Solar Eclipse: South America, Falklands & Antarctic Peninsula

Description

Dream big on this epic 16-day voyage on our boutique expedition ship. This once- in-a-lifetime cruise is timed so you can experience the unforgettable Solar Eclipse 2021 with the backdrop of a mesmerising icy landscape. Our trip also includes a journey across the notorious Drake Passage, a two-day rite of passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica. Beaches bursting with penguins will stir the emotions as you get up close for fabulous photo opportunities. Taking in time to fully explore the Falkland Islands and visiting Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, your bucket-list-worthy luxury cruise is the ultimate Antarctica trip

Trip Name

Solar Eclipse: South America, Falklands & Antarctic Peninsula

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Expedition Ship Length: 115 meters Passenger Capacity: 152 Built: 2020-2021 Arriving in November 2021, our 5 star elegant Scandi-design boutique ship offers you an intimate setting from which you will be fully immersed in all the sights and scenery of your voyage. Introducing SH Minerva Our brand new ship has been designed to journey to off the beaten path destinations and remote polar regions in style and comfort. The ship incorporates a PC5 ice-strengthened hull combined with extra-large stabilisers to make your journey as smooth as possible. Sophisticated Elegance We know how important outdoor space is, so our spacious, relaxing public spaces provide wide open, unobstructed views throughout the ship. The destination will always be in view. Your Wellbeing The safety & happiness of our guests is paramount to our 120-strong crew on board as well as our passionate expedition team who'll be serving up thrilling shore excursions and lasting memories. Cabin Types Our 76 cabins including 6 suites have all the amenities you will need to feel comfortable including dressing gowns, hairdryers, personal safes and minibars. Our stylish cabins all have desks, a dressing area and comfy seating. En suite bathrooms all feature glass-enclosed rain showers.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1: Buenos Aires

Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital is known as "The Paris of South America". But this metropolis is as much about its neighbourhoods (barrios) and cafe culture. Each district has its own character - none more so than colourful and lively La Boca, where tango dancers perform in the streets. Ships dock into the regenerated waterfront barrio Puerto Madero. Be sure to also visit the handsome district of Recoleta, famous for the cemetery where Eva “Evita” Peron is buried.

Day 2 - Day 2 - Day 4: At Sea

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

Day 3 - Day 5: West Point Island & Saunders Island

Black-browed albatross soar above this rugged weather-beaten island in the west of the Falklands, while Commerson’s dolphins swim below. With a sparse population of people and sheep, this inhabited island is also home to fur seals, burrowing rockhopper penguins, magellanic penguins and imperial cormorants who roost in the jagged cliffs and the striking Cliff Mountain towering above the dramatic coastal scenery. As you hike across the moss, keep an eye open for pink-petalled Felton’s flowers. Birdlife is the big draw on this lush sheep-farming island, where thousands of rams and ewes roam. Settled by British explorers in 1765, the island’s unique scenery includes the beaches at The Neck filled with the cacophony of rockhopper, gentoo and king penguin colonies, and you might spot the pillar-shaped nests of black-browed albatross. Nine of the Falklands’ 14 endemic plants, including silvery buttercup and hairy daisy, grow here and are a real treat.

Day 4 - Day 6: Port Stanley

Anyone familiar with Britain’s trademark red post boxes might spot a resemblance in this British outpost. Port Stanley, on East Falkland, is the tiny capital of the Falkland Islands and is small enough to get around on foot. You can visit The Historic Dockyard Museum devoted to maritime history and exploration or pop into the post office. Magellanic penguins gather in hordes at nearby Gypsy Cove, and sea lions and dolphins frolic in the harbour.

Day 5 - Day 7: At Sea

Day 6 - Day 8: At Sea (Solar Eclipse)

The Solar Eclipse 2021 promises to be one of the best you will ever likely experience as you cruise through the incredible landscape of Antarctica while the sun disappears over the Southern Ocean and earth surrenders to the phenomenon. While the sun rarely sets at this time of year, it is a chance for you to imagine how dark the polar nights can be in this icy part of the world.

Day 7 - Day 9: At Sea

Day 8 - Day 10: Elephant Island

Elephant Island, named for the elephant seals that call this place home, is a harsh, glacier-covered and volcanic island on the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands. It was here that legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew from the Endurance were stranded for months in 1914. At Point Wild, his monument overlooks a colony of gentoo penguins. Chinstrap and macaroni penguins gather at Cape Lookout alongside the island’s main residents, elephant seals.

Day 9 - Day 11 - Day 12: Antarctic Peninusla

Among captivating glaciers, majestic icebergs and snowy islands, the Antarctic Peninsula is where most visitors to the White Continent will live out their Antarctica dream. The Antarctic Peninsula, the most accessible area of the continent, hosts several scientific bases and some of the most interesting wildlife scenery, such as the extremely photogenic Lemaire Channel. Shore excursions might include Petermann Island, where among Adelie penguins, blue-eyed shags and skuas, huge, lumbering elephant seals haul out.

Day 10 - Day 13: South Shetlands Islands

While the South Shetlands’ proximity to Antarctica makes the ice-bound sea impassable during winter (April to November), these are the first islands to see snow melt in spring (March) and the slightly warmer temperature means that the fauna is also different from what you see in Antarctica proper. As we go ashore by Zodiac, notice ferns, grasses, lichens and native flora that have more in common with Patagonia than they do with Antarctica.

Day 11 - Day 14 - Day 15: At Sea

Day 12 - Day 16: Ushuaia

Ushuaia is the gateway to the White Continent. Found at the southernmost tip of South America in Argentinian Patagonia, the city is often described as “the End of the World”. The city’s mountain backdrop rises above the harbour and entrance to the Beagle Channel. The town itself is walkable and has a few small museums as well as pubs, restaurants and cafes - a good place to try Patagonian lamb cooked over open fire pits.

Day 13 - Please Note:

Itineraries are subject to change.

Trip Dates

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Inclusions

Keep an eye for black-browed albatross nests in the Falklands and lumbering elephant seals in the South Shetlands
Watch the awe-inspiring phenomenon of a solar eclipse with the most amazing icy landscape in the world
Visit island communities who make their living from this fragile environment
Experience incredible penguin encounters as you get up close to these Antarctic rockstars
Learn more about this extraordinary icy wilderness from our expert team of polar specialists and photographers