Christmas at the Antarctic Circle

Check-in between 15:00 and 17:00.

Pre-Antarctic briefings from the expedition team, followed by a Patagonian asado at the Weskar Lodge club house marking the official start of your expedition.

From day two, we are ready to depart as soon as conditions allow. The charter flight to King George Island takes 2.5 hours. The timing is determined by the Captain based on the safest available weather window. 

If the flight window does not open on day two, the expedition continues at Weskar Lodge. The lodge, Torres del Paine, and Puerto Natales itself are a destination. The longer voyage duration is specifically designed to provide a wider operational window for the crossing.

Dramatic coastlines and penguin colonies

Seven full days on the Peninsula. Where we go is shaped by conditions and opportunity, not a fixed timetable.

The range covers the South Shetland Islands including Deception Island. The Gerlache Strait, Wilhelmina Bay, Lemaire Channel, Paradise Bay, and Cuverville Island: the core of the Peninsula’s most extraordinary geography. When the ice opens south, we push toward the Antarctic Circle at 66°33’S.

Into Antarctica’s hidden places

South of the Circle, the landscape changes. Locked bergs in frozen channels. A silence with a different weight. In the right conditions, guests go ashore onto the sea ice itself, walking among icebergs that have not moved in weeks. This is where Ross Seals and Emperor Penguins live. Neither is guaranteed, and in fact very uncommon to encounter; however, both are possible here and almost nowhere else on this itinerary.

With only 36 guests, there are no crowds. Our expert guides respond to conditions as they develop whether that’s extending a landing, spending longer at a remarkable wildlife encounter, or adapting the plan to make the most of every opportunity. On a Expedition Micro Cruise, this flexibility is the norm, not the exception.

Exploring Antarctica’s raw and untouched beauty

We often sail into the heart of the Antarctic Peninsula through the scenic Gerlache Strait, flanked by jagged peaks. 

We aim to explore Antarctica’s wildest corners. Possible locations include: Cierva Cove, Trinity Island, Mikkelsen Harbour, Hydrurga Rocks, Hughes Bay, Wilhelmina Bay, Cuverville Island, Errera Channel, Neko Harbour, Paradise Bay, Almirante Brown Station, Dallman Bay, Melchior Islands, Neumayer Channel, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Port Charcot, Petermann Island, Argentina Islands (Wordie House), Crystal Sound, Detaille Island, Lallemand Fjord, The Gullet, Marguerite Bay, Half Moon Island, Yankee Harbour, Whalers Bay, Baily Head, Deception Island.

Aureum holds at Maxwell Bay until the return flight window opens. When it does, the crossing back takes 2.5 hours.

If the flight window shifts, the expedition continues. There is no shortage of Antarctica to explore. Every additional day on the Peninsula is unplanned time in one of the most extraordinary places on earth.

The final night is at Weskar Lodge: farewell dinner, the expedition settling.

After your expedition, take the opportunity to explore Puerto Natales, the gateway to Chilean Patagonia—a frontier town with genuine character, exceptional local seafood, an unhurried pace, and an atmosphere entirely its own.

From here, discover nearby Torres del Paine National Park, part of the UNESCO Torres del Paine Biosphere Reserve, renowned for its granite towers, glaciers, turquoise lakes and remarkable wildlife.

Want to stay a little longer? Every Antarctica By Air expedition includes our Peace of Mind approach, with up to three additional nights in Puerto Natales at no extra accommodation cost.