Atlantic Isles Discovery: From the Falklands to Madeira

Fly overnight to Buenos Aires and check into the Alvear Icon Hotel. Discover the city’s beaux arts architecture, the bohemian neighborhoods of La Boca and San Telmo, and the balcony immortalized by Argentina’s iconic first lady, Eva Perón. Lunch and dinner are included on Day 2.   

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Take a scenic charter flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Enjoy lunch on a catamaran cruise in the dramatic Beagle Channel, gliding past beech forests, jagged mountain peaks, and rushing rivers. Later, board the National Geographic Explorer. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

As we set a course for the Falkland Islands, settle into life aboard the ship. Enjoy discussions with our naturalists about the wonders that await; and spend time on deck, scanning the horizon for petrels, penguins, and albatrosses.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Some 300 miles off the coast of Argentina lie the remote Falkland Islands, where green tussock grass waves across endless hills and pristine white-sand beaches stretch as far as the eye can see. Spend two days exploring the archipelago’s diverse landscapes, and encounter the iconic wildlife of the South Atlantic, including the world’s largest colonies of albatrosses, elephant and fur seals, and thousands of gentoo, rockhopper, and Magellanic penguins.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

During two days at sea, we traverse 750 nautical miles en route to South Georgia. Enjoy leisure time and attend expert-led talks about the history of Antarctic exploration, including Sir Ernest Shackleton’s harrowing voyage aboard Endurance, a shipwreck that was recently discovered, as well as the flora, fauna, and geology of South Georgia. Join our naturalists on deck to identify the seabirds that follow us, such as prions and black-browed albatrosses.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Spend three spectacular days exploring the island ofSouth Georgia. In keeping with the nature of an expedition, our schedule remains flexible, and we anticipate myriad opportunities for walking, hiking, kayaking, and Zodiac excursions. Encounter elephant seals, leopard seals, and fur seals; cliffs inhabited by hundreds of nesting albatrosses; and shores peppered with tens of thousands of king penguins. We may visit the abandoned whaling station at Grytviken and sites that played a part in the extraordinary story of Shackleton’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition. We will see the explorer’s final resting place and Stromness Bay, where Shackleton, Tom Crean, and Frank Worsley finally reached help after a year and a half stranded in Antarctica.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Choose from an array of shipboard activities, such as a photo workshop with our National Geographic photography expert, a massage, or a friendly Geo Bee competition. As we approach the remote islands of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, spot active volcanic cones from the ship’s deck.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we take a Zodiac excursion along Inaccessible Island to look for arctic terns and the endemic Inaccessible Island rail, the world’s smallest flightless bird. Later, step foot on the planet’s most remote inhabited island, home to some 250 hardy souls. Islanders will share details of their culture and unique history and discuss the farming and lobster fishing that sustains them. Hike with our Naturalists in search of northern rockhopper penguins, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses, and other wildlife.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy the rhythms of shipboard life as we sail across the Tropic of Capricorn. Soak up the views from one of the infinity-style hot tubs or saunas; enjoy a stretching session in the glass-walled yoga studio; and attend engaging presentations on a range of subjects, from 15th-century Portuguese and Spanish navigators to how to organize and share your photographs.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Explore this volcanic tropical isle where Napoléon Bonaparte lived out his final years in exile. Visit the notorious French emperor’s residence, Longwood House, and learn about the memoirs he dictated here.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After time at sea, make landfall on the pristine beaches of Ascension Island, which are vital breeding grounds for endangered green sea turtles that lay their eggs on these shores at night. Don a mask and go snorkeling in crystalline waters or stretch out on a deserted beach.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

As we sail north across the Atlantic Equatorial Countercurrent, celebrate our equator crossing. Breathe the fresh sea air on deck and take in the beautiful views with a glass of Champagne in hand. If conditions permit, we may launch Zodiacs mid-ocean to cross the equator.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arrive in the isolated Cape Verde Islands — a former Portuguese colony that was well positioned for international maritime trade with Africa, Europe, Brazil, and the Caribbean. On a walk through the World Heritage-designated Cidade Velha, or old city, see the 16th-century fortress and learn about the islands’ long history of slavery and role in the Atlantic slave trade. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Continue to the scenic isle of Fogo, which means “fire” in Portuguese. The island was named for the massive, five-mile-wide volcanic cone that dominates its landscape. Head up to the rim of the ancient volcano and descend 5,000 feet into a world of stark lava flows. Surprisingly, there is a community living inside the caldera—producing wine—and we are invited for a tasting.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the ship’s Bridge as we sail northward across the Tropic of Cancer. Soak up the serenity of these last days at sea before exploring the archipelagos of Spain and Portugal.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drop anchor in the azure waters of the Canary Islands, which occupied a central place in the history of Atlantic exploration. Begin on the larger island of La Palma, known as La Isla Bonita, or “The Pretty Island.” Lushly forested mountains with fantastic sea views are juxtaposed against lava landscapes created by the volcanic activity that gave birth to the Atlantic Ridge. On the island of La Gomera, visit a house where Christopher Columbus stayed while his ships were provisioned and opt for a hike in the densely forested Garajonay National Park.  

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, our ship arrives in enchanting Madeira, a subtropical island abloom in flora. First settled by the Portuguese in 1419, the island’s capital city of Funchal is a time capsule with architecture from the 15th through the 19th centuries. Explore the winding streets of this vibrant town on a guided tour. Following breakfast, disembark and fly to Lisbon to connect with homebound flights.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner