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Aurora Expeditions · 20 Days
A photography voyage limited to 100 guests, flying from Punta Arenas straight to Antarctica, then sailing past Elephant Island to South Georgia in the soft light of late summer.
The Voyage
This is a voyage planned around photography. It runs once, from 27 February 2028, on the Greg Mortimer, and numbers are capped at 100 guests instead of the usual 130, with no more than eight people in each Zodiac. That leaves space to move around the boat, change lenses and keep your bag dry. Aurora’s photography guides are joined by special guest photographers, and the names listed for 2028 are Nigel Danson, James Popsys, Mads Peter Iversen, Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove, Dani Connor, Jack Lodge and Rhiannon Lawler. Workshops run alongside the usual lectures, and Aurora make it clear the voyage is for photographers of every level.
The route saves time at the start. Instead of crossing the Drake Passage, you fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands and join the ship there. Four days on the Antarctic Peninsula follow, then a day in the Weddell Sea, Elephant Island, two days across the Scotia Sea and four days on South Georgia, before four days at sea to Ushuaia.
Timing is what makes this trip special for a photographer. By late February the sun sits lower and the evenings bring proper twilight, so you get long golden hours and pastel skies, and Aurora plan sunset excursions to make the most of them. Whales are plentiful at this time of year, penguin chicks are growing fast and ice seals rest on the floes. The route also loosely follows the great explorers, from the Antarctic Sound, named after the ship of Otto Nordenskjöld, to Shackleton’s Elephant Island and the old whaling stations of South Georgia.
The Greg Mortimer, launched in 2019, was the first passenger ship built with the Ulstein X-BOW, and her observation lounge and hydraulic viewing platforms make good shooting positions. Aurora Expeditions (also known as AE Expeditions) include drinks throughout.
Day by Day
You are met at Punta Arenas and taken to the hotel, where your night with breakfast is included. Aurora ask you to arrive by 2.00 pm at the latest, partly for the pre flight briefings and partly because, if the weather demands it, the flight to Antarctica may leave today instead of tomorrow. Collect your cabin luggage tags from the hospitality desk in the lobby between 2.00 pm and 6.00 pm. Punta Arenas stands on the Strait of Magellan, the passage Ferdinand Magellan found in 1520, and the town grew rich on sheep farming and shipping. Meals today are at your own expense. In the evening a briefing covers tomorrow’s transfers, the flight and IAATO rules for visitors to Antarctica.
A transfer to Punta Arenas airport for the charter flight to King George Island, which takes about one hour and forty five minutes, weather permitting. The aircraft is a BAE146 and luggage is limited to one checked piece under 23 kg and one carry on under 8 kg, with overhead bins of 45 cm by 40 cm by 20 cm. Aurora have some flexibility on weight for camera gear, so tell us early if you will be over. Checked bags go straight to the ship and you will not see them until they reach your cabin. On landing, the expedition team greet you and take you by Zodiac to the ship. A clear sky is needed for the flight, so a contingency plan is in place if it cannot go.
Four days on the Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, planned day by day by the expedition team and the photography team together. If the light hits a glacier just right or a wildlife moment unfolds, they will try to give you more time, when it is safe. Landings or Zodiac cruises run about twice a day, and with fewer people in each boat you can move to get your angle. Ashore you usually have a choice: hike up to a ridge for the view, or stay low on the beaches with the penguins, mostly gentoos in this area, and the seals, sometimes including a leopard seal hunting close to shore. There are sunset outings, workshops and lectures, the bridge opens at the Captain’s discretion, and the polar plunge is on offer. Which sites you visit is confirmed nearer the time, as Antarctic operators book landing sites through a shared scheduler.
Entry to the Weddell Sea begins in the Antarctic Sound at the very tip of the Peninsula, a seldom visited channel where volcanic peaks rise above penguin colonies and wave carved icebergs drift through. From there the ship pushes east as far into the sea as the ice allows. The Weddell Sea, named after the British sealer James Weddell, is known for its flat topped tabular icebergs and broad sheets of sea ice, ideal for photographing crabeater and Weddell seals, storm petrels, prions and Antarctic cormorants feeding on the krill below. The wreck of Shackleton’s Endurance was found further south in the same sea in March 2022, remarkably well preserved and only about 6.4 km from the position her captain, Frank Worsley, had calculated in 1915.
