Grand Voyage: Pole To Pole - V513A

Fort Lauderdale is a city on the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in the state of Florida. As well as being a major yachting centre, it has a large and intricate canal system that results in its also being known as the ‘Venice of America’. Read more about Fort Lauderdale, USA

Santo Domingo, the most bustling and diverse city in the Caribbean, is the capital of the Dominican Republic, and the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Wander down the cobblestone streets to check out the many examples of 15th and 16th century architecture in the Colonial Zone. These include: the Cathedral that was the first church built in the Americas, the Ozama Fort, and the Italian Renaissance style palace Alcazar de Colon, which were all built during the lifetime of Christopher Columbus. Read more about Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Santa Marta in Colombia is more than the average tropical paradise. It certainly has warm Caribbean surf and white sandy beaches, but it's also much loved for the stunning Sierra Nevada mountain range that towers above it. Being the oldest city in the country also has its advantages. Read more about Santa Marta, Colombia

Puerto Limon - aka Limon - is the capital of Limón Province in Costa Rica. It is the country's main Caribbean port, and most of its citizens are of African descent. Originally from Jamaica, these workers were brought to the area in the late 19th century to build the railroad line from San José to Limón. Read more about Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Fuerte Amador (Fort Amador, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, is part of an artificial peninsula jutting out into the Pacific from Balboa, which connects four small islands to the mainland. On the west side of Fuerte Amador is the Pacific entrance to the Canal, and on the east side is Panama Bay facing Panama City. The surrounding ocean is always filled with vessels patiently awaiting their turn to transverse the Canal, while on the skyline a few kilometres to the north are the skyscrapers of Panama City. Read more about Fuerte Amador, Panama

Fuerte Amador (Fort Amador, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, is part of an artificial peninsula jutting out into the Pacific from Balboa, which connects four small islands to the mainland. On the west side of Fuerte Amador is the Pacific entrance to the Canal, and on the east side is Panama Bay facing Panama City. The surrounding ocean is always filled with vessels patiently awaiting their turn to transverse the Canal, while on the skyline a few kilometres to the north are the skyscrapers of Panama City. Read more about Fuerte Amador, Panama

Manta is a major commercial and holiday resort centre and the second major port of Ecuador. It is possibly best known for the Playa (beach) Murciélago area of the Malecón, where not only is the seafood excellent, but also on offer is great music, beach aerobics, parties, and general night life ambience. Gathering momentum among tourists is the fact that this is the home of seeds of particular palms that are almost indistinguishable from ivory after they have been dried. Read more about Manta, Ecuador

Trujillo is located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Trujillo, on the Caribbean side of Honduras. The old Spanish fort, with its canons as well as the history of this colonial town, sits on the. An almost volcano-like mountain looms behind the city, making for a magnificent physical setting. Read more about Trujillo, Honduras

Lima, although a sprawling desert city, is the capital and largest city of Peru. The Historic centre of Lima is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era. In particular, visit the Plaza Mayor with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. Read more about Lima (Callao), Peru

Lima, although a sprawling desert city, is the capital and largest city of Peru. The Historic centre of Lima is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era. In particular, visit the Plaza Mayor with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. Read more about Lima (Callao), Peru

Pisco lies on the Pacific coast of Peru, 200 km south of the capital Lima. The small city is a gateway to the ruins of Machu Picchu, 500 km due east high in the Andes. Pisco is served by the port of San Martin which is 35 km out of town on the Paracas Peninsula. Read more about Pisco (San Martin), Peru

The seaside resort city of Arica in the north of Chile lies just 18 km south of the border with Peru. Known as the City of Eternal Spring - as it is sunny virtually every day of the year - it is located on the coast of the driest desert in the world. It has a great beach where visitors can enjoy the sun and take a swim. Read more about Arica, Chile

Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about 1,130 km north of Santiago. The last decade has seen a steady growth in the areas of construction, retail, hotel accommodations, population growth, and remarkable skyline development, mainly due to becoming a major mining centre. However, with its 20 km of beachfront and mild, dry climate it has also developed as a year-round beach resort. Read more about Antofagasta, Chile

San Antonio, Chile, is a Pacific port 63 km south of the port of Valparaiso. San Antonio is the largest freight handling port on the western coast of South America. The city lies on hills and coastal dunes north of the mouth of the Maipo River. Read more about San Antonio, Chile

Robinson Crusoe Island, with its ragged and mountainous topography, is the second largest of three islands in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, situated 670 km off the coast of mainland Chile. It is a place that recalls stories of castaways, pirates and prisoners. It is an isolated volcanic mass rising out of the cold currents of the South Pacific Ocean. Read more about Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

Puerto Montt is a fast growing city in the south of Chile, just north of Chiloe Island. At the southern end of the Pan American highway in Chile, Puerto Montt is not only the end of the road, but the beginning of the fabled land of fjords, canals, islands, and the snow-capped mountains of the Andes. Fertile agricultural fields and green forested hills also add to the enchantment of Southern Chile. Read more about Puerto Montt, Chile

