Estimated time of departure is 11:00 PM

Located on a picturesque bay? Check. Rows of colorful homes lining the hills? Check. A network of cable cars and hillside trains taking you to scenic views? Double check. A thriving arts scene and exciting culinary culture? Checkmate. These similarities make it clear why the vibrant city of Valparaíso is so often and warmly compared to San Francisco, even if it’s not in the same hemisphere.

Depending on when you arrive, you might be lucky enough to explore the town before embarking on the MS Roald Amundsen. The insatiable travelers in the group can extend their voyages even longer with our pre-program adventure to the breathtaking Atacama Desert.

But those short on time can simply begin their adventure by taking a stroll around Sotomayor Plaza to admire the architecture and then walk to the nearby port to watch the ships roll in. Then head up to the Concepción Hill neighborhood for panoramic views and trendy cafés, while you wind your way through the maze of curves and narrow streets. Baburizza Palace, near Paseo Yugoslavo, is home to to the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts, along with numerous restaurants serving first-rate Chilean seafood, such as conger eel stew, razor clams à la parmesan, and scallops al pil-pil (a delicious chili dressing).

Easy on the local food, though! You will need to save room for the feast on the ship during the welcome dinner. That usually takes place after you check-in, meet the Expedition Team, and attend the very important health and safety meeting.

During the first two days at sea, the excitement of the journey will slowly simmer with adventure on the horizon. Exploring the ship is a must, with plenty of onboard facilities to enjoy, like the infinity pool, hot tubs, sauna, indoor gym, outdoor running track, and spa. Make no mistake, there is great fun to be had in getting to know your Expedition Team, along with the other guests and crew members. Share some drinks at the bar and build camaraderie with your new shipmates.

During your days at sea, the informative lectures from the Expedition Team are valuable, enlightening, and entertaining. Each topic is designed to help you more fully appreciate the areas you are sailing through. For example, learn about how tectonic activity formed the surrounding mountain ranges, or examine rock samples in the ship’s Science Center. Better yet, prepare yourself for the upcoming landings with an in-depth look at local history and culture. Learn fascinating facts about local seabirds such as the skuas or kelp gulls, then put your knowledge to the test by grabbing a pair of binoculars and scanning for rare wandering albatross and petrels.

However you spend these days at sea, the variety of onboard activities and lectures are an opportunity to heighten your sense of exploration and inspire an even larger appetite for the adventures to come!

Tucked away off a fjord in the middle of Chiloé Island, Castro has slowly changed from simply being the third-oldest city in Chile to a cosmopolitan capital with a classic Chilote character. Bring your camera to snap the typical postcard shot of the brightly-painted raised houses, called palafitos. These traditional wooden houses on stilts line the edges of the fjord at the Gamboa wharf. The nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site–listed Church of San Francisco is a masterpiece of carpentry, made entirely of wood in a Neo-Gothic style.

Other attractions here include the Plaza de Armas (the city’s center), the impressive Chiloé Museum of Modern Art, and the Regional Museum of Castro. Or spend the day sampling some of the restaurants with views of the fjord that serve fresh seafood.

Our voyage’s course is set for Puerto Edén, passing by the numerous islands of the Aysén region, Chile’s most sparsely populated region. An important part of any expedition is knowing how to enjoy the moment. Remember to take time to reconnect with nature and the world around us. So take a seat in the panoramic Explorer Lounge or soak in one of the deck’s hot tubs. Sit back and feast your eyes on the serene scenery as untouched isles and green mountains quietly roll by. You can also join the Expedition Team in the Science Center. Let them educate you with pertinent information on the local geography, climate, and birdlife.

This tiny hamlet lies along a bay on a remote peninsula jutting out into a fjord in the province of Última Esperanza. As we sail in, you will immediately see the port’s access to the exceptional landscapes of Bernardo O’’Higgins National Park, which surely inspired the hamlet’s original name: Eden. This national park is Chile’s largest protected area, comprising a stunning network of peaceful fjords and gorgeous mountains covered in native forests. Keep your eyes peeled for South Andean deer on the slopes nearby. Check for marine otters in the water and don’t forget to put those eyes to the sky to spot cormorants.

