Thursday 28^th March – Ushuaia

• In mid-afternoon we meet up at the port in Ushuaia to board the Hondius for our South Atlantic voyage. For those on the Antarctica tour you can stretch your legs on firm ground throughout the day, for those just joining the South Atlantic trip we will have a pre-tour meeting the evening before the trip in Ushuaia
• Depart from ‘the end of the world’ at Tierra del Fuego and sail the Beagle Channel
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 29^th March – The Beagle Channel

• On the route to South Georgia we sail through the Beagle Channel and get our first hint of what it’s like to be out at sea in the far south Antarctic
• Lunch on the ship
• Watch out over the seas for fin whales
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 30^th March – the Antarctic Convergence

• We will pass through the Antarctic Convergence, the border into Antarctica proper.
• Lunch on the ship
• Look out for the local maritime birdlife, including wandering albatrosses, grey-headed albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, light-mantled sooty albatrosses, cape pigeons, southern fulmars, Wilson’s storm petrels, blue petrels and Antarctic petrels.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Sunday 31^st March – en route to South Georgia

• Today we will be sailing further through the South Atlantic seas looking out for wildlife and taking in the scenery

• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Monday 1^st April – South Georgia

• For the next few days we will be in South Georgia, part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. These islands were first discovered in the late 17^th century, but James Cook was the first to land, survey and map the area, as well as claiming it for the British Empire
• Today we will be visiting the nesting sites of king penguins, which are nesting at this time of year

• Lunch on the ship
• Visit Salisbury Plain, St Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour, with a chance to see elephant seals and fur seals as well as the penguins
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Tuesday 2^nd April – South Georgia

• We will visit Prion Island, a great site for spotting the iconic wandering albatross
• Lunch on the ship
• Today we will explore Grytviken and see the abandoned whaling station. South Georgia’s main purpose through the centuries was as a whaling base
• Here we will also see the South Georgia Museum and Shackleton’s grave. Sir Ernest Shackleton was the pre-eminent Antarctic explorer in the early 20^th century

• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Wednesday 3^rd April – South Georgia

• Today we will visit Cooper Bay where we will go for a Zodiac cruise and see the ample birdlife in the region, including nesting macaroni penguins along with king penguins, pintails and giant petrels
• Lunch on the ship
• In the afternoon we will stop by Moltke Harbour with its giant king penguin colony

• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Thursday 4^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be sailing into the far remote South Atlantic, taking in the isolation, the ocean views and spotting sea life. Here we are in one of the most remote parts of the world
• Lunch on the ship
• Talks from our onboard expert naturalists and expedition leaders
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 5^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be sailing into the far remote South Atlantic, taking in the isolation, the ocean views and spotting sea life. Here we are in one of the most remote parts of the world
• Lunch on the ship
• Talks from our onboard expert naturalists and expedition leaders
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 6^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be sailing into the far remote South Atlantic, taking in the isolation, the ocean views and spotting sea life. Here we are in one of the most remote parts of the world
• Lunch on the ship
• Talks from our onboard expert naturalists and expedition leaders
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Sunday 7^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be sailing into the far remote South Atlantic, taking in the isolation, the ocean views and spotting sea life. Here we are in one of the most remote parts of the world
• Lunch on the ship
• Talks from our onboard expert naturalists and expedition leaders
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Monday 8^th April – Gough Island

• After a few days without the sight of land, today we will approach Gough Island, hoping to circumnavigate the 33-mile circumference. Gough Island is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, some 1500 miles from South Georgia. This island is a UNESCO heritage site with a static population of 6 people, and one of the most important seabird colonies in the world.
• Lunch on the ship
• Zodiac cruise in Quest Bay spotting northern rockhopper penguins and fur seals.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Tuesday 9^th April – Tristan da Cunha

• Today we will reach Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. The main island has a population of 250 people, who carry British Overseas Territory citizenship
• The island is named after the Portuguese explorer who first set sight on it, Tristao da Cunha, who named it after himself. The island has a fascinating history of settlement and being claimed by various empires or even individual people (Such as Islandia or Bir Tawil). They were incorporated into the British Empire in 1816, partly to prevent any attempt to free the imprisoned Napoleon Bonaparte and partly to prevent its use by the USA, which Britain went to war with in 1812. Shackleton also stopped here in 1922
• Lunch on the ship
• Visit the small settlement on the west of the main island, if weather permits, or Seal Bay on the south, or Sandy Point on the east
• Spot rockhopper penguins, albatrosses, skuas, terns as well as fur seals.
• NOTE: we have two days reserved for time on Tristan da Cunha, but over the years of operating trips here, adverse weather has led to the cancellation of 35% of landings here. If it is impossible to land we will find good alternatives.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Wednesday 10^th April – Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale Island

