Weddell Sea – In search of the emperor penguin

Day 1: The end of the world, the beginning of a journey
Your journeybegins where the world ends, in Ushuaia (Argentina) – also known as the southernmost city on earth. It is located at the southernmost tip of South America. In the afternoon, you will begin your journey in this small town in Tierra del Fuego, which is itself known as the "end of the world," and spend the rest of the evening sailing through the picturesque, mountain-lined Beagle Channel.

Days 4–7: Arrival in Antarctica
You will sail across Antarctic Sound into the Weddell Sea. Here, huge tabular icebergs announce your arrival on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. This area is home to emperor penguins, and you want to find them. The search will be conducted both from the ship and from the helicopters on board, giving you a good chance of actually finding these animals. During the helicopter flights, you can enjoy the beautiful landscape from a different perspective. Conditions permitting, helicopters can land in places that are otherwise inaccessible at this time of year.

Helicopter flights greatly enhance your trip and can take you to the following locations:

The western flank of Antarctic Sound – The western side of this area is rarely seen from the air, but this landscape is truly worth a flight: layered sandstone, lava flows, glaciers, icebergs, and pack ice stretch as far as the eye can see. The ice floes are often home to individual emperor and Adélie penguins, as well as Dominican gulls, skuas, and various species of petrels. Rugged mountain peaks peek through the snow, and huge ice walls lie on the slopes below.

Duse Bay – A helicopter can drop you off on a rocky hill near an old shelter overlooking the bay. There is still plenty of snow and ice, but much of the trail is over eroded rock covered with lichen in all shapes and colors.

Seymour Island – This is where the Swedish Antarctic expedition of 1901–1904 spent the winter under harrowing circumstances. Sedimentary rocks, fossils, and magnificent views characterize this place.

If conditions permit deeper entry into the Weddell Sea, Zodiac excursions can be conducted in the following areas:

Devil Island – home to a large colony of Adelie penguins, you can also hike to the summit of this island, which offers magnificent views. Melting ice sometimes forms a waterfall on the cliffs near Cape Well-met.

Brown Bluff – Perhaps the most scenic location on the entire northern tip of the Antarctic continent: gigantic stone walls, boulders, beautiful formations of volcanic origin covered with ice. It is home to a large Adelie penguin colony, where gentoo penguins and snow petrels can also be found.

Gourdin Island – Gentoo, donkey, and Adelie penguins can be found here – another opportunity for another adventure in Antarctica.

Esperanza Base – This Argentine research station, which operates year-round and is one of only two civilian settlements in Antarctica, could serve as an alternative landing site.

Days 9–10: Familiar seas, familiar friends
Your return journey is anything but lonely. As you cross the Drake Passage, you will once again be greeted by a multitude of seabirds reminiscent of the passage south. But this time, they seem a little more familiar.

Days 5–6: Alternative program if the route to Snow Hill Island is free of multi-year pack ice—the probability of this is less than 50%.

Helicopters are advantageous for reaching the emperor penguin colony, but whether we can use them depends entirely on the ice, sea, and weather conditions.

If conditions are favorable, we will visit the colony. If conditions are exceptionally favorable, we will try to visit the colony more than once. Helicopter missions take a whole day, and flight time depends on local conditions.

Each helicopter can carry 4 to 5 passengers per flight. The landing site is carefully selected so as not to disturb the penguins.

After arriving at the landing site, we will walk to the colony. This walk can take up to 45 minutes and can be challenging in some places. Please bear in mind that you are in the most remote region of the world and therefore there are no guarantees: conditions can change quickly, which can affect helicopter operations. It is important that you understand and respect this fact. Safety is our top priority, so we cannot compromise on this.

Our aim is for all groups to spend the same amount of time at the colony. However, the time spent at the colony (and the time it takes to get there from the landing site) varies depending on local conditions and flight times.