The region’s frequent rainfall, high humidity levels, and heavy storms makes Puerto Edén accessible only by sea—so get ready to view one of Chile’s most hard-to-reach inhabited places. There are no roads leading to or from this isolated village, and not even within it! There are simply boardwalks and footpaths connecting the homes of its fewer than 200 residents. A dozen of these locals are the last-known members of the indigenous Kawésqar people, who make a living fishing and selling wicker baskets to travelers passing through.

Here, take in gorgeous views of the southern Andes. This port on the Señoret Channel in Última Esperanza fjord has steadily evolved from its origins in the sheep industry. The city is now well known for its location as an entry point to Torres del Paine National Park, attracting hikers from all over the world.

If you decide not to go on the optional full-day excursion to the national park, you can wander Puerto Natales on your own by foot. This sleepy city is a mix of Bohemian bars, outdoor gear retailers, corrugated tin houses, and restaurants serving international cuisine. Visit the artisan village of Etherh Aike to see a range of souvenirs. Or drop in for drinks at the Last Hope Bar, which also claims to be the southernmost distillery in the world.

Follow the waterfront and you will enjoy views across the fjord, with fantastic photo opportunities at the old pier, with the Monument to the Wind and the Monument of the Hand. Birdwatchers, be aware! Andean condors are on the prowl, along with the famous pink Chilean flamingos (just to name just a few). You might also come across a monument to 16^th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ladrillero. He is the one who named the fjord ‘Last Hope’, as he thought the inlet was his last chance to reach the Strait of Magellan. It turns out he was right—he went on to become the first person to successfully sail the strait.

We carry on our southward journey of the Chilean coast through the many broken isles and fabled fjords of Chile’s rugged Magallanes Province. We will pass through the western part of the Strait of Magellan, named after the famous 16^th-century Portuguese explorer who first traversed it.

Our plan today is to play it by ear. After all, where’s the fun in having everything scripted? The day’s activities and landings are thus at the whims and discretion of the Expedition Team. They will use their in-depth knowledge of the area to choose the most interesting sites for you to explore, based on that day’s weather conditions.

No matter if you’re riding on a small boat (RIB) or gazing from the ship’s deck, keep your eyes wide open! Scan the shores for picturesque waterfalls, exotic birdlife, and perhaps even colonies of Magellan penguins. Maybe you’ll even spot an elephant seal! In the waters themselves, you might get a glimpse of various whale species.

After looping round the glacier-carved Alberto de Agostini National Park, we enter the Beagle Channel in the morning. Take in the breathtaking landscapes as we pass between the national park and Isla Gordon, which belongs to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. On a clear day, you might catch a glimpse of Monte Darwin towering to the north, part of the southernmost range of the Andean mountains. As we exit midway through the channel, our crossing to Antarctica beings.

But before we do so, we might stop by a historical place in honor of sailors past. At the tip of South America lies the legendary Cape Horn. It was a major milestone in the old clipper routes connecting Europe with the Far East and Oceania. This is where the open waters of the Atlantic and Pacific collide, creating powerful waves that are made even stronger by swirling westerly winds. For yachters, rounding Cape Horn is a maritime feat, comparable, for them, to summiting Mount Everest. The notoriously turbulent waters make it impossible to guarantee a landing here. But if fortune plays in our favor that day and the weather is stable enough to dock on the island, you can be among a select few in the world to set foot on it.

From Cape Horn, it’s a clear shot to Antarctica across the Drake Passage. With no nearby landmass to block the currents, the waters here are fully exposed. Depending on how the currents are that day, you might soon realize why certain captains call this passage the ‘Drake Shake’. On the other hand, conditions can be completely the opposite: completely calm. In such cases, be grateful you were blessed with the ‘Drake Lake,’ instead!

