerous, rarer sightings could include Black-bellied Storm Petrel, Grey Petrel and Atlantic Petrel, and we can expect to see our first Grey-headed, Light-mantled and Snowy Albatrosses, the latter having the longest wingspan of any bird. The deeper waters are home to various cetaceans, and we should keep watch for pods of Hourglass Dolphin, Long-finned Pilot Whales, Fin Whales and various beaked whales.

Day 12-15 Our program on South Georgia will be dictated by the weather. We will spend four days, exploring a variety of landings on the northern, most sheltered side of this, one of the remotest and wildest places on earth. Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour and St Andrew’s Bay house the three largest King Penguin colonies in South Georgia, and we hope to spend time at all three, soaking up the sights, sounds (and smells!) of these penguin cities. On the rockier beaches, large colonies of Macaroni Penguins are at home, with Gentoo Penguins higher up on the grassy slopes. The sheltered beaches are also amongst the world’s most important breeding sites for Southern Elephant Seals, with our visit timed to coincide with the peak in activity, as the four-ton bulls fight for the attention of the females. Antarctic Fur Seals gather amongst the tussock grass, Brown Skuas and Snowy Sheathbills patrol the colonies, scavenging for food, and the endemic South Georgia Pintail feed close at hand, looking out of place amongst the seals. The world’s southern-most songbird is the endemic South Georgia Pipit: once restricted to a handful of offshore islands along the south coast, the recent eradication of mice and rats has been a huge conservation success story, and the pipits have now returned to the mainland. We will keep our fingers firmly crossed that we catch up with this hardy pipit! Amongst our landings on South Georgia, we can expect to visit the former whaling station of Grytviken, where we can visit the grave of Ernest Shackleton, as well as the small museum.

Day 16 We spend a full day ‘at sea’, perhaps encountering our first sea ice along the way, with the ghostly Snow Petrel in attendance. As we head south, we will look out for whales, with Blue Whale, Killer Whale and Southern Bottle-nosed Whale all amongst the possibilities.

Day 17 Depending on the sea and weather conditions, we hope to make a stop at the remote South Orkney archipelago, perhaps visiting the Orcadas Base, a scientific station on Laurie Island.

Day 18 Back to the routine of birding from the bridge wings or enjoying the lectures in the lounge. The further south we get, the higher our chances of finding Southern Fulmar or Antarctic Petrel, while Fin Whales feed amongst the icebergs.

Days 19-22 We hope to arrive in Antarctic by the afternoon of Day 19, with our first stop likely to be somewhere in the South Shetland Islands, with nesting Chinstrap Penguins and Weddell Seals hauled out on the beach. Pushing on south to the great white continent itself, our plans will depend on the sea, ice and weather conditions. If the way is clear, we may venture down into the Weddell Sea, on the less-visited eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, where some of the largest colonies of Adelie Penguins can be found, our seventh penguin species of the trip. Alternatively, we may head down the more sheltered Bransfield Strait, on the western side of the peninsula, perhaps reaching down into the Gerlache Strait. Wherever we spend our time, we will be sure to encounter an epic landscape of ice and snow, with alpine peaks and mammoth glaciers calving at sea level, with the fresh snow of the southern spring. Penguin colonies will be busy, with adults displaying and eggs being laid. South Polar Skua, Antarctic Tern and Antarctic Shag will also be nesting, while Snowy Petrel flit among the icebergs. Any time we are amongst the ice, we will look for Crabeater, Weddell and the reptilian Leopard Seals, while Antarctic Minke Whale, Humpback Whale and maybe even the shy Arnoux Beaked Whale may all put in an appearance. With luck, we may encounter the ocean’s apex predator, the Killer Whale, with both seal-hunting and whale-hunting ecotypes present in these waters. 

Days 23 and 24 From our final landing site in the South Shetlands, we set off north into the Drake Passage. We are back into the realm of the albatross, as we reacquaint ourselves with the seabirds of the southern oceans. In the afternoon of day 24, we expect to sight land again. Sei Whales and Dusky Dolphins may greet us as we turn westwards into the sheltered waters of the Beagle Channel.

Day 25 We bid a very sad farewell after breakfast, and disembark in the world’s southernmost city of Ushuaia. We will have a free day to explore and slowly readjust to being on solid ground again. 

Day 26 After another leisurely morning, we will fly back to Buenos Aires.

Day 27 After an optional early morning visit to the wetlands at Costanera Sur, we head back to the airport for our flights back to the UK, arriving Day 28.

Please note that the itinerary may be changed to suit the weather or other practicalities at the discretion of the leaders.

During our time in Argentina, accommodation will be in comfortable hotels of a good international standard: all rooms will have en-suite accommodation.

For our southern ocean cruise, we will be travelling aboard the m/v ’Plancius’, a former oceanographic research vessel which was completely rebuilt as a 108-passenger vessel in 2009.

Our accommodation is in twin rooms, en-suite, with a port-hole. Twin cabins with a window or double superior cabins are also available, at a higher price, and there may be single spaces in 4-berth cabins, at a reduced cost.

All meals are included: special diets can be catered for.

Excursions are taken in Zodiacs, small, open, rigid inflatables. Warm rubber boots are provided for the excursions, and it is possible to rent suitable waterproof/warm weather clothing for the period of the cruise.

Group flights

Group flights are with British Airways from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires. 

20th October depart London Heathrow 22.10, arrive Buenos Aires (Ezeiza) 11.50 (21st)
15th November depart Buenos Aires (Ezeiza) 13.35, arrive London Heathrow 08.35 (22nd)

Internal flights will be with Aerolinea Argentinas.

You might like to extend your stay in Argentina, or make your own way to/from the boat: please speak to us about options.

Time zone

Argentina is three hours behind of the UK at this time of year.

Entry requirements

If you hold a British passport you do not need a visa to enter Argentina for business or tourism for up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.

We will be covering a lot of distance on this itinerary, from hot, sunny Buenos Aires to some of the coldest, windiest places on the planet.

Buenos Aires: 16°C to 25°C, strong sun, with a chance of rain showers.

Puerto Madryn: 14°C to 22°C, dry and sunny.

Ushuaia: 3°C to 10°C, a chance of rain and wind.

Falkland Islands: 6°C to 9°C.

South Georgia and Antarctica: we will be travelling in some of the coldest and windiest places on the planet. October/November is late spring/early summer, so temperatures are likely to be between   -5°C and 5°C most of the time. We may experience snow or rain, with strong winds in places: if we get bright conditions, it can feel much warmer out of the wind, and the sun can be very strong, with sun protection recommended at all times. 

This is a long trip, stopping a short time at several locations before we board the ship, and you therefore need to be generally fit and able to cope with ‘living out of a suitcase’.

Excursions will be by ‘zodiac’ inflatables, accessed from the ship by a steep gangway, sometimes with considerable ‘swell’, and often wet, with a step down into the inflatable. Landings will mostly be ‘wet landings’, stepping directly from the zodiac onto the beach.

Most walking will be at a slow pace to give us the time to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. Precautions against Avian Influenza mean that you will be on your feet for the full length of each excursion, generally 2-3 hours, without any possibility of sitting down. To see the best of the wildlife, it will be necessary to walk on rough, slippery terrain, with snow and ice, and up/down slopes, sometimes quite steep. You need to be steady on your feet, able to climb stairs and hold onto hand rails whilst moving about the ship.