This morning after breakfast at your hotel, you’ll enjoy a private half-day tour of Santiago. During the course of the day, you’ll visit the city’s historic center where you’ll find the Plaza de Armas, the main cathedral, and the Presidential Palace. You will also have the chance to view the city from the top of Cerro San Cristobal.

Today you’ll visit two of central Chile’s most popular coastal cities: Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. Valparaiso is a vibrant, ramshackle collection of hillside houses overlooking the bay. Here you’ll visit the summer house and now museum of Pablo Neruda, one of Chile’s most prolific poets. You’ll then continue on to sophisticated Viña del Mar, a popular beach getaway for the Santiago elite.

Today you’ll be transferred to Santiago airport for your flight to Chile’s southernmost city, Punta Arenas. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your Punta Arenas hotel where you’ll receive a briefing in preparation for your once-in-a-lifetime Antarctica adventure.

In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for your two-hour flight from Punta Arenas to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. Here, you can enjoy the clear Antarctic air and take some time to explore the area surrounding Chile’s Frei Station and Russia’s Bellingshausen Station before taking a Zodiac boat to board your expedition vessel.

Your cruise will carry you past ice-filled fjords and spectacular icebergs to the western coast of the Antarctic peninsula in the company of sea birds, penguins, seals and whales.

No journey is the same, as flexibility is the key to success in Antarctica, but you will disembark by Zodiac every day to explore the polar landscape with expert guides. While aboard the ship, you’ll enjoy engaging lectures and incredible vistas from the glass-enclosed lounge. While the exact itinerary may vary, you’re likely to visit sites such as Paulet Island, Hope Bay, Port Lockroy, Petermann Island, Paradise Bay, Deception Island, the Lemaire Channel, and many other magnificent destinations. Wildlife highlights will include four species of penguin, a handful of different whale species (not to mention orcas aka killer whales), six of the world’s 17 seal species and a plethora of seabirds including the mythical albatross.

Today you’ll return to King George Island and board your flight back to Punta Arenas, where you will be transferred to your hotel for the evening.

In the morning you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Santiago where you’ll connect to your international departure.