Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands Expedition Cruise
This 20-day photography and wildlife journey across Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands sails from Ushuaia through Canal Beagle and the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, Stanley (Port Stanley), West Point Island and Carcass Island. Overnights in Ushuaia and aboard the expedition ship.
This twenty-day expedition brings together the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands in a single voyage. We begin with a night ashore in Ushuaia and embark in mid-afternoon, sailing down the Beagle Channel before crossing the Drake Passage. The rhythm is shaped by the sea and weather: days at sea for seabird and cetacean watching, then landings and Zodiac excursions when conditions allow.
South of the Antarctic Convergence we look for albatrosses, petrels and storm-petrels, and around the South Shetland Islands and peninsula our expedition team leads weather-permitting shore landings. We visit penguin colonies, including chinstrap, Adélie, gentoo and macaroni, and watch for seals and whales from the ship and Zodiacs. Port Lockroy, Paradise Harbor or Hope Bay, and Antarctic landscape photography are part of these days.
We then cross to South Georgia, with its seabird and seal colonies, Salisbury Plain king penguins, macaroni and chinstrap penguins, and the light-mantled albatross. We visit Grytviken and Shackleton’s grave before continuing to the Falklands for Port Stanley and, weather permitting, West Point and Carcass Island. The voyage ends with the final crossing to Ushuaia and morning disembarkation. Most nights are aboard the expedition ship.
Why Sail in Antarctica?
Sailing to Antarctica aboard Eldorado makes the vessel part of the journey, not simply a way to reach the next landing. This two-masted schooner combines the atmosphere of traditional sailing with the equipment and comfort needed for remote polar voyages.
With space for only 12 guests and a professional crew of five, the experience is intimate and naturally communal. A small vessel can also reach narrower channels, quiet bays and remote anchorages that are not practical for large cruise ships. Wildlife, ice and weather still determine what is possible, but the scale of the ship allows the expedition team to pause when conditions create a worthwhile opportunity.
Suitability & conditions
A practical overview of the pace, comfort, and conditions to expect on this journey.
Seasonality
What to expect
- Travel Style: Photography and wildlife expedition with Zodiac landings and sea days
- Lodging: Comfortable accommodations with character
- Transportation: Expedition ship with Zodiac shore landings and airport transfers
- Dining Options: Meals are not included, except when specified in the program.
- Physical Rating: Light walking and hiking suitable for most fitness levels. Nothing too challenging.
What Not to Expect
- Guaranteed sightings of any particular wildlife species on any given day
- Permanent human settlement or onshore infrastructure at the South Georgia and Antarctic stops
Who is it for
- Travellers who want long days of seabird, penguin, seal and iceberg viewing from a ship and from Zodiacs
- Photographers happy to spend 18 nights aboard an expedition ship with landings decided by weather and ice
Who is it not for
- Travellers who need a fixed daily programme and confirmed landing sites
- Travellers who prefer a land-based route with independent evenings in different towns
The journey at a glance
Following the route
The journey moves gradually through 2 chapters.
Route shown schematically for orientation.
Detailed itinerary
Arrival in Ushuaia
Arrival in Ushuaia and a night ashore before the voyage, with an optional evening briefing to meet the expedition team and fellow travellers. Arriving a day early is recommended as insurance against flight or luggage delays.
Key activities
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Optional Evening Briefing in Ushuaia
Embarkation in Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel
Boarding the expedition ship in mid-afternoon and sailing down the Beagle Channel towards the open Southern Ocean, watching for Magellanic penguins off the bow along with rock shags, imperial cormorants, Chilean skuas and South American terns.
Key activities
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Sail down the Beagle Channel with a Seabird Watch
Ushuaia – Antarctic Peninsula
The first day of the Drake Passage crossing, through the big seas of the Furious Fifties and the great seabird spectacle that comes with them. Warm northern waters bring southern royal, wandering and black-browed albatrosses and shearwaters in the wake, and a calm sea offers a good chance of cetaceans.
Key activities
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Drake Passage Seabird Spectacle across the Furious Fifties
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Cetacean Watching from the Drake Passage
Antarctic Peninsula
The second day of the crossing takes the ship south of the Antarctic Convergence, where the cooler water brings a different suite of birds: gray-headed and light-mantled albatrosses, pintado, white-chinned and soft-plumaged petrels, black-bellied storm-petrels and Antarctic prions.
Key activities
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Seabird Watching South of the Antarctic Convergence
South Shetland Islands landings and cliff-nesting seabirds
The first of several days around the South Shetland Islands, with weather-permitting landings on volcanic black-sand beaches beneath red rock cliffs that host nesting seabirds. The route and landing sites are decided by the captain and expedition leader according to ice and weather.