The ship sets a course from the Antarctic Sound towards Elephant Island, and there may be a presentation on the Shackleton story as you go. The Endurance was trapped in the Weddell Sea pack ice for months and finally sank, leaving 28 men camped on drifting floes. When the ice broke up they took to three open boats and battled wind, current and ice for almost a week before reaching Elephant Island, an ice covered outpost at the edge of the South Shetlands, 497 days after they had last stood on land. It is a good afternoon to review your images from the Weddell Sea and charge your batteries.
Elephant Island is where 22 of Shackleton’s men survived the winter of 1916 under two upturned boats while their leader sailed for help. The island rises steeply from the sea, its glaciers and black ridges often wrapped in cloud, and it makes a dramatic subject in any light. How close the ship can approach, and what can be done here, depends on the sea and the weather on the day. The team will bring the story to life as you look at the very shore where the men waited, hoping for rescue.
Two sea days on the route of the James Caird, the small open boat in which Shackleton and five companions spent about 16 days crossing to King Haakon Bay on South Georgia. It is a good time for workshops and editing, and the lectures turn to South Georgia’s wildlife, geology and history. The Scotia Sea is rich in whales, including fin, humpback and blue whales and orca, so keep a camera to hand on deck. Cape petrels, prions and albatrosses wheel around the ship and make excellent practice for shooting birds in flight.
Captain Cook reached South Georgia in 1775 and thought it might be the tip of a southern continent. It is in fact an island about 176 km long, with mountains of around 3,000 m and some of the largest wildlife gatherings on Earth. Zodiacs explore coves, cliffs and kelp beds, and landings take you among some of the largest king penguin colonies anywhere and past fur seals and elephant seals. Aurora hope to visit the old whaling stations and Shackleton’s grave at Grytviken. Keen walkers can try the optional hike from Fortuna Bay across a high plateau and steeply down to Stromness, the final stage of Shackleton, Worsley and Crean’s crossing of the island in 1916, conditions permitting.
Four days at sea to Ushuaia. As you leave South Georgia, seabirds ride the air currents around the ship, and if conditions allow you may pass close to Shag Rocks, a cluster of sharp islets standing alone in the ocean. These days are ideal for finishing your edits, sharing work with the photographers on board and joining the last lectures. On the final night the Captain’s farewell dinner celebrates the voyage, and most photographers head home with more pictures than they know what to do with.
The ship cruises up the Beagle Channel in the early morning and docks in Ushuaia, where you disembark at around 8.00 am. Transport to your hotel is arranged if you booked it through Aurora or are staying in the centre near the port. If your flight is before 2.30 pm you go straight to the airport, while later flights leave time to explore before an afternoon transfer. Aurora advise not booking a flight out of Ushuaia before midday on this day. Our gateway cities guide covers both Punta Arenas and Ushuaia.
Every Antarctic itinerary depends on the ice, the weather and the wildlife. The Captain and Expedition Leader choose each day’s landings and Zodiac cruises on the spot, so the order of the days and the places visited can change.
Watch
Late summer is whale season in the Southern Ocean, which is one reason this voyage is timed as it is. Aurora’s film shows the kind of encounters photographers hope for.
Video: Whale Watching in Antarctica, from Aurora Expeditions on YouTube.
2027/28 Season
South Georgia & Antarctica: Through the Lens is a special departure that sails once, from 27 February to 17 March 2028, on the Greg Mortimer. Late February and March is the end of the southern summer, when the evenings bring long sunsets, whales are at their most numerous and the season’s penguin chicks are growing up fast. Fares start from £23,627 per person, with savings of up to 10% at the moment. With numbers limited to 100 guests, cabins on this voyage are scarcer than usual, so we would not leave it late. Our when to go guide explains the seasons in more detail.
One departure in the 2027/28 season, on the Greg Mortimer.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 202820 days, Punta Arenas to UshuaiaSave up to 10% | Greg Mortimer | £23,627was £26,252 | £27,023was £30,025Limited | £37,832was £42,036Limited |
Prices are per person in pounds, two sharing, and include Aurora’s current savings. The Solo column is the price for a cabin to yourself. They are taken from Aurora Expeditions’ UK fares on 3 November 2026. The fare includes the charter flight shown in the itinerary, but not your flights from the UK to South America. Aurora adjust fares and offers often, so prices and availability can change daily. Call us on 0333 405 0194 for today’s fare and the full range of staterooms on your chosen date.
