My Dream Expedition

Arrival into Punta Arenas

We started with an early morning flight from Santiago down to Punta Arenas. On arrival, we were met by a Quark representative who took us to our hotel for the night. Once we arrived, we checked in and then headed straight to the conference room. This was where we collected our Quark Parkas (which were ours to keep), along with muck boots to use whilst on the Zodiacs and landings.

We also had our cases weighed ready for our flight to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. Our outerwear, including salopettes, gloves, and hats, was inspected and hoovered if required due to biosecurity requirements to help protect Antarctica’s environment.

Once this was done, we headed out into Punta Arenas for a wander.

We were back in the conference room at 6pm for our first briefing. This included the plan for the cruise, details on our flight to King George Island, safety briefings, and instructions on getting in and out of Zodiacs. We were also warned that the weather could change very quickly in Antarctica, and although our flight was planned for the following morning, we should be prepared for last-minute changes.

Day 1

After breakfast, we were taken to the airport for our morning flight. On arrival, check-in was smooth and we were handed our boarding passes. Once through security, we heard an announcement we didn’t want to hear.

Our Quark flight was delayed due to weather. Overall, we were only delayed by around two hours from our original departure time, so it wasn’t too bad. Once on board, we were served a drink and snack.

The next part of the flight, I will be honest, we didn’t enjoy—and for reasons that might sound a little strange. It was time to put on our muck boots. Imagine a full flight of around 120 passengers all trying to stand in the aisle, changing their shoes, with some also trying to put on waterproof trousers. We had planned ahead and put on our salopettes at the airport before boarding, so we only needed to get our muck boots on—but it was an experience in itself.

The flight took around 2.5 hours. As we came in to land, we spotted the short gravel landing strip. There was no airport, so the plane simply landed on gravel, and we were met at the bottom of the aircraft steps by a minibus. A short 10-minute ride took us to the beach, where we were welcomed by penguins.

We were handed life jackets before boarding our first Zodiac to reach the ship Ocean Explorer.

Day 2

We had an early start at 7am and headed to Deck 8 to grab a coffee. Once there, we noticed lots of people outside looking for whales. We were lucky enough to see multiple whale blows and had our first sightings.

We then headed for a buffet breakfast before getting wrapped up ready for our Zodiac group to be called.

We were in the yellow group and were the fourth and final group out that morning. When we were called, we went down to the ready room on Deck 4, where each cabin had its own locker for storing boots, life jackets, and parkas.

We headed out on our first excursion, starting with a 30-minute Zodiac ride. We saw humpback whales and fur seals resting on rocks after their journey from South Georgia (as our guide explained). Some curious juvenile fur seals swam close to us.

We then landed at Portal Point, where we took a short walk across the island, spotted penguins and more fur seals, and enjoyed photo opportunities with the ship surrounded by icebergs.

The return journey was choppy with large swells, reinforcing how quickly the weather could change.

Back on board, we left our wet clothing in the ready room to dry while we headed to lunch. During lunch, the ship moved to our next location, planned as Bancroft Bay, weather permitting.

In the afternoon, we went out again. The sea was calmer, and we experienced an incredible display of humpback whales breaching around us. The sounds of whale blows made it clear they were close by.

At 6pm, we attended the daily briefing, which included photos from the day and a history talk. This was followed by the captain’s welcome with cocktails and canapés before we headed to dinner and an early night.

Day 3 

After breakfast, we were the first group called. We took a Zodiac landing to Danco Island, where we walked among Gentoo penguins for about an hour before continuing with a one-hour cruise around the island.

We spotted swimming penguins and got close to glaciers. Seeing the ship against the glacier backdrop really highlighted the scale of the ice.

Back on board, we had lunch with members of the expedition team and enjoyed conversations about wildlife.

Later, we heard that orcas had been spotted ahead. We went to Deck 8 and saw two pods—around 18 orcas including a calf—swimming around the ship.

In the afternoon, we went out again and spotted more humpbacks and our first leopard seal, which appeared curious and was observed attempting (unsuccessfully) to hunt penguins.

We also saw fur seals, Weddell seals, and a chinstrap penguin.

Day 4

We woke up to stunning views and the sound of whales. We spent an hour cruising before landing, where we saw Gentoo penguins and a fur seal.

After lunch, we sailed to Paradise Harbour and went out again searching for wildlife, surrounded by the sound of calving ice.

Later, we took part in the polar plunge—79 of us in total. It was freezing and took our breath away, but we were glad we did it.

That evening, we had a BBQ on Deck 8 and later enjoyed entertainment in the Explorer Lounge.

Day 5 

We sailed into Whalers Bay via Neptune’s Bellows. The weather was clear, but as we landed, fog created an eerie atmosphere.

We explored the remains of the old whaling station, abandoned after a volcanic eruption in 1969. Wildlife included birds, penguins, and fur seals.

Plans to move on later were cancelled due to weather changes, highlighting the unpredictability of expedition cruising.

That evening, we were informed we would head toward the Drake Passage.

Day 6 

We spent a full day at sea. Activities included presentations, a screening of Happy Feet, and a talk on Shackleton’s expedition.

The day ended with a toast and an Antarctic fundraising auction before dinner.

Day 7

We made excellent progress and sailed past Cape Horn and through the Beagle Channel toward Ushuaia.

We spent the day packing and preparing for disembarkation. We arrived at 7pm, around 12 hours ahead of schedule.

Day 8 – Disembarkation

We were collected at 8am and transferred to The Albatross Hotel for a one-night stay.

We spent the day exploring Ushuaia, though we were slightly disappointed we hadn’t planned a visit to Tierra del Fuego National Park or the End of the World train.

Instead, we took a local tour and later had dinner at an Argentinian steak restaurant, where the meal was excellent and cost around £30 including wine.