Key activities
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Antarctic Landings and Zodiac Excursions
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South Shetland Islands Shore Landings
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Nesting Seabirds of the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands – Antarctic Peninsula
A first step on the White Continent at Paradise Harbor or Hope Bay, with Zodiac excursions among the blue icebergs and channels of the peninsula and a landing at Port Lockroy, the southernmost post office in the world, surrounded by hundreds of gentoo penguins.
Key activities
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Southern Elephant Seals of the South Shetland Islands
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White Continent Arrival and Zodiac Wildlife Cruises
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Port Lockroy and Continental Penguin Colony Landings
Antarctic Peninsula
A day among the penguin colonies of the peninsula: a vast chinstrap colony where the birds call within a few feet of visitors, a substantial Adélie colony, and the chance to watch gentoos porpoising through the channels while orcas and leopard seals patrol the same waters.
Key activities
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Chinstrap Penguin Colony Landing
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Adélie Penguin Colony Landing
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Penguins and Predators in Antarctic Waters
Antarctic Peninsula
Ice floes and bergs are scanned for crabeater, leopard and Weddell seals, minke whales and humpbacks, with the Zodiacs launched at the first sign of activity. The scenery takes over as well: vast blue bergs and snow-covered peaks flanking the channels.
Key activities
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Seals and Whales of the Antarctic Pack Ice
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Antarctic Landscape Photography
Sea days on the crossing to South Georgia
A couple of days at sea on the cold, life-rich Southern Ocean before the glacier-clad mountains of South Georgia rise out of the water.
Key activities
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Sea Days on the Crossing to South Georgia
South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula
South Georgia can only be reached by ship and has no permanent human settlement, yet seabirds and seals breed there in the millions. The island is often called the Galapagos of the Poles and is one of the least-visited destinations in the world.
Key activities
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Arrival at South Georgia
South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula
The vast King Penguin colony of Salisbury Plain, weather permitting, where some 200,000 birds nest alongside snowy sheathbills, brown skuas and southern giant petrels — one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet.
Key activities
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Salisbury Plain King Penguin Colony
South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula
Four species of penguin nest on South Georgia, including millions of macaroni penguins and thousands of chinstraps, and the light-mantled albatross also breeds on the island.
Key activities
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Penguin and Albatross Colonies of South Georgia
South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula
A special effort is made to find the endemic South Georgia pipit, the southernmost passerine on Earth, along with the South Georgia diving petrel and South Georgia shag among the island’s vast seabird colonies.
Key activities
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South Georgia Specialties and Seabird Colonies
South Georgia – Antarctic Peninsula
A visit to Grytviken, the former Norwegian whaling station, where the British administration is based and the explorer Ernest Shackleton is buried south of the station.
Key activities
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Grytviken Whaling Station and Shackleton’s Grave
At sea towards the Falklands
The first of two days at sea towards the Falklands, crossing the invisible line of the Antarctic Convergence. The cooler waters hold storm-petrels, blue petrels and prions, while the great albatrosses feed in these rich Southern Oceans.
Key activities
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At-Sea Birding across the Antarctic Convergence
Falkland Islands – Antarctic Peninsula
A rich area for cetaceans on the crossing north, surveyed from the comfortable position of the bridge for minke and fin whales and the chance of an orca.
Key activities
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Cetacean Watching from the Bridge
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
The ship anchors in the sheltered natural harbour of Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, and a Zodiac landing leads into a leisurely walk through the streets of the town.
Key activities
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Port Stanley Town Stroll
Falkland Islands – Antarctic Peninsula
Weather permitting, landings are made at two of the Falklands’ magnificent wildlife spots. More than sixty species have been recorded nesting in the archipelago, and the day also targets the islands’ special landbirds and endemic taxa — striated caracara, Cobb’s wren, ruddy-headed goose and the confiding blackish cinclodes among them.
Key activities
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Falklands Wildlife Landings at West Point and Carcass Island
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Falkland Islands Landbirds
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Seabird Colonies and Shorebirds of the Falklands
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Marine Mammals of the Falkland Islands
Antarctic Peninsula
The final sea crossing back to South America, with one last chance of seabirds and cetaceans from the deck before the ship reaches Ushuaia.
Key activities
Day 20
Disembarkation in Ushuaia in the morning after breakfast, where the voyage ends.
Key activities
Target Species
A curated selection of the iconic species we aim to encounter and photograph throughout our journey.
Hotels
Hotel in Ushuaia
Altitude: 11m (36 ft)
Expedition Ship
Price Details
Our tour prices are based on a tiered pricing model. more guests = lower price, per person. That means the prices go down on a per-person basis as more people book onto a specific tour departure.
