In partnership with Adventure Yacht Charters this seven day itinerary explores the wonders of the Antarctic Peninsular by super yacht. Enjoy cruising through incredible landscapes surrounded by immense icebergs, glaciers and fascinating wildlife including a variety of different seals, penguins and whales.
D A Y 1
P U N TA A R E N A S - K I N G G E O R G E I S L A N D
Arrive via Punta Arenas and join your yacht in King George Island, Maxwell Bay. This island is known as Antarctica’s unofficial capital, with eight national winter stations. Also the largest island of the South Shetlands, King George Island boasts St Trinity, the first Orthodox church in Antarctica, located at Russia’s Bellinghausen station in Maxwell Bay.
Settle into your surroundings as the vessel
prepares to depart, sailing through the Bransfield Strait to the first stop.
D A Y 2
K I N G G E O R G E I S L A N D – D E C E P T I O N I S L A N D
The active volcanic Deception Island is unmissable. A narrow channel in the volcano’s walls, known as Neptune’s Bellows, allows entry to Whalers Bay in the caldera. See the sulphurous steam rising off the beach. Dig your feet into the black sand to feel the heat form the subterranean volcanic vents. Visit the ruins of a whaling station dating from around 1906. Swim in the thermally heated waters of Pendulum Cove watched by thousands of chinstrap penguins on the surrounding hills.
D A Y 3
D E C E P T I O N I S L A N D - P O R T L O C K R O Y
Wake up in Port Lockroy - an impressive harbour ringed by high cliffs. Part of British Antarctica, it is a designated historic site. Visit Base A, now a museum, and the only post office on the Antarctic Peninsular. See the Gentoo Penguins rookery at Jougla Point. Spot nesting blue-eyed shags and see remnants of past whaling activities - a reconstructed composite whale skeleton on the shore. There is also the possibility of visiting a Palmer Station, an American modern research post in the Antarctic.
D A Y 4
P O R T L O C K R O Y – P A R A D I S E H A R B O U R
Have cameras ready as you pass through the Lemaire Channel, so photogenic that its
nickname is “Kodak Gap”. Arrive at Paradise Harbour and pass beneath multi - coloured cliffs - the emerald green of moss, blue-green from copper deposits and the oranges and yellows of lichens. Go ashore and wander amongst the Gentoo penguins. Make sure to keep an eye out for humpback whales, seals and maybe even orca. Photograph the majestic Icebergs of Paradise Bay and the mountains reflected in the water.
D A Y 5
P A R A D I S E H A R B O U R - N E K O H A R B O U R
Set your first foot on the continental main land of Antarctica at Neko Harbour. Neko was named after a Scottish whaling ship. Venture up the snow covered hills. Capture
dramatic video of footage of great chunks of ice breaking off the glacier - known as
calving - and forming icebergs. Take the kayaks to slide between the ice. Get up close and personal to a glacier in the tender.
D A Y 6
N E K O H A R B O U R – H A N N A H P O I N T
Hannah Point is on Livingston Island. Watch the spectacular wildlife flying, waddling, swimming or sitting all around you. 1500 pairs of Gentoos and 1000 pairs of chinstrap penguins call this home. Climb up the hills above point beach and look down at Elephant seals and Fur seals basking on a sheltered beach on the other side of the point.
D A Y 7
H A N N A H P O I N T - P E N G U I N I S L A N D
Tiny Penguin Island is just off King George Island. Observe Chinstrap and Adélie
penguins here. You will also find blue-eyed shags and southern giant petrels here. Climb Penguin Island’s highest point, the 170cm Deacon Peak to the extensive crater at the summit with a meltwater lake in a former volcanic crater. Turret point is a group of prominent high rock stacks above the beach, a nesting area for Antarctic terns.
D A Y 8
P E N G U I N I S L A N D – M A X W E L L B A Y
Arrive back in Maxwell Bay, King George Island, for a final farewell to Antarctica before joining your transportation to Punta Arenas and beyond.
THE M / Y L E G E N D
Few yachts can match the experience that Legend has to offer. Built in 1974 as a class 1 icebreaker, Legend has been completely transformed into a world class explorer yacht capable of hosting 26 guests in total luxury with an eye for safety and strength.
On board, Legend offers everything you can wish for. From a Balinese spa, a giant
heated outdoor jacuzzi, a gym with panoramic view, a piano salon with a great view and a cinema for cosy evenings after long days in the cold.
Today, this extremely luxurious explorer yacht enables you to explore “the last
continent” and allows you to have the experience of a lifetime. For the first time in
December 2019, Legend offers you the possibility to book an individual cabin onboard. This is a rare opportunity to experience both Antarctica and this world class explorer yacht.
To book your place for a December 2020 Antarctic adventure contact one of our Travel Designers here
All words & imagery courtesy of Adventure Yacht Charters
