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Aurora Expeditions · 21 Days
Three weeks taking in the Falkland Islands, the great king penguin beaches of South Georgia and four days on the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing round trip from Ushuaia.
The Voyage
If you only make one long voyage south, this is the shape we usually recommend. In three weeks you visit the Falkland Islands, spend several days on South Georgia and finish with four days on the Antarctic Peninsula, before crossing the Drake Passage home. Each place is very different, and seeing them together shows you the full range of life in the Southern Ocean.
The Falklands come first, two large islands and hundreds of smaller ones, most of them uninhabited. They hold the largest black-browed albatross colony on earth, and Stanley, the little capital, feels thoroughly British, with its terraced houses, pubs, red telephone box and the Historic Dockyard Museum. Then comes South Georgia, which Captain James Cook reached in 1775 and claimed for Britain, naming it after George III. He had hoped it was part of a great southern continent. It turned out to be an island about 176 km long, but one with mountains rising to around 3,000 m and some of the largest gatherings of wildlife anywhere: vast king penguin colonies, beaches crowded with fur seals and elephant seals, and four species of penguin in all.
South Georgia’s human story is just as gripping. The Norwegian Carl Anton Larsen opened the first whaling station at Grytviken in 1904, and for six decades the island was the centre of Southern Ocean whaling. Rusting stations still stand along the coast. Sir Ernest Shackleton finished his famous rescue journey here in 1916 and is buried at Grytviken, and Aurora hope to pay their respects at his grave. On the way to the Peninsula the ship may follow the coast of Elephant Island, where his men waited for rescue.
Departures run from October to March on all three of Aurora Expeditions’ X-BOW ships (the company now also trades as AE Expeditions), and drinks including premium spirits, cocktails, beer and wine are included throughout.
Day by Day
An Aurora representative meets you on arrival in Ushuaia and takes you to your pre voyage hotel, which Aurora will confirm nearer the time. Your night there, with breakfast, is included. Check in is from 3.00 pm and the Aurora hospitality desk in the lobby is open from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm for luggage tags and questions. Later arrivals receive a welcome pack and can visit the desk between 8.00 am and 10.00 am the next day. Meals today are at your own expense. Ushuaia is the world’s southernmost city, set between the Beagle Channel and the last peaks of the Andes. Our gateway cities guide has suggestions for the evening.
Tag your cabin luggage with your name and cabin number and leave it at reception, and it will be taken to the port and placed in your cabin. Keep valuables with you. With a late check out and a hospitality room, you have the day to walk the waterfront, browse the museums and cafés or take a trek in the hills. At the time confirmed by the ground team, meet in the lobby or at the car park near the pier and board the ship. In the evening there is a welcome dinner to meet your fellow expeditioners, the expedition team and the crew as the voyage gets under way.
The ship heads north east across the South Atlantic towards the Falklands. Today you settle in, get used to the motion of the sea and attend the briefings on wildlife guidelines and biosecurity that every visitor must complete before the first landing. The lecture programme starts too, covering the history, wildlife and environment of the region. Out on deck, albatrosses and giant petrels shadow the ship, using the air currents around her to glide for hours without a wingbeat.
The Falklands are made up of East and West Falkland and more than 700 smaller islands, only a handful of them inhabited, with white sand beaches, clear water and wild, windswept coasts. The expedition team choose landings to suit the wind and weather, usually two a day. You might cruise by Zodiac into rocky coves looking for seals, sea lions, dolphins and penguins, or walk out to an albatross colony or a penguin rookery, and perhaps be offered tea and scones at a settlement cottage. Conditions permitting, the ship calls at Stanley, where you can visit the Historic Dockyard Museum, post a card home and have a pint in a proper pub. It is north of the Antarctic Convergence but still chilly, so wrap up well.
Two days crossing the open ocean east to South Georgia. Seabirds circle the ship almost constantly, and this is a good stretch for spotting several species of albatross and petrel. The lecture programme carries on, with talks preparing you for the wildlife and history of South Georgia. Otherwise there is time to borrow a book from the library, use the gym or simply watch the sea from the observation lounge.
