Your adventure starts in Valparaíso, also called ‘Valpo’ for short by the locals. This was once a major seaport for ships crossing between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, that golden age of commerce came to a halt. But if you take a stroll along the port before embarking on MS Fram, you will definitely get a feel for its old greatness.  

Thankfully, the city has much more going for it. A diverse arts scene, thriving foodie culture, vintage funiculars and hill-top neighbourhoods covered in colourful houses means it has enviable comparisons with San Francisco. Alegre district seems to encapsulate each one of those elements. Hop between the cafés and restaurants here and enjoy views over the city and nearby sea. Make sure you also visit the UNESCO-listed Historic Quarter where you can admire beautiful buildings and street art.  

If you would like more time to explore this Chilean port city, we recommend coming a few days early. How about also adding an optional 4-day pre-programme to Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world? 

Castro is the capital of Chiloé Island, set among windswept hills and green vegetation. Most visitors immediately make a beeline to the wharf at Gamboa district to see brightly painted wooden houses, called ‘palafitos’, mounted on stilts along the Fiordo de Castro. But this little big city has more to offer. If you head down to the central town square, you can visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site Iglesia San Francisco, an old wooden Neo-Gothic church that dates back to the founding of the city in 1567. If you fancy something more modern, the Museum of Modern Art of Chiloé is also worth a visit. And should you get hungry on your way through town, there are many great restaurants here, making Castro a surprisingly culinary destination.  

The mini-village of Puerto Edén sits on a bay, on the edge of a peninsula, in the middle of a fjord in Bernardo O´Higgins National Park. The comparisons to the Garden of Eden apply more to the park than to the hamlet itself, but, needless to say, this place is hard to get to. While the surrounds are certainly a paradise off the beaten path, there are actually no roads that lead here and Puerto Edén is only accessible by sea. 

However, the isolation suits the dozen indigenous Kawéskar people who gave up their canoe-faring nomadic lifestyle to settle here a generation ago. And because of the unusually humid climate and high rainfall, there are no roads around the hamlet either. To move around and visit the small arts and crafts shops, you must use the pedestrian boardwalks that connect the houses and buildings of the 250 people living here.  

This is the final frozen frontier; an unspoilt, vast, white desert teeming with life at the bottom of the world. Majestic mountains rise up from the icy sea, coated in thick snow. Glaciers creep across the landscape, cracking and calving icebergs along the coast. The scenery is almost silent, save for the shrill of lovesick penguins, splashes from courting seals, and the sound of crumbling ice. The 46 species of birds living here, like terns, petrels and jaegers may also take up a lot of your attention.  

During the seven days we spend around the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, we will likely go ashore at several places, allowing you to experience the region’s wildlife and landscapes first-hand. The Expedition Team will lead on landings where they will create a perimeter for you to move around freely at your own speed. They will also direct ice-cruising in our small expedition boats to tour icebergs and glaciers from a safe distance. Added to that, there are sometimes optional activities like kayaking, camping and snowshoeing which you may be lucky enough to join in on. You can also take part in a varied choice of Citizen Science projects like photographing whales and collecting water samples. Uploading your photos to a global database helps scientists around the world to study migration patterns and microbiology. You will get an even better understanding of the fragile ecosystem of Antarctica when we study the samples in the Science Center.  

As outlined in the Antarctic Treaty, Antarctica is dedicated to peace, science and tourism. That’s why we adhere to very strict environmental guidelines in this area. We are the foreign element here, so it is important to make as little impact as possible. The wildlife is used to the ice and cold weather, but not human interference. We want to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures! In fact, in many of the areas we visit, we even wipe out our footprints to prevent penguins falling into them and getting stuck. Being Antarctic ambassadors, we want future explorers to have the same experience you have when it is their turn to be amazed by this pristine continent. 

When we arrive in Punta Arenas in the morning, your cruise has come to an end. We transfer you to the airport, where you will fly to the capital, Santiago de Chile. If you are in no rush to head back home, we wholeheartedly recommend extending your trip to enjoy the many delights of the Chilean capital. We also recommend extending your vacation with a post-programme to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Easter Island, where you can, among other things, try to make sense of the mysterious statues of giant heads. 

Even as you’ll have to say farewell to the ship, the Captain, crew and the Expedition Team, you don’t have to say goodbye to adventure. When one chapter closes, another opens and there are more expedition cruises and destinations to explore.  

More than the photos you’ll take home with you, we hope that what you’ll cherish the most are the magical moments you experienced on this expedition; moments not behind the camera lens, but just as vivid in your mind and heart. May Antarctica continue to inspire you long after your adventure here.