Price Base
- Price for 2 people: 13.295 USD (665 USD / day)
- Price for 3 to 4 people: 11.495 USD (575 USD / day)
- Price for 5 to 6 people: 9.295 USD (465 USD / day)
- Price for 7 to 8 people: 7.995 USD (400 USD / day)
** Prices are based on double occupancy / twin share basis.
Included
- Hotels mentioned in the program
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Hotels mentioned in the program- Hotel in Ushuaia — 1 night · Uncategorized Hotel
- Expedition Ship — 18 nights · Uncategorized Hotel
- Transportation in comfortable vehicles (Car / Van), as well as Boat / Ferry
- Meals indicated in the program: 19 breakfasts
- 1 cocktail before dinner
- Water is included
- Professional photographic guidance & instruction by Tristan Quevilly
- Preparation Meeting (Pre-trip briefing and final Q&A session held via Zoom)
- 1h skype session of photo editing in Lightroom or Photoshop
- Restaurant gratuities / tips
- Pre-trip planning assistance
- Detailed trip notes with practical information and cultural insights
- Access to Remote Expeditions custom travel app
Not Included
- Lunch on Arrival day, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11, day 12, day 13, day 14, day 15, day 16, day 17, day 18, day 19 and Departure day, Dinner on Arrival day, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9, day 10, day 11, day 12, day 13, day 14, day 15, day 16, day 17, day 18 and day 19
- Tips
- International flights
- Travel, Medical & Cancellation insurance
- Additional drinks and meals
- Expenses not specified in the program
- Camera Equipment
Deposit
- 30% (2.789 USD approx)
Payment Options
- Bank Transfer (Recommended): Free
- Credit / Debit Card: Secure payment via Revolut. A 3% processing fee applies.
Booking Conditions
- Deposit: 30% to secure your booking
- Final payment: Due 90 days before departure
- Cancellation more than 90 days before departure: Deposit retained as a 4-year travel credit
- Read the full Terms & Conditions ↗
Services to Expect
How Can I Approach Photography in Antarctica?
Antarctica offers opportunities to photograph wildlife, icebergs, glaciers, shorelines, historic places and the changing polar light from the deck, Zodiac and land. The provider’s route includes areas such as the Lemaire Channel, Deception Island, Cuverville Island and King George Island, subject to conditions.
Protect equipment from spray, snow, cold and condensation with dry-bag or weather protection, lens cloths and spare batteries. Keep essential gear accessible and be ready for unexpected moments. Wildlife photography must always follow the expedition team’s instructions and distance rules.
Practical Information
How Is Antarctica Navigated?
Antarctic navigation is shaped by the sea and the ice. The captain and expedition leader continually assess wind, visibility, sea state, ice conditions and the opportunities available along the coast.
They make the final decisions about the route, anchorages, landings and timing. The programme provides a framework rather than a contractual checklist. On a sailing vessel, an opening in the ice, a whale encounter or a change in light may justify spending more time in one area, while another planned objective may need to be replaced.
What Is the Weather Like in Antarctica?
The Antarctic sailing season brings changing combinations of cold, wind, cloud, sun, snow and rain. Conditions can alter quickly, and wind chill or wet clothing may affect comfort more than the temperature alone.
Pack layers that can be adjusted throughout the day: a warm base layer, insulating mid-layer and waterproof, windproof outer shell. Sun protection remains important because light reflects strongly from snow and ice. The exact conditions at each landing or passage cannot be guaranteed.
How Is Safety Managed in Antarctica?
Safety begins with the briefings given by the captain and expedition team. Guests will be shown how to move around the vessel and how to approach Zodiac embarkation, landings and shore activities.
Follow instructions promptly, take care on wet decks, steps, snow and rocks, and keep the required distance from wildlife. The team may change a landing, route or activity when conditions become unsuitable. The operator describes Eldorado as equipped for polar operations, but guests also carry responsibility for appropriate clothing, footwear, attention and honest awareness of their own limits.
Respecting Antarctic Wildlife and Places
Antarctic wildlife is approached on strict terms: keep the required distance, remain quiet and follow the expedition team’s instructions at every landing. Penguins and seals should never be encouraged to move or disturbed for a photograph.
Clean boots and equipment as directed, stay within marked areas and leave no trace. Careful behaviour protects both the animals and the fragile places that make this expedition possible.
What Should I Pack for a Sailing Expedition in Antarctica?
Begin with layers: a warm base layer, an insulating mid-layer and a waterproof, windproof outer layer. Bring warm socks, gloves, a hat and neck protection, plus suitable waterproof landing footwear unless the operator confirms that boots are provided.
Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip protection are important around snow and ice. Pack personal medication, seasickness treatment, toiletries and a reusable bottle. Photographers should consider spare batteries, memory cards, chargers, lens cloths, dry-bag protection and a waterproof daypack. Binoculars, earplugs and a sleep mask can also help. Confirm the current baggage allowance, supplied clothing, charging policy and dietary arrangements before departure.
