On your arrival at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL), you will be met by our chauffeur for a private transfer to your luxury hotel to refresh and relax after a long flight. The stylish W Hotel is located in one of the most iconic buildings in the city, offering state-of-the-art rooms, excellent service, and outstanding facilities. It is set in the very heart of the city, in the exclusive Santiago neighborhood of Las Condes with stunning views of the snow-capped Andes to the east and the lush, forested San Cristobal Hill to the west. The hotel offers a choice of award-winning restaurants, lush gardens, and a large, rooftop infinity pool. In the evening, we will meet at one of the elegant hotel restaurants for an optional pre-expedition dinner and toast the upcoming adventures that await us in the world's final frontier.
Meals: None
Accommodations: W Hotel, Santiago

After breakfast, we will transfer to the airport to board our private group charter flight to Punta Arenas, Chile, on the southern tip of South America, and on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. We will be served hot lunch during the flight. Punta Arenas is a vibrant port city renowned for its rich maritime history, colorful architecture, and its gateway status to the wild and remote landscapes of Patagonia. The area was originally used by the Yaghan people, hunter-gatherers who despite enduring the harsh climate, could not weather the arrival of Europeans. On arrival in Punta Arenas, we'll transfer to our centrally located hotel. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Cabo de Hornos Hotel, Punta Arenas

Today, we will transfer from Punta Arenas to King George Island, off the coast of continental Antarctica. We will benefit from the "Antarctica Bridge," a private, 2-hour charter flight in business class with extra leg room for comfort and with hot, regionally inspired lunch served onboard. As the largest of all the South Shetland Island, King George is considered the gateway to Antarctica. At just 75 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula and the only airport in the South Shetlands. More than 10 different nations have year-round or summer-only scientific research stations on the island, and considering that 90% of the island is covered by snow and ice, that is quite an achievement! Maintaining a base on the island allows membership of the Antarctic Treaty. There is even a Russian Orthodox church, with a permanent on-site priest. The island might be home to a few international scientists, but they are very much outnumbered by the diverse wildlife that considers King George Island rightfully theirs. Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins all commute to and from the Antarctic peninsula from the island, while Weddell and leopard seals are regular visitors and can be spotted either in the water or on the shore. Naturally, this brings a huge amount of birdlife: skuas and southern giant petrels are regular summer residents, attracted by the warmer climate. The island was named after King George III after British explorers discovered it in 1819. Since then the island has been claimed by both Chile (1940) and Argentina (1943), but remains part of British Antarctic Territory.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise 

Few voyages ignite the imagination like a journey down to one of the planet’s most remote, extreme, and enchanting wilderness, Antarctica. An adventure in its purest form, with only a handful of people who will ever be lucky enough to experience the spellbinding beauty of these monochrome landscapes in person. The Antarctic Sound will be our first encounter with this whitewash kingdom. It is located at the northerly tip of the Antarctic Peninsula which sprawls up like a tentacle towards Tierra del Fuego, South America’s most southerly point, otherwise known as the ‘End of the World’. Taking its name from the first ship to brave the passageway between the peninsular and Joinville Island back in 1902, the Antarctic Sound is a raw, sensory assault of imposing iceberg slabs, broken away from the disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf. Today, we will finally come face-to-face with the stadium-sized islands of ice and meet the extraordinary bird life that call this white kingdom home on our first hike with the Silversea expedition team. We will watch as colonies of Gentoo penguins hop around, and cape petrels sweep overhead, as the continent’s unique wildlife thrives around us. After returning to the ship, we will meet again at one of the ship's elegant restaurants to warm up as we set sail to our next destination in the Antarctic Peninsula. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise 

As we sail along the Antarctic Peninsula today, we will stop to explore the continent's shores on a zodiac excursion. The Antarctic Peninsula unravels upwards towards South America, reaching out a beckoning finger to the adventurous, who dare to explore this untamed realm. Stretching up from the heart of the world’s southernmost continent, the Antarctic Peninsula lies a mere 620 miles from Tierra del Fuego and offers a spectacular first taste of the snow-blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures, which make up Earth’s least-explored continent. Huge ice formations are everywhere: from icebergs the size of islands to the fragile, nearly invisible layers glistening on the surface where the sea has just begun to freeze, from near-vertical glaciers pouring down the slopes of every mountain to the endless landscapes of sea ice, ice defines the Antarctic. Unseen by humans until 1820, the shores of Antarctica are sure to make your hairs stand on end, as we experience the thrill of the truly unknown and truly extraordinary. Remember to dress according to the climate, wear waterproof foot ware, and apply ample sunscreen to protect yourself from sunburn as the glistening ice and water can create harsh sun rays. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise

