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The Route to Distant Islands: The Falklands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha on a Voyage from Patagonia to Cape Town
In 2009, during the southern hemisphere's late summer months, Corinthian II will ply a route utterly unknown to cruise ships of our era: from Cape to Cape, continent to continent, the most southerly point in South America to the most southerly point in Africa.
Occasionally, racing yachts try elements of this course, which was partially explored by James Cook in the 1770s. This voyage encompasses the sub-Antarctic islands of the Falklands, South Georgia and the most remote inhabited island on Earth, the fishing settlement of Tristan da Cunha. A night in Buenos Aires will be travelers’ last experience of the urban world for 20 days, until disembarkation in Cape Town. Rugged, rocky, windswept islands, crowned by tussock grasses and ice-capped peaks, are the congregation points for thousands of penguins, albatross, shearwaters and prions, making them a bird-watcher’s paradise, while whales surface from the deep all along our route.
Itinerary
Day 1 • USA | BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Day 2 • BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Day 3 • BUENOS AIRES | USHUAIA | EMBARK
Day 4 • CAPE HORN
Day 5 • AT SEA
Day 6 • CARCASS & WESTPOINT ISLANDS, FALKLAND ISLANDS
Day 7 • STANLEY
Days 8 & 9 • AT SEA
Days 10 - 12 • SOUTH GEORGIA
Days 13 - 16 • AT SEA
Day 17 • TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Day 18 - 21 • AT SEA
Day 22 • CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Day 23 • CAPE TOWN | DISEMBARK | WINE COUNTRY | CAPE TOWN
Day 24 • USA
View Detailed ItinerarySimon Winchester, author, journalist, and broadcaster, has worked as a foreign correspondent for most of his career so far, although he graduated from Oxford in 1966 with a degree in geology and spent a year working as a geologist in the Ruwenzori Mountains in western Uganda, and on oil rigs in the North Sea, before joining his first newspaper in 1967.
His journalistic work, mainly for The Guardian and The Sunday Times, has based him in Belfast, Washington, DC, New Delhi, and New York, London, and Hong Kong, where he covered such stories as the Ulster crisis, the creation of Bangladesh, the fall of President Marcos, the Watergate affair, the Jonestown Massacre, and assassination of Egypt’s President Sadat, the recent death and cremation of Pol Pot and , in 1982 the Falklands War. During this conflict he was arrested and spent three months in prison in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, on spying charges. He has been a freelance writer since 1987.
He now works principally as an author, although he contributes to a number of American and British magazines and journals, including Harper’s, The Smithsonian, The National Geographic Magazine, The Spectator, Granta, The New York Times and The Atlantic Monthly. He was appointed Asia-Pacific Editor of Conde Nast Traveler at its inception in 1987, later becoming Editor-at-Large. His writings have won him several awards, including Britain’s Journalist of the Year.
Corinthian II
Our ships are known for their effortless elegance, bespoke service and atmosphere of charm and camaraderie.
SPACIOUS SUITES
The deluxe Corinthian II is an all-suite yacht accommodating up to 114 guests. Built in 1992 and refurbished and redecorated in 2005, it has 57 suites, each with:
• Sea view
• Queen-sized bed separable into two twin-sized beds
• Sitting area
• Satellite TV, DVD/CD player
• Telephone
• Mini-refrigerator
• Marble-appointed bathroom with fine toiletries
• 225 square feet or more
• Plush terry robes and slippers
• Fresh flowers and fruit basket
• 24-hour room service
The Penthouse Suites and Veranda Suites (400 and 300 square feet, respectively) feature private balconies accessed via sliding-glass doors, as well as white glove butler service.
FINE DINING
Corinthian II’s superb Continental cuisine is created by master chefs who select fresh local ingredients at many ports of call. Meals are served either in the stately restaurant or al fresco on the umbrella-studded sun deck. Fine regional wines are complimentary with lunch and dinner, and beginning in 2008 open bar service will be available throughout the day.
BESPOKE SMALL-SHIP AMENITIES
Returning from excursions, guests enjoy complimentary refreshments, afternoon tea and all-day coffee in The Club, a gracious space for relaxation, surrounded by panoramic windows. Before or after dinner, cocktails are served to live music performed by the ship’s pianist.
Other Corinthian II features include:
• Library with Internet access
• Lounge with audiovisual facilities
• Dining room
• Wraparound sun deck with Jacuzzi
• Exercise Room
• Beauty salon
• Medical facilities with available doctor
• Elevator serving all passenger decks
• Swimming platform
| Cabin Code | Cabin Description | Regular Rate | Special Savings Rate | Your Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | Deluxe suites on Magellan Deck with portholes and sitting area. 225 sq. ft. | $10,995 | $10,995 | $0 |
| D | Deluxe suites on Columbus Deck with window and sitting area. 225 sq. ft. | $11,995 | $11,995 | $0 |
| C | Deluxe suites on Magellan Deck with portholes and sitting area. 235 sq. ft. | $13,195 | $13,195 | $0 |
| B | Deluxe suites on Columbus Deck with window and sitting area. 235 sq. ft. | $14,295 | $14,295 | $0 |
| A | Deluxe suites on Marco Polo Deck with window and sitting area. 235 sq. ft. | $15,395 | $15,395 | $0 |
| AA | Deluxe suites on Marco Polo Deck with forward and side windows and sitting area. 285 sq. ft. | $16,395 | $16,395 | $0 |
| VS | Deluxe Veranda Suites on Erickson Deck with private balcony and sitting area. 300 sq. ft. | $17,995 | $17,995 | $0 |
| PHS | Deluxe Penthouse Suites on Explorer Deck with private balcony and sitting area. 400 sq. ft. | $18,995 | $18,995 | $0 |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: There is no single supplement for this program.
