Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has announced Falklands 360°, a new itinerary that will be the line's first-ever circumnavigation of the Falklands. The voyage will also visit Argentina’s Isla de los Estados, or Staten Island, the newest nature preserve in the Southern Hemisphere.
Set aboard the 102-guest National Geographic Orion, the 13-day expedition will offer two departures on October 19 and 28, 2016. Often the day-by-day itinerary will change to take advantage of rare wildlife sightings or to allow photographers to take pictures ashore during golden hour.
Travelers will also get a chance to hike Carcass Island, home to rockhopper penguins, and explore New Island, a former stop for sealers and whalers in the 1800s that is now home to bull elephant seals and other wildlife. The trip will also stop at Steeple Jason, one of the most difficult landings in the Falklands and a good place to spot black-browed albatross, as well as the capital of Stanley and the outer settlements, where guests will have a chance to meet the islanders.
In 2015, Lindblad was the first travel company permitted to call at Isla de los Estados in years, a wild island largely untouched by humans in decades. On Falklands 360°, depending on the wind and weather, guests may have a chance to walk in the island’s wild beech forest and see the 1884 San Juan de Salvamento “lighthouse at the end of the world,” the inspiration for Jules Verne’s novel. Conditions permitting, travelers might also be able to explore a rarely seen archeological site where native people lived 1,500 years ago.
Both departures include National Geographic photographers and Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo experts. The October 19th departure is also a designated Photo Expedition.
Rates begin at $10,850 per person based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin.
Visit www.expeditions.com