See what Shackleton saw. Stand where he stood. Understand, finally, why he kept coming back.
Follow in the footsteps of Shackleton on a voyage that follows his survival route in sequence. Begin in South Georgia, aiming to reach King Haakon Bay, where the James Caird made landfall after the 800-mile crossing from Elephant Island. Continue to Fortuna Bay, where the hike to Stromness follows the final miles of Shackleton’s mountain crossing, and visit Grytviken, where Shackleton rests.
Then head north-west to Elephant Island and Point Wild, where 22 men waited beneath two upturned lifeboats for four months. Finally, continue south into Antarctica, the continent the Endurance never reached.
With just 36 guests, six Senior Polar Guides and four Zodiacs on the water at once, the expedition combines South Georgia, Elephant Island and the Antarctic Peninsula with the freedom to linger, observe and experience the polar world without compromise.
Most guests fly into Mount Pleasant Airport, where the expedition team will meet you. Luggage is transferred directly to the vessel. A charter bus into Stanley together with the team, the first chance for introductions.
If you are already on the Falklands, join us at the Tourist Office from 15:00. The afternoon is yours: the Maritime Museum, the waterfront, a pint at the Globe.
Aboard by 18:00 for mandatory safety briefings. Welcome cocktail, dinner, and the official start of the expedition.
The Scotia Sea passage.
Aureum’s wing stabilisers manage the crossing; the onboard programme holds your attention between polar science lectures, photography workshops, and personal accounts from the expedition team.
On day 3, we hope to cross the Antarctic Convergence and pass Shag Rocks; jagged, isolated islets alive with seabirds, seals, and whales, the first land since the Falklands. South Georgia is one day ahead.
South Georgia
The approach takes us past Bird Island, one of the greatest concentrations of nesting wandering albatrosses on earth. Wildlife meets you before the first landing.
King Haakon Bay is where Shackleton’s party made landfall after the open-boat crossing from Elephant Island. The bay is remote, rarely visited, and the scale of what happened there settles slowly.
Grytviken is a formal customs stop, and rather more besides. The museum, the abandoned whaling station, and in the cemetery: Shackleton and Wild under simple headstones. We take time here.
The remaining days move between St Andrews Bay, Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbour, Cooper Bay, Fortuna Bay and Drygalski Fjord. At Fortuna Bay, the hike toward Stromness follows the final section of the mountain crossing, the ground Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean walked on in 1916 to raise the alarm.
Early morning landings in golden light. King penguin colonies in full courtship. Elephant seal bulls compete on the beaches before fur seal numbers peak later in the season.
Possible locations: Bird Island, Elsehul Bay, King Haakon Bay, St Andrews Bay, Fortuna Bay, Stromness, Salisbury Plain, Cooper Bay, Gold Harbour, Drygalski Fjord, Grytviken, Nordenskjold Glacier, Ocean Harbour.
Aureum turns south-west across the Southern Ocean, retracing the route of the James Caird in reverse. Lectures and workshops continue on board. Time on deck if the weather permits.
On day 11 or 12, we hope to reach Elephant Island — Point Wild specifically, where 22 men waited under two overturned lifeboats for four months while Shackleton sailed to South Georgia for help. We aim to land or conduct a Zodiac cruise, subject to conditions.
South into Antarctic waters. Over four days, Aureum works through narrow channels and hidden bays: the Antarctic Sound, Weddell Sea, Gerlache Strait and Deception Island.
Leopard seals on ice floes. Gentoo, Chinstrap, and Adelie penguins at the nest. The silence of glacial amphitheatres broken by calving ice. For many guests, the moment that defines the entire voyage is stepping ashore on the seventh continent.
November brings Antarctica’s early season, largely untrafficked, ice still present in the channels, the white of the peninsula not yet softened by summer. The continent as Shackleton would have known it.
Possible locations: Antarctic Sound, Paulet Island, Weddell Sea, Brown Bluff, Cierva Cove, Trinity Island, Gerlache Strait, Hughes Bay, Wilhelmina Bay, Deception Island.
Cape Horn ahead. The Drake Passage, two days of sailing among the albatrosses with the programme continuing as it has throughout: lectures, workshops, time on deck.
Aureum’s wing stabilisers hold their value here too. The Drake earns its reputation. The crossing is manageable; what happened here is not.
Disembarkation Day
Following breakfast, and once the vessel has been cleared by the local authorities, disembarkation typically begins from 09:00.
A complimentary transfer will take you to Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa, where a final overnight stay is included as part of your expedition. The remainder of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the hotel’s exceptional facilities, including the fitness centre, indoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor relaxation pools, outdoor hot tubs, and pool bar. Alternatively, immerse yourself in Patagonia by exploring the scenic walking trails of the Cerro Alarkén Nature Reserve.
After breakfast, a complimentary transfer to Ushuaia Airport is provided according to your flight schedule.
Your expedition comes to an end in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, concluding an extraordinary journey through South Georgia, Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. We hope to welcome you on another Secret Atlas expedition in the future.
Inclusions
Exclusions
All prices are subject to availability, quoted per person and expressed in USD
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Start: Oct 30, 2027
End: Nov 18, 2027
Departure: Port Stanley
Arrival: Ushuaia
Duration: 20 Days
Start: Oct 28, 2028
End: Nov 16, 2028
Departure: Port Stanley
Arrival: Ushuaia
Duration: 20 Days