The Expedition Team will be hard at work on board to prepare you for the main event of your voyage: Antarctica! Their lectures will teach you how to explore this sensitive environment in accordance with strict IAATO regulations. They will fill you in on the importance of keeping a respectful distance from curious penguins and about the practical measures we will be taking to not contaminate the ecosystem with foreign particles.

Weather permitting, spend some time on the deck taking in the fresh sea air. A few seabirds might drift by, as they seem to enjoy following the ship from above. Without fail, a ripple of excitement spreads throughout the ship at the first sight of icebergs on the horizon, even to the crew who have seen them so many times before. In the coming days, you’ll understand why.

The time has come. We have finally arrived. Isn’t it a sight to behold? Nowhere else on Earth can we find this other-worldly landscape of snow and ice. The wind and waves mix with the late-spring sun to sculpt icebergs into massive white and blue gems, some as tall as buildings. Immense ice shelves and crumpled glaciers creak and rumble while chunks of ice crash into the waters below. Mighty mountains hibernate beneath blankets of soft snow. Welcome to the unmatched Seventh Continent. Welcome to Antarctica.

Your next four days will consist in an intense exploration of several landing sites (there are more than 20 possible sites on and around the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands). It doesn’t matter where we go and what we do, every day in this vast, breathtaking region will be thrilling, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. How about sailing into a flooded volcanic caldera? Or landing at a dramatic bay harboring remnants of the whaling era? Or we can go ashore and stand in the presence of thousands of penguins. Remember to keep at least a few yards away from any inquisitive ones who come to inspect you. Late spring in the Antarctic means that the gentoo and chinstrap penguins will be at the start of their courting season, while the Adélie penguins may have already laid their eggs and be in nesting mode. There are plenty of other birds in Antarctica, though, such as the skuas, jaegers, petrels, and terns. Unlike penguins, these other birds actually have functioning wings, so remember to look up to the sky now and again.

The Expedition Team will guide you each step of the way, leading you on landings and steering ice-cruises aboard small boats (RIBs). Depending on local snow, ice, and wind conditions, you could be among the select few to participate in optional activities such as kayaking and snowshoeing—and you might even have the opportunity to spend a night camping on land. There are also fun and interesting Citizen Science projects to do, such as cloud observation, or whale and leopard seal spotting. Or look at phytoplankton in a whole new way under a microscope in the Science Center! It is satisfying to know that the data you help collect as part of these projects feed into current scientific studies at key institutes all over the world. The resident photographer will also have handy tips on how to best capture these spectacular landscapes and the charming wildlife. Don’t forget to come out from behind your camera lens now and then, though, just to take it all in and relish the moments.

Four days in Antarctica have already flown by, and unfortunately, it’s time to head back home. You could spend a month here and it wouldn’t be enough time. It seems that you could spend a lifetime discovering the secrets of this inspirational land.

Now we have a two-day voyage back over the Drake Passage toward South America. It’s the perfect time to wind down and reflect on your experience in Antarctica. Pamper yourself in the Wellness Spa with a soothing treatment. Spend a few hours in the Explorer Bar with your new-found friends, chatting about your memories from the trip. Your photographs are like trophies, display them proudly and swap stories about your different adventures and excursions. Join the Expedition Team in the Science Center to take a look back at everything you’ve seen and learned along the way.

Estimated time of arrival is 7:00 AM

Once we arrive in Ushuaia, you’ll have a transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. It’s up to you whether you fly home directly or spend a few extra days exploring the birthplace of tango. Ready for more? Add on a Post-Program to the magnificent Iguazú Falls on the Brazilian border.

But before your departure, it will be time for a bittersweet goodbye to the ship, the crew, your fellow guests, and the amazing Expedition Team. Each of them has worked very hard to make your adventure a joyful and unforgettable one. We share an overall goal: Showing that expedition cruises can and should be sustainable, and to inspire all of us to do more to protect and cherish our wonderful planet. This is the appreciation we want you to take home with you and share with your friends and family. Together, we can be better. Here’s to seeing you on your next adventure!