Antarctica – My seventh and final continent!

Antarctica was always on my list, but it was one of those places that I never thought I would actually get to visit. In December 2016, I decided to finally pull the trigger. After extensive research, I booked the Explorers and Kings: Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica expedition aboard the Ocean Endeavor with Quark Expeditions. Fast forward one year: as of December 2017, I have officially stepped foot on all seven continents and jumped into four oceans. I survived the Drake Passage and spent the past three weeks learning more about Ernest Shackleton, sea birds, whales, penguins and seals than I have ever cared to know. What an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

So, what does an Antarctic expedition look like? Here is the day-by-day itinerary from my 20-day voyage from Buenos Aires, Argentina to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and Antarctica:

[Day 1] Thursday, November 23 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Arrive in Buenos Aires. Check-In. Free Day in Buenos Aires.

[Day 2] Friday, November 24 – Embarkation in Ushuaia
Breakfast. Charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Welcome and Safety Briefing. Mandatory Lifeboat Drill. Kayaking Information and Safety Briefing. Dinner. Parka and Boot Distribution. Seasickness Clinic.

[Day 3] Saturday, November 25 – At Sea to the Falklands
Breakfast. Presentation: An Introduction to the Seabirds of the Southern Ocean. Kayak Gear Distribution. Presentation: Capturing the Experience – An Introduction to Photography. Lunch. Kayak Boat Orientation. Mandatory IAATO and Zodiac Briefing. Afternoon Tea. Introduction to the Wellness Program. Recap and Briefing. Welcome Cocktails. Dinner. Bar Talk: Paddling Uncharted Rivers in Deepest Darkest New Zealand.

[Day 4] Sunday, November 26 – Carcass Island and West Point / The Falklands
Morning Flow Yoga. Breakfast. Presentation: The Falkland Islands – A Historical Introduction. Presentation: Argentina and Britain – The Falklands Conflict. Lunch. Stanley Briefing. Gym Orientation. Afternoon Tea. Movie: The Iron Lady. Flow Yoga. Recap. Dinner. Music and Drinks at the Bar.

[Day 5] Monday, November 27 – Stanley
Breakfast. [Landing] Stanley. Afternoon Tea. Presentation: Invasive Species – A Cautionary Tale from Islands Near and Far. Flow and Restore Yoga. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Bar Talk: Everest – To the Top of the World and Back.

[Day 6] Tuesday, November 28 – At Sea to South Georgia
Breakfast. Presentation: Elephant and Fur Seals – Clash of the Titans. Presentation: The World of Seabirds Part I – Biogeography and Adaptations. Lunch. Documentary: ‘20th Century Battlefields – 1982 Falklands’. Introduction to the Stand-Up Paddleboard Program. Wildlife Watch. Afternoon Tea. Presentation: South Georgia – A Geographic Overview. Flow Yoga. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Bar Talk: Summer in South Georgia.

[Day 7] Wednesday, November 29 – At Sea to South Georgia
Breakfast. Mandatory South Georgia Briefing. Biosecurity Check. Presentation: And the South Sandwich Islands. Lunch. Flow Yoga. Presentation: A Short History of South Georgia. Afternoon Tea. Flow Yoga. Photography Workshop: Strategies and Creative Concepts for South Georgia and Antarctica. Stand Up Paddleboard Gear Fitting. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Bar Talk: 12 Months on the Great Green Sponge.

[Day 8] Thursday, November 30 – Elsehul and Salisbury Plain
Breakfast. [Zodiac Cruise] Elsehul. Lunch. [Landing] Salisbury Plain. Movie: Animal Cities of South Georgia. Recap and Briefing. Dinner.

[Day 9] Friday, December 1 – Fortuna Bay and Stromness
Breakfast. [Landing and Zodiac Cruise] Fortuna Bay. Lunch. Flow Yoga. [Landing and Zodiac Cruise] Stromness. Recap and Briefing. Dinner.

[Day 10] Saturday, December 2 – Grytviken and St. Andrew’s Bay
Breakfast. Presentation by the South Georgia Heritage Trust. [Landing] Grytviken. Lunch. [Landing and Zodiac Cruise] St. Andrew’s Bay. South Georgia BBQ. Recap and Briefing.

[Day 11] Sunday, December 3 – Gold Harbour and Drygalski Fjord
[Landing] Gold Harbour. Breakfast. [Zodiac Cruise] Gold Harbour. Lunch. [Ship Cruise] Drygalski Fjord. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Drinks at the Bar. Movie: Frozen Planet – Spring.

