Compact Antarctica

Your flight lands mid-morning, and once you have cleared customs and collected your luggage one of our team on the ground will meet you for a one-hour private transfer to your hotel in the heart of vineyards. Once you have settled in, we recommend getting out in the fresh air and wandering around the grounds of your hotel, which will also help ward off jet lag. This evening enjoy some excellent Chilean cuisine and fine wines at the hotel.

After an early breakfast this morning, you will make your way to the estate's stables. Here, you will meet your expert guides, a huaso (Chilean cowboy) and, most importantly, your mount for the morning's ride. You will ride through the vines and the surround valley to an elevated lookout point, spotting native flora and fauna along the way.

Early this morning you will be privately transferred to the airport for your three-and-a-half-hour flight to Punta Arenas, the start point of your Antarctic adventure. Once you arrive, you will be privately transferred to your hotel for the night before a briefing where the expedition team will fill you in the voyage and the essential guidelines for visitors to the white desert. This evening you will enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers.

This morning, you will make your way to your special expedition plane for the two-hour flight to King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. Breath deep as the first hit of Antarctic air fills your lungs, and soak it all in. From here, you will be taken to your expedition vessel by RIB dinghy to begin your cruise.

For the next four days your captain will expertly pilot your ship along ice-filled fjords and along the coast line of the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Every day, you will leave the expedition vessel and make landfall in the dinghies, always accompanied by your expert guides. While no journey to Antarctica is the same and excursions cannot be guaranteed, you will visit spots which show off the best of the Antarctic environment. These include enormous glaciers and ice shelves as well as penguin colonies and beaches covered with elephant seals. Every evening, you will enjoy lectures and presentations from the experts on board, as well as the spectacular views from the ship's lounge.

Today you will return to King George Island, where you will board the return flight to Punta Arenas. One of our team on the ground will privately transfer you to your hotel for the night, after which we recommend going for a walk before dinner and getting used to being back on dry land.

This morning you will be privately transferred to the airport in good time for your three-and-a-half-hour flight to Santiago. Bags collected, one of our team on the ground will meet you for a 25-minute transfer to your hotel. Once you have settled in and freshened up, we recommend getting out and exploring the Chilean capital. Our local Concierge is on hand to recommend their favourite places to eat and drink in this fun city.

Before your flight this afternoon, you will enjoy a tour of Santiago, taking in the city's highlights and most important historical sites. You will drop in on the Presidential Palace, and the Mercado Central, one of Chile's largest fresh seafood markets. You tour will also include visits to some of the lesser-known barrios (neighbourhoods), including Republica and Concha y Toro, where Chilean high society have their city homes. After lunch you will be privately transferred to the airport (your bags will already be in the car) in good time for your overnight flight to London.