Corinthian II Deck Plan
• Free airfare from Miami to Buenos Aires and on to Ushuaia, returning from Cape Town to New York
• 1-night stay in Buenos Aires at the hotel Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires,
with breakfast
• 20-night cruise aboard the all-suite, 114-guest Corinthian II
• Welcome cocktail reception in Buenos Aires
• Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship, including house wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
• Open bar aboard ship throughout the cruise
• Complete program of tours and excursions
• Educational program of lectures by accompanying guest lecturers and naturalist staff
• Professional Travel Dynamics International tour staff
• Complete pre-departure materials
• Baggage handling and transfers abroad on the designated program departure and arrival dates
• Port and embarkation taxes
• Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers
February 28, 2008
USA
Fly from the U.S. to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
March 1, 2009
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Arrive in Buenos Aires. Transfer to the hotel Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires.Enjoy a cocktail reception in the evening.
March 2, 2009
BUENOS AIRES | USHUAIA | EMBARK
In the morning, fly to Ushuaia in Argentina’s Patagonia. Upon arrival, transfer to a local restaurant for lunch, and then take a tour of this southernmost city in the world, built between the Andes and the Beagle Channel. Board Corinthian II and sail through the scenic Beagle Channel.
March 3, 2009
CAPE HORN
Be on deck as the sun rises and the ship approaches Cape Horn. Weather permitting, we will go ashore to explore this legendary landmark.
March 4, 2009
AT SEA
Enjoy the ship’s facilities and attend lectures as we sail toward the Falkland Islands.
March 5, 2009
CARCASS & WESTPOINT ISLANDS, FALKLAND ISLANDS
Reach the Falklands in the morning. Located 350 miles east of South America,
these remote, isolated islands are the habitat of an extraordinary concentration of
wildlife. Over 219 species of birds have been recorded in the archipelago, including
such endemic species as the Falkland Steamerduck and the tussock bird. Visit
Carcass Island, where Magellanic Penguins nest in the tall tussock grass and oystercatchers,
geese and steamerducks are common along the shore. Then cross the channel to Westpoint Island for a walk across the moors to a busy rookery of elegant Black-browed Albatross and raucous Rockhopper Penguins.
March 6, 2009
STANLEY
Call at Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Tour this quaint town to see its colorful architecture, and visit the cathedral and the Brittania House Museum.
March 7 & 8, 2009
AT SEA
Cruise toward South Georgia.
March 9 - 11, 2009
SOUTH GEORGIA
Spend three days exploring the rugged icebound area in and around the island of
South Georgia. Once ravaged by the South Atlantic whaling industry, the waters of South Georgia are now strictly protected and harbor abundant numbers of elephant seals, fur seals and King Penguins. Visit the Bay of Isles, home to a massive rookery of King Penguins; Prion, a paradise for wandering albatross; and Grytviken, where renowned Antarctica explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried in the small cemetery beyond the abandoned haling station.
March 12 - 15
AT SEA
Cruise to remote Tristan da Cunha.
March 16, 2009
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Corinthian II anchors off the coast of Tristan da Cunha, considered to be the most remote inhabited island in the world. Located halfway between South America and South Africa, this small volcanic island boasts a population of 300, who sustain themselves by fishing and farming. In 1961, a volcanic eruption forced the evacuation of the entire island, but almost
all of the residents chose to return. The island is an ornithologist’s dream, with 14 different types of petrel found here, including the Great Shearwater, the prion and the storm petrel. Rockhopper Penguins and wandering albatross are also common. Visit the settlement of dinburgh, set on a rugged volcanic cone rising 6,760 feet above sea level. And be sure to purchase a few postage stamps, which are prized by philatelists and other collectors throughout the world.
March 17 - 20, 2009
AT SEA
Cruise toward South Africa.
March 21, 2009
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Arrive in South Africa’s Cape Town in the morning. Tour the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Overnight aboard ship docked in Cape Town.
March 22, 2009
CAPE TOWN | DISEMBARK | WINE COUNTRY | CAPE TOWN
Just a short ride from Cape Town, nestled in three bucolic valleys, are South Africa’s
celebrated wine lands. The rambling vineyards and whitewashed Cape Dutch farmhouses
found here make this one of the country’s prettiest regions. Most famous among the wine towns is Stellenbosch, with its historic buildings and oak-lined streets, which we will explore. Transfer to the airport for return flights to the U.S.
March 23, 2009
USA
Arrive in the U.S.