• Depending on how the weather is and how much we have done in Tristan da Cunha, we will also be looking to visit the uninhabited Nightingale Island with its stunning bird colonies
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Thursday 11^th April – Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible Island

• Depending on how the weather is and how much we have done in Tristan da Cunha, we will also be looking to visit Inaccessible Island with its stunning bird colonies. The name says it all really, it is only possible to land on this island a few days of the year, but we will be getting great views of it from the ship
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 12^th April – Tristan da Cunha

• Today will be reserved to make sure we’ve had as much chance as possible to see Tristan da Cunha and its outlying islands of Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 13^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be making our way north towards St Helena. Now we are heading further from the Antarctic waters of the South Atlantic and towards subtropical waters. We may see seabirds and even dolphins tailing the ship.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Sunday 14^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be making our way north towards St Helena. Now we are heading further from the Antarctic waters of the South Atlantic and towards subtropical waters. We may see seabirds and even dolphins tailing the ship.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Monday 15^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be making our way north towards St Helena. Now we are heading further from the Antarctic waters of the South Atlantic and towards subtropical waters. We may see seabirds and even dolphins tailing the ship.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Tuesday 16^th April – South Atlantic

• These days we will be making our way north towards St Helena. Now we are heading further from the Antarctic waters of the South Atlantic and towards subtropical waters. We may see seabirds and even dolphins tailing the ship.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Wednesday 17^th April – Saint Helena

• At last we should sight land, with Saint Helena coming into view. This island is also a part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The island was discovered by the Portuguese (again) over 500 years ago, but it was mainly an uninhabited stopover point on the journey from Europe to Asia around the southern tip of Africa, until the Suez Canal put paid to that.
• Lunch on the ship
• After so many days at sea, we will find the population of St Helena of over 4000 people like a novel metropolis! We will embark into Jamestown like seafarers of old, ready for the sights and smells of dry land.
• St Helena is mainly famous for being the final site of exile and imprisonment of Napoleon Bonaparte. After defeat by the British at Waterloo in 1815, he was exiled to the island until his death in 1821. We will visit Longwood House, where he died.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Thursday 18^th April – Saint Helena

• Today we have a whole day to explore Saint Helena and will head to climb the 699-step Jacob’s ladder up to Ladder Hill Fort after visiting the Museum of Saint Helena.
• Lunch in Jamestown
• Explore the grounds of the governor’s house, home to free-ranging tortoises, one of which is named Jonathan and is supposedly 190 years old.
• We can also organise snorkelling in the sea, home to many tropical and sub-tropical fish.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 19^th April – Saint Helena

• In the morning we will have some more time to relax in Saint Helena before we set sail again
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 20^th April – Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• Today we will be sailing along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a huge underwater mountain range that goes along the bottom of the Atlantic. As usual we’ll be lying back spotting birdlife and looking out for whales as we make our way north
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Sunday 21^st April – Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• Today we will be sailing along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a huge underwater mountain range that goes along the bottom of the Atlantic. As usual we’ll be lying back spotting birdlife and looking out for whales as we make our way north
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Monday 22^nd April – Ascension Island

• Today we will reach Ascension Island, the last part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha for us to visit. The island has a permanent population of about 800 people.
• Lunch on the ship
• If weather permits we will hike up the main summit on the island for breathtaking views and photographs.
• We may head to the beach and get to see green turtles busy laying eggs
• See the colony of over a million sooty terns, also known as wideawakes.
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Tuesday 23^rd April – Ascension Island

• Time to relax on Ascension Island in the morning before we head off once more on our journey over the equator
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Wednesday 24^th April – Mid-Atlantic Seas

• For the last few days of our voyage we will be crossing the equator, far from our Antarctic starting point.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Thursday 25^th April – Mid-Atlantic Seas

• For the last few days of our voyage we will be crossing the equator, far from our Antarctic starting point.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Friday 26^th April – Mid-Atlantic Seas

• For the last few days of our voyage we will be crossing the equator, far from our Antarctic starting point.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Saturday 27^th April – Mid-Atlantic Seas

• For the last few days of our voyage we will be crossing the equator, far from our Antarctic starting point.
• Lunch on the ship
• Dinner and overnight on the Hondius

Sunday 28^th April – Santiago Island, Cape Verde

• At last we will see land, the town of Praia on Santiago Island in Cape Verde, disembarking from our vessel at 18:00
• Cape Verde, or the Republic of Cabo Verde, is a country made up of a number of islands, and a former Portuguese colony.
• After disembarkation we will celebrate with a final dinner and drinks to end the tour
• End of tour. YPT can help organise accommodation and tours of Cape Verde for those of you in no rush to get back home!

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