Antarctic Women’s Expedition: Fly the Drake

Arrive in Punta Arenas, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred to our hotel. We ask that you arrive no later than 2.00 pm so that you may attend our important briefing this evening.

Please visit the Aurora Expeditions hospitality desk in the lobby between 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm to collect your luggage cabin tags. Our team will confirm details regarding your embarkation day, answer any questions and provide you with information about where to dine or purchase last minute items.

Overlooking the Straits of Magellan, the city sits astride one of the world’s most historic trade routes. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great blend of cultural backgrounds, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors. It remains an utterly fascinating testament to Chile’s rich history. Modern day Punta Arenas is home to many popular restaurants, and bars, offering a mix of local and international fare (meals at your own expense today).

At 7.00 pm this evening, meet your fellow expeditioners at a voyage briefing where we will reconfirm your transfer times for tomorrow, explain the procedures for your flight to King George Island and outline important IAATO regulations for visitors to Antarctica.

This morning we will be transferred to Punta Arenas airport for our charter flight to King George Island, Antarctica (weather permitting). The flight will take approximately one hour and forty-five minutes. On arrival into King George Island our expedition team is on hand to greet you and to prepare you for your Zodiac transfer to the vessel. You will have time to settle into your cabin before our important safety briefings.

Note:  King George Island is located at the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands and is one of the most remote places on Earth. A clear sky with perfect visibility is required for safe take-off and landing. A contingency plan will be applied to your itinerary should your flights not proceed today. Your safety is our utmost priority. We apologise in advance for any delays caused due to this unpredictable situation. Please refer to our terms and conditions for a more detailed explanation.

It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of arriving in Antarctica. Spotting your first iceberg and taking a deep breath of some of the most fresh, crisp air on earth is an experience that will stay with you forever.

Once we arrive, the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are ours to explore, and we have a host of choices available to us. Because we are so far south, we will experience approximately 18-24 hours of daylight and the days can be as busy as you wish.

Your experienced expedition team, who have made countless journeys to this area, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, choosing the best options based on the prevailing weather, ice conditions and wildlife opportunities.

We generally make landings or Zodiac excursions twice a day. You will want to rug up before joining Zodiac cruises along spectacular ice cliffs or among grounded icebergs, keeping watch for whales, seals and porpoising penguins. Zodiacs will also transport you from the ship to land, where you can visit penguin rookeries, discover historic huts and explore some of our favourite spots along the peninsula.

While ashore we aim to stretch our legs, wandering along pebbly beaches or perhaps up snow-covered ridgelines to vantage points with mountains towering overhead and ice-speckled oceans below. If you have chosen an optional activity, you will have the option to do that whenever conditions allow, and of course keen polar plungers will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in polar waters – conditions permitting!

In addition to Zodiac cruises and shore excursions, we may ship cruise some of the narrow, dramatic straits separating offshore islands from the mainland, or linger in scenic bays to watch whales travelling or feeding. Keep an ear out for the creak and deep rumble of glaciers as they carve their way from summit to sea. Take a quiet moment to experience the wonder of this incredible white continent.

On board, you will find a range of areas to socialise or relax. We have a number of lounges, including our Glass Atrium Lounge and Observation Lounge. Our wellness centre houses our sauna (with a large window, so you can still enjoy the passing scenery), and offers treatments (book with reception). Across from our wellness centre you will find our gym with a range of equipment for your use. Perhaps you would like to take a dip in one of our jacuzzis on the back deck or enjoy a quiet moment in the library. As part of our deck theming, we hope to educate our expeditioners on the impressive and important conservation work these female scientists are doing across the globe, leading the way in global conservation initiatives. We honour these women who work tirelessly to make the world a better place through their innovation, education and activism. If you are interested in the women who have inspired us, the hallways of each deck will introduce you to:

Dr Sylvia Earle – Dr. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998; and was named by Time Magazine as its first ‘Hero of the Planet’. Her conservation initiative Mission Blue is creating a global network of marine protected areas known as Hope Spots, and her new Deep Hope project aims to deliver two deep-dive submersibles to collect crucial scientific data of as-yet-unseen ocean depths.

Dr. Carden Wallace AM – Principal Scientist Emeritus at the Queensland Museum since 2014, Dr. Wallace is a preeminent Australian scientist and the first curator/director of the Museum of Tropical Queensland from 1987 to 2003. She is an expert on corals and was part of a team that discovered the mass spawning of coral in 1984. In recognition of her contribution to marine science, Dr. Wallace was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021.

Joanna Ruxton – Joanna has the rare distinction of being hailed as ‘the person responsible for the plastic-free movement’ by Sir David Attenborough himself. She spent many years at the BBC Natural History Unit working on the first Blue Planet documentary series. Her award-winning film A Plastic Ocean, released in 2016, shows the devastating impact of plastic waste on ocean ecosystems and has helped to turn the tide against single-use plastics. In 2009, Joanna co-founded Plastic Oceans UK (now known as Ocean Generation), to inspire an inclusive global movement to restore a sustainable relationship between humanity and oceans.

Sharon Kwok – In 2013, Sharon founded the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation to promote marine education and inspire the next generation to protect and preserve ocean biodiversity. Sharon continues her advocacy as a Mission Blue and WildAid board member and Executive Director of the AquaMeridian Conservation & Education Foundation.

Bernadette Demientieff – Bernadette is a passionate mother/advocate for the rights of Alaska and the Gwich’in people in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada. As Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, she speaks for the protection of the calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd, known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, against destruction from oil and gas companies.

Dr. Asha de Vos – Internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research in the northern Indian Ocean, Dr. Asha de Vos founded Oceanswell, Sri Lanka’s first marine conservation research and education organisation. Her flagship initiative, The Sri Lankan Blue Whale Project, has led to many key research publications and informs policy on whale conservation at a local and global level. Asha’s award-winning work has been showcased by the BBC, National Geographic, The New York Times and TED, among many others, and in 2018 she was named one of the 100 most inspirational and influential women in the world by the BBC.

Hanli Prinsloo – Hanli Prinsloo is the founder and executive director of I AM WATER, an ocean conservation foundation based in Cape Town, South Africa. Dedicated to protecting oceans through human experience, I AM WATER helps children in underserved South African communities experience the ocean’s transformative beauty for the first time. A champion freediver, Hanli co-founded I AM WATER Ocean Travel with husband Peter Marshall, offering intimate wildlife encounters with the ocean’s most majestic creatures.

As we approach Frei Base on King George Island, it is time to farewell Antarctica and our amazing adventure before boarding our flight (approximately one hour and forty-five minutes) to Punta Arenas, Chile. There is time for reflection and discussion about what we have seen and experienced. We hope you become ambassadors for Antarctica telling your family, friends and colleagues about your journey to this magical place, advocating for its conservation and preservation so that they might one day visit the region to experience what you have been lucky to see and do here.

From Punta Arenas airport, you will be transferred to our group hotel for an overnight stay.

Note:  King George Island is located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands and is one of the most remote places on Earth. A clear sky with perfect visibility is required for safe take-off and landing.  We apologise in advance for any possible delays.

Accommodation: To be advised

After breakfast, bid a fond farewell to your fellow travellers as we continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature (breakfast included). A transfer to the airport is included in the voyage fare.

Note: Should your flight not proceed due to local conditions; you will remain on the ship until it is deemed achievable to return to Punta Arenas. Refer to our terms and conditions for further details.