Detailed Trip Notes, including practical tips, cultural insights, and a complete packing list will be sent to you 60 days before departure.
Booking this tour means you agree to our full Terms and Conditions. Below is a summary of the key points. As life is unpredictable, we strongly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance.
- Deposit: A 30% deposit is required to secure your booking. This deposit is refundable for 7 days (less transaction fees), after which it becomes a non-refundable credit, transferable to a future tour offered by Remote Expeditions within 4 years of the cancellation date, less any non-recoverable costs already paid on your behalf.
- Final Payment: The remaining balance is due 90 days before the tour begins.
- Cancellation more than 90 days before departure: You will receive a full refund of any payments made, except for the 30% deposit. Your deposit will be converted into a travel credit valid for 4 years on a future tour Remote Expeditions.
- Cancellation within 90 days of departure: 100% of the tour price is forfeited. There are no refunds or credits.
* This is a summary only. Please read our complete
Terms and Conditions
for full details before booking.
** We strongly recommend all travelers purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, medical emergencies, and other unforeseen events.
A few kind words
Colombia Photography Tour 2026
Top notch photographic experience for enthusiasts of nature, culture, and portraits. Tristan is well connected to the area and the local communities with a specialty in indigenous tribes and less-visited areas. Additionally, he is an excellent teacher and will provide incredibly helpful instruction on exposure, lighting, and composition. Our tour was incredibly well organized and ran on time, with full days of photography. I fully recommend Remote Expeditions for your photographic travels!
You are in good hands with Tristan!
Tristan does an amazing job at putting together a culturally rich experience. He also does a great job at adapting to his clients needs and interests. He responds well to feedback. He is both professional and personable. I feel as though I had the opportunity not only to photograph many different elements of Colombia, but that I truly experienced the country and its culture. Our adventure took us from birding in the mountains outside of Cali, to visiting remote indigenous tribes, to visiting active fishing villages, to learning about local and historical musicians and customs, to beautiful settings in the mountains and along the seashore.
I give Tristan the highest recommendation as a guide for Colombia.
Colombia Birding Tour
I visited Colombia with Tristan of Remote Expeditions and would highly recommend him. He put together a wonderful itinerary with great knowledge of the areas and attention to details to give us a wonderful sampling of the country. He is personally very gentle and fun by nature and you will return home feeling very happy and satisfied. Whatever your special interest is, I’m sure he can make an itinerary to exceed your goals.
The difference is in the details
Journeys shaped by experience
Every route is built from time spent in the field: knowing when to linger, when to move on, and which small details are worth noticing.
Room for the unexpected
The best moments are not always on the itinerary. We leave enough flexibility to follow a good conversation, an unusual sighting, or a changing landscape.
Local relationships that open doors
Our journeys are grounded in long-term relationships with people who know their home intimately and are proud to share it in their own way.
A small group, properly looked after
With only a few travellers, decisions remain personal. We can adapt the pace, answer questions, and make sure everyone feels part of the journey.
Your Tour Guide
Tristan Quevilly
Tristan brings over 20 years of diverse travel experience, and has spent a bunch of time exploring and hiking in Patagonia. His deep knowledge of the terrain, weather patterns, and optimal photographic locations, combined with his passion for both photography and authentic travel, ensures a seamless and inspiring journey.
- Nationality: French
- Languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Guiding since: 2003
- Specialties: Photography, Trekking, Indigenous Communities
Extend your journey
Optional extensions and add-ons you may consider for your trip. Each can be added to your itinerary on request — just let me know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Remote Expeditions journeys are arranged privately, so the pace and rhythm can be shaped around the people travelling together. When a scheduled group departure is offered, it is typically limited to four or five travellers.
No. Photography is one of the ways we observe and connect with a place, but it is not a requirement. Our journeys also welcome travellers drawn to slow travel, wildlife, culture, trekking, landscapes, and genuine encounters. You can join with professional equipment, a simple camera, or just your curiosity.
Every itinerary has its own rhythm. Some journeys are gently paced, while others include long walks, trekking, uneven terrain, altitude, or substantial travel days. The practical details on each tour page explain the expected walking, terrain, altitude, distances, and overall physical level so you can decide whether the journey suits you.
Tristan designs the itineraries and personally leads many Remote Expeditions journeys. Depending on the destination and the character of the trip, trusted local guides, drivers, cultural hosts, or specialist leaders may also join part of the route. This combination gives you direct personal support alongside local knowledge.
Often, yes. Private journeys can usually be shaped around your interests, pace, and available time. Fixed group departures have a defined route and dates, but it may still be possible to arrange additional nights, private extensions, or other travel before or after the main journey. Tell us what you have in mind and we will explain what is practical.
