Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands 25 day Cruise - Prices from $14,990 Departures: 2/14/2008

See entire List of Trips Ship: National Geographic Endeavour Trip Highlights: One of the best overall programs to Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia. Expect great guides, enough time in key destinations, underwater dive master and ROV. This ship is not fancy, but the program is fantastic. Want more info about this trip or other Antarctic travel options?

Day 1: Miami/Santiago Chile
You leave Miami on an overnight flight to beautiful Santiago.

Day 2: Santiago
You're fortunate to arrive in Santiago in the beautiful light of morning. With the soaring Andes as a backdrop, Santiago makes a spectacular and welcoming first impression - as does your hotel, the Hyatt Regency Santiago, located in a gracious residential neighborhood. The morning is free for resting up or seeing the city on your own. Santiago is an intriguing blend of European, Spanish Colonial and innovative modern architecture. Its sun-mellowed facades and stately palms invite walking and any stroll will be a photogenic one. The morning is all yours, to do with as you wish. After lunch, you'll have the opportunity to see the city on a panoramic tour, including city locales such as the Presidential Palace and the historic cathedral area. Later on, as the afternoon sun casts its magic over everything, you'll drive up into the San Christobal hills for a spectacular view of Santiago that is sure excite the photographer's instincts - from the novice to the professional. After an interesting afternoon in Santiago, you return to the Hyatt Regency Hotel for a relaxing dinner.

Day 3: Santiago/Ushuaia, Argentina/Embark Ship
Fly to Ushuaia, where you'll embark Endeavour and set sail.

Day 4: At Sea
Whales beneath you, spectacular birds above you, it's time to settle in for your first day at sea. This is a time to spend hours on the deck or the bridge watching the sky and the sea. The ever-changing light presents endless photographic possibilities. The winds and weather are handled with complete aplomb by Endeavour's experienced Captain and crew. Whether you're a veteran of sea voyages or new to the experience, it's always interesting to watch the workings of a small ship making a crossing. During this time at sea, we will cross the Antarctic Convergence where the cold waters of the Antarctic meet the warmer waters of the South Atlantic. From here south, the waters will be the coldest and densest on earth and with biological productivity that is the highest found anywhere.

Days 5-6: The Falkland Islands
Discover the wildlife-rich Falklands Islands. Visit Port Stanley with its photogenic tin-roofed, Victorian-style houses. See the Anglican Cathedral with its organic archway of whalebones and the Falkland Islands Museum. Visit islands such as Carcass and New and see species you won't find anywhere else in the world.

Day 7: Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
See the colorful houses of Port Stanley. Visit the Britannia House Museum and the Cathedral.

Days 8-9: At Sea
This is a time to spend hours on the deck or the bridge watching the sky and the sea. The ever-changing light presents endless photographic possibilities.

Days 10-13: South Georgia Island
Once in South Georgia, you are in the heart of the experience you joined this Antarctic expedition for. You're also at the famed location where Ernest Shackleton landed in 1917 after the most famous navigational feat in history.

Famous footsteps are part of the appeal. Teeming wildlife and breathtaking scenery are another part. Soaring cliffs filled with bird life are the dramatic vista that greets our ship. And hundreds of young Antarctic fur seals are on hand to greet our Zodiacs as we make landfall. At St. Andrew's Bay, you may come upon 100,000 king penguins with their yellow-crested heads. Picture white, black, steel blue and orange bodies covering every inch of an enormous beach. Some of our guests find that the only way to photograph the enormity of this scene is to hike up onto a hill, looking down on the multitude of penguins. Look closely for a reindeer or two. Sometimes they graze among the penguins. Dramatic skies abound on this island rife with wildlife and rich in seafaring history.

Days 14-15: At Sea
Voyaging south, you'll see icebergs in the long slow process of melting, as they head north from Antarctica. Some measure up to a mile long as they pass by in all shapes and sizes. Photographers head for the bridge or assume their spot at the deck rail. There'll be plenty of time to enjoy a massage, log some time in the gym, or read a book. Each day you’re at sea, your Expedition Leader and naturalists offer talks and presentations that add depth and dimension to your experiences.

Day 16: South Orkney Islands
Since they're so isolated and often icebound, the South Orkneys are rarely visited. As you enter the vicinity, the shapes and shades of ice are endless. Although it is such a cold and frozen world, the wildlife is surprisingly abundant. Penguins and Leopard seals float by on icebergs, and Snow and pintado petrels weave through the sky. The knowledge of your leaders make these islands once known as the "Inaccessible Islands," accessible to you. In their capable hands, you are able to experience the South Orkneys' remote and rugged beauty.

Day 17: At Sea
This is a time to spend hours on the deck or the bridge watching the sky and the sea. The ever-changing light presents endless photographic possibilities.

Days 18-21: Exploring Antarctica
Explore the incredible Antarctica Peninsula and the surrounding islands by ship, Zodiac, kayak and on foot. Your schedule is flexible, allowing you to take advantage of the unexpected. In addition, your Undersea Specialist shoots digital images of the fascinating life beneath the surface. View these vivid images from the comfort of the ship's lounge.

Days 22-23: At Sea
During these two days, you make your way back across the Drake Passage towards the mainland.

Day 24: Ushuaia, Argentina/Disembark/Santiago
You disembark in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world. This windy and desolate outpost is awe inspiring in its starkness, but in contrast to the "far-ness" of Antarctica, is cozy and comfortable. After spending so much time at sea, your visit to the Maritime Museum in Ushuaia will have a richer context. After a tour of the city, you board your exclusively chartered Lan Chile flight to Santiago, and the subsequent overnight flight to Miami.

Day 25: Arrive Miami
You land in Miami at sunrise, feeling inevitably that you are, as some guests describe it, re-entering the world. Then, board your respective connecting flights home.

Notes:

Special Photo Expedition: 2/9/2007
Created by photographers for photographers, Photo Expeditions are designed to give you more time for your photography. You’ll cruise for composition, either by ship or by Zodiac, to get the best angle on a subject. Special sunrise and sunset landings offer the best light. Walks devoted to photography let you take advantage of coaching in the field. Back onboard, enjoy an array of instructional presentations, often from leading nature photographers.

Included:
Flights Santiago/Ushuaia, return Ushuaia/Santiago; accommodations; all meals.

Not Included:
Round-trip airfare Miami/Santiago; passport and visa expenses; travel insurance; gratuities are left to the discretion of the passenger; items of a personal nature.

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Deck Plan - National Geographic Endeavor

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