The time you reach South Georgia depends on the sea and the weather. If conditions allow, the ship may pass close to Shag Rocks on the way, a cluster of jagged islets standing alone in the ocean to the west of the island. Then the mountains appear, rising steeply from the water with glaciers pouring down between them, and seabirds wheel around the ship as she sails along the coast. When Cook sailed round this island in 1775 and found it was not a southern continent, his hopes were dashed, but few visitors today come away disappointed.
The expedition team plan each day around the weather, the swell and the wildlife. Zodiacs take you into craggy coves and along cliffs in search of nesting penguins and seals, past kelp forests swaying at the surface. Ashore, you can stand among some of the largest king penguin colonies on Earth, walk carefully between fur seals and elephant seals with your guides, and follow streams across grassy glacial plains. Aurora also hope to visit the remains of the whaling stations and to pay respects at Shackleton’s grave at Grytviken, where it is a long tradition to raise a toast to the Boss. If you booked an optional activity it runs whenever conditions allow, and the ship may cruise deep fjords towards glacier fronts.
Sea and weather conditions decide when the ship leaves South Georgia, and once she is under way you set course south west for the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a good moment to take a last long look at the island from the deck as the mountains fall away behind. Few places on Earth pack so much wildlife and history into so small a space, and most guests leave South Georgia already planning how to come back.
The crossing of the Scotia Sea towards Antarctica. The sea takes its name from the Scotia, the ship of William Speirs Bruce’s Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in the early 1900s. Lectures turn to Antarctica itself, its ice, wildlife and explorers, and the sauna, Jacuzzis and gym are there for the quieter hours. Watch for the first icebergs as you head further south and the air grows colder.
On the way south, time and weather permitting, the ship may follow the coast of Elephant Island, an ice capped, half drowned mountain at the edge of the South Shetland Islands where Shackleton’s men spent months waiting for rescue. Then come four days on the western side of the Peninsula and the South Shetlands, with long summer daylight. Zodiacs cruise along ice cliffs and among grounded icebergs, watching for whales, seals and porpoising penguins, and take you ashore to rookeries and historic huts. Landings often include a walk up a snowy ridge for the view. The ship may also thread narrow channels or wait in a quiet bay while whales feed nearby.
A last morning landing in the South Shetland Islands, then the ship heads north across the Drake Passage towards South America. Final lectures and films help you make sense of three weeks of travel, and there is time to sort your photographs and enjoy the ship’s facilities. Weather and time permitting, the Captain may sail close to Cape Horn. On the final evening the Captain’s farewell dinner brings everyone together to celebrate the voyage.
The ship sails up the Beagle Channel early in the 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 leaves before 2.30 pm you transfer straight to the airport, and on later flights you have time in town before an afternoon transfer. Aurora advise not booking a flight out of Ushuaia before midday, in case of delays.
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
Aurora’s own guide to the two halves of this voyage, from the ice of the Peninsula to the wildlife beaches of South Georgia.
Video: Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica and South Georgia, from Aurora Expeditions on YouTube.
2026/27 to 2027/28 Seasons
This voyage runs across the whole season, from late October to March, on all three ships. Early sailings see elephant seals and fur seals arriving to breed and spring flowers on South Georgia, mid summer brings penguin chicks, and March is excellent for whales. There are five departures on sale, from £21,202 per person, with savings of up to 20% on some dates. The two Sylvia Earle sailings, in January 2027 and December 2027, are 20 days and finish in Punta Arenas rather than Ushuaia, so the later days differ from those shown here. Ask us for the details, or see our when to go guide.
Two departures in the 2026/27 season, on the Douglas Mawson and the Sylvia Earle.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 202720 days, Ushuaia to Punta Arenas | Sylvia Earle | Sold out | Sold out | Sold out | £29,255Limited |
| 9 Mar 202721 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 15% | Douglas Mawson | £22,380was £26,329Limited | £22,969was £27,022Limited | £33,833was £39,803Limited | £26,329Limited |
Three departures in the 2027/28 season, on the Douglas Mawson and the Greg Mortimer and the Sylvia Earle.
| Departs | Ship | Aurora Stateroom from | Balcony Stateroom from | Suites from | Solo from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 202721 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 15% | Greg Mortimer | £21,202was £24,943 | £23,034was £27,099Limited | £33,898was £39,880 | Sold out |
| 16 Dec 202720 days, Ushuaia to Punta ArenasSave up to 10% | Sylvia Earle | Sold out | £25,706was £28,562 | £37,832was £42,036 | £32,334Limited |
| 10 Mar 202821 days, Ushuaia round tripSave up to 20% | Douglas Mawson | £21,987was £27,484 | £22,542was £28,177 | £33,198was £41,497 | £25,944Limited |
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. Flights from the UK are not included, and we are happy to arrange them for you. 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. Some departures start or finish in Punta Arenas in Chile rather than Ushuaia, and the hotel and transfer arrangements at that end differ, so we will confirm exactly what is included on your date. Our Aurora what’s included page has more detail.
