Antarctica and South Georgia Island: Photography & Exploration

Arrive in Argentina’s capital where you are met and transferred to your hotel.

Explore Buenos Aires with your local guides, choosing from excursions that include a guided tour with a tango demonstration or a tour of the city’s vibrant street art scene. In the evening, join your fellow guests and A&K staff for a welcome cocktail reception. Meet some of your expert expedition staff members, including National Geographic photographer Michael Melford.

Fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Take a guided trek in the Cerro Alarken Nature Reserve before boarding your luxurious expedition cruiser for the next 15 days of adventure. Watch from the comfort of your private balcony as ‘Le Lyrial’ heads out to sea.

The journey south toward Antarctica is an exciting one, furthered by singular, voyage-long access to our knowledgeable Expedition Team and enrichment experts both on board and on shore. Set out into the Drake Passage, a 600-mile-wide swath of water where the Southern Ocean currents are squeezed between South America's southern tip and Antarctica's northernmost reaches. An important trade route in the 19th and early 20th centuries, its stormy waters and icy conditions once made the journey a difficult one, though the stabilizer-equipped 'Le Lyrial' handles it with ease. A&K’s Expedition Team begins its exciting lecture series, covering everything from penguins to the formation of sea ice to thrilling personal accounts of living in Antarctica. Photography enthusiasts especially enjoy time with Michael Melford and your A&K photo team, who are on hand to exhibit extraordinary images, share tips and answer questions. The cool waters are rich in krill, making them a favorite with local wildlife searching for food. Alongside your naturalist guides, spot various species of whales and seabirds from ‘Le Lyrial’s’ deck.

As the Antarctic Peninsula and its offshore islands appear on the horizon, a sense of excitement begins to build. Your Captain and Expedition Team carefully plan your active, curated itinerary, which is dependent on weather, sea, ice and wildlife conditions. A typical day in fair weather conditions begins with an early breakfast followed by a morning excursion on swift Zodiacs (sturdy inflatable boats). Guided by expert drivers, each Zodiac excursion is accompanied by lecturers and joined by groups of no more than ten guests. After mornings discovering native species and striking terrain, return to 'Le Lyrial' for lunch, and time to relax and observe the wildlife-rich waters that surround you, searching for everything from fin whales, humpback whales and orcas, to Antarctic and imperial shags. By afternoon, set out for the day's second excursion, which if weather permits, which may include visiting a working scientific research station, hiking on a sheltered beach packed with basking Weddell or crabeater seals, or circumnavigating colossal icebergs that serve as floating homes to seals and penguins. Each day is different in Antarctica and flexibility is the key to your expedition. Conditions permitting, your itinerary calls for landings on the Antarctic Peninsula and a number of South Shetland Islands. Your Expedition Team takes advantage of the best opportunities to set out on Zodiacs and explore the continent’s iconic shores, which teem with gentoo, Adélie and chinstrap penguins. Antarctica’s stunning geography enhances the excitement of your experience here as dramatic snow-capped mountains, shimmering glaciers and iceberg-strewn channels compete for your attention. At the evening’s recap, you might look through your photos with Michael Melford and his team as they make suggestions for how to improve your framing and techniques. After a day of exciting excursions, choose to recap the day's discoveries with your naturalist guides; chat on deck with fellow guests or seize the opportunity to capture photos in the stunning low light characteristic of Antarctica's long, ethereal twilight.

As you sail northeast toward South Georgia Island, South Georgia, sightings of whales and other wildlife become more frequent. Your time at sea is once again filled with informative lectures and casual talks with your guides, leaving your knowledge of the region greatly enriched. The open ocean is a treasure chest bursting with life — scan the seas to spot marine mammals and seabirds.

Explore South Georgia, the Southern Ocean’s crown jewel of wildlife. South Georgia is a nearly submerged continuation of the Andes Mountains, and your days here are spent exploring its glacier-carved coves and rugged shores — ideal for exploring with your naturalist guides on Zodiacs. Weather and ice conditions permitting, excursions over the next three days include stops along the northeast coastline of the island, where we hope to visit vast colonies of king penguins and southern elephant seals. You may also explore iconic historic sites with your A&K historian, who shares tales of the whaling era and the heroic age of exploration. You also learn about the life and exploits of Antarctica’s greatest explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose final resting place is right here on South Georgia Island, at Grytviken. A photographer’s paradise, South Georgia is a locale where you’re sure to capture some of your very best shots.

As you sail from South Georgia, you have time to enjoy the services and amenities aboard ‘Le Lyrial.’ Conditions permitting, the ship cruises past nutrient-rich waters and the islands of Shag Rocks. As ‘Le Lyrial’ sails the Southern Ocean, deck-side sightings of whales and other wildlife become more frequent. Time spent cruising is once again filled with informative lectures and casual talks with your guides as lecturers recap the adventures experienced in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island.

As ‘Le Lyrial’ approaches the Beagle Channel, be on deck to spot various species of whales and seabirds, including the elusive albatross and the giant petrel, an opportunistic predator and scavenger nicknamed the "stinker." The immense albatross is an especially stunning sight to behold. These wandering birds boast a wingspan of twelve feet on average and use their powerful wings to glide through the air for hours at a time in search of food.

After breakfast, disembark ‘Le Lyrial.’ Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Buenos Aires, where you board your flight home or join your Ushuaia post-tour extension.