[Day 12] Monday, December 4 – At Sea to Antarctica
Breakfast. Presentation: Whales of the Southern Ocean. Introduction to the Ski and Climb Program. Presentation: The World of Seabirds Part II – Ecology and Conservation. Lunch. Flow Yoga. Presentation: Discovering Antarctica. Afternoon Tea. Flow Yoga. Skiers Gear Fitting. Recap and Briefing. A Taste of the Philippines. Bar Talk: Abandoned in the Arctic.

[Day 13] Tuesday, December 5 – At Sea to Antarctica
Breakfast. Presentation: Snow and Ice Processes. Climbers Gear Fitting. Flow Yoga. Presentation: Seals of Antarctica. Lunch. Mandatory IAATO Refresher Video. Biosecurity Check. Afternoon Tea with a Live Cooking Station and Live Classical Music. Presentation: Penguins – A Natural History. Flow Yoga. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Jeopardy.

[Day 14] Wednesday, December 6 – Elephant Island
Breakfast. [Ship Cruise] Point Wild. Presentation: Enduring Ice – Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Lunch. Flow Yoga. Presentation: Wildlife and the Wilderness of the World – A Photographic Journey. Afternoon Tea. Presentation: Building Antarctica. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Paint Night. Movie: Frozen Planet – Summer.

[Day 15] Thursday, December 7 – Kinnes Cove and Brown Bluff
Morning Flow Yoga. Breakfast. [Zodiac Cruise] Kinnes Cove. Lunch. [Zodiac Cruise and Landing] Brown Bluff. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Bar Talk: Surf the Ganges.

[Day 16] Friday, December 8 – Half Moon and Barrientos Island
Breakfast. [Zodiac Cruise and Landing] Half Moon Island. Polar Plunge. Lunch. [Landing and Zodiac Cruise] Barrientos Island – Aitcho Island Group. Dinner. Bar Talk: Humanitarian Search and Rescue in the Mediterranean.

[Day 17] Saturday, December 9 – Drake Passage
Breakfast. Presentation: The Biology of Whales. Presentation: Editing Antarctica – A Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Pictures. Lunch. Flow Yoga. Presentation: The Swedish Antarctic Expedition. Afternoon Tea. Presentation: Climate Change in the Polar Regions – Ecological Consequences of Sea Ice Decline. Flow Yoga. Recap and Briefing. Dinner. Antarctic Trivia Night.

[Day 18] Sunday, December 10 – Drake Passage and Cape Horn
Breakfast. Presentation: Frozen Conflict and Melting Empires – The Antarctic Treaty. Flow Yoga. Presentation: Orcas – The Natural Born Killers?. Lunch. Presentation: Explore Further. Afternoon Tea. Movie: Rounding Cape Horn. Presentation: Penguin Watch – The Story of Conservation in the Southern Ocean. Antarctica Charity Auction. Dinner. Bar Talk: Logistics of the Galley and Hotel Aboard. Movie: Blackfish.

[Day 19] Monday, December 11 – Ushuaia, Argentina
Breakfast. Mountains and Lakes Day Tour. Lunch. Ushuaia. Farewell Dinner.

[Day 20] Tuesday, December 12 – Disembarkation in Ushuaia
Breakfast. Disembarkation. Tierra del Fuego Tour. Charter Flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires.

Want to see pictures? See galleries: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, Antarctica, and South Shetland Islands.

Things to Consider
All itineraries are tentative – ultimately, the weather decides what you are going to do. Due to adverse weather conditions, we were not able to land at Carcass Island or West point on Day 4. On Day 14, the 60 knot winds decided that there would also be no zodiac cruises that day. The following day (Day 15), the Expedition Leader and Captain announced that we would have to leave for Argentina early due to a storm approaching the Drake Passage – leaving us with only that one day in Antarctica. It is also important to note that expeditions can even be canceled due to weather.

Worst-case scenario: the expedition is not canceled, but weather conditions do not allow for any landings or zodiac cruises, leaving you stuck on the boat confined to a small space for the entire duration of the journey. Consider your company.

I live in a country where weekdays are spent working. Where some people even spend weekends slaving away, leaving them with little to no time to spend with their families or partners. Spending days confined to a boat with no Internet brings society back in time. People actually have to engage in conversations if they want to do anything else besides sit and stare into the horizon. Sailing from Argentina, to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica, means a lot of time spent doing nothing. Between these stops, an ocean. My advice is: book the expedition with your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner. Keep in mind, this advice is coming from a solo traveler. In the world we live in today, people do not spend enough quality time together. The time at sea, disconnected from technology and the Internet, disconnected from the rest of the world, allows for that much needed quality time together.

Why did I not take my own advice? Well, at the time of booking, I was single and not willing to wait around for a potential partner to “someday” join me on this grand adventure. So, I definitely do not want to discourage any other solo travelers. I would say, about half of the passengers on the expedition were also traveling solo.