Make More of It
Optional activities can be added to most departures, but the choice varies from sailing to sailing. Sea kayaking is offered on every departure, snorkelling and paddling on most, and snowshoeing on some, while ski and snowboard touring is offered only on the October 2027 sailing on the Greg Mortimer. Places are limited and several have already sold out on some dates, so tell us early if one matters to you. Our activities page explains what each involves.
Aurora’s extension tours let you see more of South America before or after the voyage: an Ushuaia City Stay before you sail (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), the Patagonia Eco Camp from Punta Arenas (5 days) and an Atacama Desert Adventure from Calama (4 days).
| Add-on activity | From, per person |
|---|---|
| Paddling | £269 |
| Snowshoeing | £366 |
| Snorkelling | £643 |
| Ski and snowboard touring | £1,305 |
| Sea kayaking | £1,344 |
Activity prices vary by departure. Places are limited, they are booked with your voyage, and every activity depends on the weather and ice on the day. See our Aurora activities page for what each one involves.
Questions
Most departures are 21 days, starting and finishing in Ushuaia, with a hotel night there on Day 1. The two Sylvia Earle sailings, in January 2027 and December 2027, are 20 days and end in Punta Arenas in Chile instead. That changes how you fly home, so tell us which date you are looking at and we will explain the arrangements.
All three Aurora ships run this voyage. The Sylvia Earle takes the January 2027 and December 2027 departures, the Douglas Mawson sails in March 2027 and March 2028, and the Greg Mortimer has the October 2027 departure. They are near identical X-BOW sister ships carrying 130 guests on expedition. The Douglas Mawson, launched in 2025, also has a heated outdoor pool.
South Georgia is home to some of the largest king penguin colonies on Earth, and visiting them is one of the main reasons people choose this voyage. You will also find gentoo, macaroni and chinstrap penguins on the island, along with huge numbers of fur seals and elephant seals. In the Falklands look for black-browed albatrosses, and on the Peninsula for whales and ice seals.
Aurora hope to visit Grytviken, where Shackleton is buried, along with the remains of South Georgia’s whaling stations. As with every landing in this part of the world, it depends on the weather and the sea on the day, so it cannot be guaranteed. If Shackleton is the main draw, look too at In Shackleton’s Footsteps, which follows his route.
It depends on what you want to see. The October sailing catches the start of the breeding season on South Georgia, with elephant seals and fur seals coming ashore. December and January bring longer days and penguin chicks. March is a fine time for whales and for the softer light of late summer. All are good, which is why the voyage runs all season.
Layers are the answer, as temperatures vary from cool and breezy in the Falklands to below freezing in Antarctica. Aurora give you a three in one waterproof polar jacket to keep and lend you Muck Boots for the landings, so you need waterproof trousers, thermals, a warm hat and gloves. Our practical information page has a fuller list.
International flights, travel insurance, optional activities and personal extras such as laundry are not included. A crew gratuity of US$20 per person per day is added to your onboard account, and you can adjust it when you settle up. Suite guests have it included. Drinks, including premium spirits, cocktails, beer and wine, are part of the fare throughout the voyage.
Yes. Aurora keep up to 10 dedicated solo cabins on every sailing with no single supplement, and on a three week voyage you soon get to know people. Once those cabins are booked you can take any other stateroom for sole use with a 50% supplement. Call us on 0333 405 0194 to check availability on your date.
Other Voyages
For a voyage built around the Shackleton story, In Shackleton’s Footsteps adds the Weddell Sea and offers the chance to cross South Georgia on foot. Keen photographers should look at South Georgia & Antarctica: Through the Lens, and Antarctica Complete covers the same three destinations, with two departures over Christmas. All our voyages are listed on the Antarctica cruises page.