Your Fare
Aurora’s fares cover more than many people expect, including drinks, landings and your polar jacket. On this voyage the price includes:
Not included: flights to and from South America unless shown above, travel insurance (which must include at least US$250,000 of medical, repatriation and evacuation cover), optional add-on activities, visas and personal spending. A crew gratuity of US$20 per person per day is added to your onboard account, and you can adjust or remove it when you settle up. For suite guests the gratuity is already included. Our Aurora what’s included page has more detail.
Make More of It
No optional add on activities are sold on this departure, because the time is given over to photography, Zodiac cruising and landings. The polar plunge is still offered, and the optional Fortuna Bay to Stromness hike is planned on South Georgia, conditions permitting.
Aurora’s extension tours let you add time in South America before or after. The Patagonia Eco Camp (5 days) starts and ends in Punta Arenas, which suits this voyage well, and there is also an Ushuaia City Stay (2 days), Taste of Buenos Aires (4 days), Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls Explorer (6 days), Taste of Santiago (4 days), Santiago and Valparaiso Explorer (6 days) and an Atacama Desert Adventure from Calama (4 days).
Questions
No. Aurora say the voyage suits photographers of every level, from beginners to seasoned professionals. The photography guides and special guest photographers run workshops and give tips throughout, and the smaller group and Zodiac numbers mean you get more chance to ask questions. You will still have the usual lectures from naturalists, historians and marine biologists if you want a break from the camera.
The charter allows one checked bag under 23 kg and one carry on under 8 kg, and the overhead bins on the BAE146 measure 45 cm by 40 cm by 20 cm, smaller than on most airliners. Because the plane is chartered, Aurora have some flexibility on weight for camera kit, so let us know early if you expect to be over and we will pass it on.
The flight needs clear skies and good visibility to take off and land safely, so delays are possible. Aurora have a contingency plan for this, and they may bring the flight forward to Day 1 if the forecast calls for it, which is why you must arrive in Punta Arenas by 2.00 pm. We recommend allowing a spare night before the voyage.
Not on the way south, because you fly to King George Island. The voyage ends in Ushuaia, though, and the last four days are at sea from South Georgia, crossing open ocean that can be lively. If you suffer from seasickness, bring your usual remedies. The Greg Mortimer’s X-BOW is designed to ride through waves more smoothly than a conventional bow.
Late February and March bring humpback flukes and breaching whales, gentoo penguins and their growing chicks on the Peninsula, Weddell and crabeater seals on the floes, and tabular icebergs in the Weddell Sea. On South Georgia there are king penguins, fur seals and elephant seals against a backdrop of glaciers and mountains. Aurora also plan sunset excursions for the late summer light.
The voyage sails on the Greg Mortimer, Aurora’s first X-BOW ship, built in 2019. She normally carries up to 130 guests, but this departure is limited to 100, with a maximum of eight people per Zodiac. She has an observation lounge, library, lecture theatre, gym, sauna and two outdoor Jacuzzis, along with hydraulic viewing platforms.
No. You need to reach Punta Arenas by 2.00 pm on Day 1, usually via Santiago. The charter flight to King George Island, one hotel night in Punta Arenas and the transfers in the itinerary are included. The voyage finishes in Ushuaia in Argentina, so you will fly home from there. We can help put the flights together.
Aurora offer up to 10 dedicated solo cabins on every sailing with no single supplement, although on a single departure like this they are snapped up quickly. Once they are gone, any other stateroom can be booked for sole use with a 50% supplement. Ring us on 0333 405 0194 and we will check what is still available.
Other Voyages
For the full Shackleton story with the option to cross South Georgia on foot, see In Shackleton’s Footsteps. South Georgia, Falklands & Antarctic Odyssey adds the Falkland Islands and sails on several dates, and Antarctic Explorer also runs a Through the Lens photography edition on the Peninsula. Every voyage we sell is on our Antarctica cruises page.