Today, we will have the option to go on either a hike or a zodiac ride with the expedition team as we continue to explore the vast Antarctic Peninsula further. The sturdy zodiac landing boats are the heart and soul of Antarctic explorations. These tough and stable motorized boats maneuver easily through ice-choked waters, getting everyone ashore safely in even the most remote and challenging locations. Simply cruising in the zodiacs is fun, seeing leopard seals relaxing on an ice floe or an exquisite arched iceberg that no one has ever seen before. The Antarctic Peninsula is sprinkled with research bases, which are at the frontline of human scientific endeavor, pushing to study and understand this unique environment, its exceptional wildlife, and the impact that humans are having on this pristine continent. On today's expeditions, we will witness cathedral-sized icebergs up close, blue-hued glaciers, slowly slipping from imposing locations like Hope Bay, as well as enjoy more encounters with whales and dolphins. Blanched mountain peaks cover the peninsula, and if we are lucky, we’ll find the adorable Adelie penguin pairs thriving undisturbed in this unique setting.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise 

As we spend another day exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, you will be able to choose from the three expedition options based on your comfort and fitness level: Zodiac Cruise with Silversea Expedition Team, Hiking with Silversea Expedition Team, or Kayaking with Silversea Expedition Team. Each excursion will feature slightly different adventures. Without a doubt, penguins are the most popular residents of Antarctica, and we will have many chances to get to know them well. Their colonies are almost always close to the beach, so it’s very easy to get great photos. In the short Antarctic summer, these amazing birds are always busy with the many tasks of breeding and raising their chicks, so every month brings something new. In February, the chicks have left their nests and are very active, learning to swim and getting ready to fend for themselves.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise

The ice-coated Antarctic Peninsula forms perhaps the most accessible region of mainland Antarctica. Close to the northwestern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, separated by the Bransfield Strait, the South Shetland Islands fall under the jurisdiction of the Antarctic Treaty, suspending claims on their sovereignty. Several countries maintain research bases here, and with plump elephant seals, and crowds of Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie Penguins also calling the islands home, it can even feel a little crowded at times. King George Island is the largest and most hospitable island, hosting the majority of the research stations, some of them inhabited all year round by tiny, hardy crews. The South Shetland Islands offer extraordinary adventures in one of the most remote locations on Earth. Today, we'll set out on a zodiac ride to explore the triple peaks of Mount Foster that tower above the archipelago, sail into the core of Deception Island’s magnificent collapsed volcano caldera, hike the lunar landscapes within, and even dip into the improbably warm, geothermally-heated waters of Pendulum Cove. Elephant Island, meanwhile, is written deep into the annals of Antarctic expedition legend, as the site where Ernest Shackleton and the stricken crew of the Endurance miraculously survived a harsh Antarctic winter, in 1916. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Silver Endeavour Luxury Cruise 

Today, we will say goodbye to the Silver Endeavour, reflecting on our adventures and the friendships we have made, as we head back to South America, flying over the Drake Passage, to Punta Arenas. As we fly over the international waters, towards civilization, we'll watch the scenery of the ice-crowned wonders of Antarctica fade into the distance. With its reputation for ferocious storms and mountainous seas, Drake Passage was a place where a seafarer earned respect for bravery against the odds. And if he lived to tell the tale, he got to wear a gold hoop earring and dine with one foot on the table. As we fly over Cape Horn, we can ponder its history: the Dutch sailor Willem Schouten and merchant Jacob Le Maire, both from the town of Hoorn (hence Cape Horn), put it on the map in 1616 when attempting to circumvent the trade monopoly exercised by the Dutch East India Company over the Straits of Magellan. Once an unavoidable physical gateway to adventure and commerce in the Pacific Ocean, Cape Horn nowadays has more of a spiritual attraction, drawing intrepid travelers to pay homage to the brave sailors who, by necessity, attempted to pass this wild and inhospitable headland. On Arrival in Punta Arenas, we'll transfer back to Cabo de Hornos Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Cabo de Hornos Hotel, Punta Arenas

After breakfast today, we will fly back to Santiago, enjoying a hot lunch onboard our private charter flight. On arrival in Santiago, Chile, in the late afternoon, you can transfer back to the international terminal for your returning flight home.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
 

History of Antarctica | Antarctic Penguins | Glaciers and Ice in Antarctica
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