Castro, situated on the east coast of Chiloe Island, sits on a bluff above its sheltered estuary and is the capital of the Chiloe Archipelago, in Chile. Castro is famous for its brightly painted traditional wooden stilt houses, so the greatest single attraction is simply walking down the streets and around the central Plaza de Armas. With its well-kept park that is surrounded by many shops and restaurants, it presents a great opportunity to absorb the local culture. Read more about Castro, Chile

Chacabuco - aka Puerto Chacabuco - is a Chilean town located at the head of Aisén Fjord in Aisén commune. Ships anchor in the bay of Chacabuco and passengers are tendered to shore. This is a small isolated settlement with no clearly defined town centre, consisting of one main road, a fish processing facility, and a pier. Read more about Chacabuco, Chile

Strikingly rich in natural and historical attractions, the narrow fjords on the west coast of Chile penetrate deeply into the mountains of the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park, a major part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This is the largest of the protected areas in Chile, and with no large rivers in the area the fjords drain water from outlet glaciers of the ice-capped, storm-swept elevations. It is a large area of uninhabited islands, deep sounds, breathtaking glaciers, and narrow passages. Read more about Chilean Fjords, Chile

Amalia Glacier, situated in the central section of the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields, enters into Amalia Bay in southern Chile. It is the largest of several glaciers entering the fjord. This enormous glacier, one kilometre wide and forty metres high, sits towering above the sea and is continually calving. Read more about Amalia Glacier, Chile

The Strait of Magellan, positioned along the southern edges of Chile, is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. Indeed until the Panama Canal was finished in 1914, the Strait of Magellan was the only safe way to complete a circumnavigation of the world. Protected by the Tierra del Fuego to the south and the bulk of South America to the north, ships crossed in relative ease. Read more about Strait Of Magellan, Chile

Punta Arenas, overlooking the Strait of Magellan in southern Patagonia, Chile, bustles with windswept trekkers en route to glacier-filled Torres del Paine National Park or an Antarctic cruise. Before leaving, be sure to take note of the mansion-lined main square, Plaza Muñoz Gamero where local vendors sell homemade crafts, the City Cemetery with its elaborate tombs, the Sara Braun Palace, and Braun Menendez Residence that presents great insight of the city's wealthy pioneer past. The city is also home to the former British Navy base and early Spanish colony of Puerto Hambre, and a popular ski centre that overlooks the Strait of Magellan. Read more about Punta Arenas, Chile

The Beagle Channel, named after Charles Darwin’s exploration ship, runs for 240km from Isla Nueva in the east, to the Darwin Sound in the west. At its widest point, the Channel measures 5km across. The strait separates Argentina’s Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, to the north, from remote Chilean islands like Nueva, Picton and Navarino to the south of the channel. Read more about Beagle Channel, Chile

Punta Arenas, overlooking the Strait of Magellan in southern Patagonia, Chile, bustles with windswept trekkers en route to glacier-filled Torres del Paine National Park or an Antarctic cruise. Before leaving, be sure to take note of the mansion-lined main square, Plaza Muñoz Gamero where local vendors sell homemade crafts, the City Cemetery with its elaborate tombs, the Sara Braun Palace, and Braun Menendez Residence that presents great insight of the city's wealthy pioneer past. The city is also home to the former British Navy base and early Spanish colony of Puerto Hambre, and a popular ski centre that overlooks the Strait of Magellan. Read more about Punta Arenas, Chile

Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, is located on the Beagle Channel, where soaring mountains, ice-blue glaciers, and an historic lighthouse create an ideal backdrop. The capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, it was first settled by British missionaries. During the first half of the 20th C the major building of the city was a prison, built by the Argentinian government for repeat offenders and serious criminals, as the subpolar oceanic climate made escape difficult. Read more about Ushuaia, Argentina

Cape Horn, the most southerly of the great capes is located on Isla Hornos in the Hermite Islands group at the southern end of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of South America. It marks the northern edge of the Drake Passage that separates South America and Antarctica. For many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried trade around the world. Read more about Cape Horn, Chile

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, the top one third (650km) actually lying north of the Antarctic Circle. It includes numerous islands and connecting ice sheets that reach to within 1000 km of the southernmost tips of Chile and Argentina. The northern part of the peninsula in known as Graham Land, the southern half Palmer Land. Read more about Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, the top one third (650km) actually lying north of the Antarctic Circle. It includes numerous islands and connecting ice sheets that reach to within 1000 km of the southernmost tips of Chile and Argentina. The northern part of the peninsula in known as Graham Land, the southern half Palmer Land. Read more about Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, the top one third (650km) actually lying north of the Antarctic Circle. It includes numerous islands and connecting ice sheets that reach to within 1000 km of the southernmost tips of Chile and Argentina. The northern part of the peninsula in known as Graham Land, the southern half Palmer Land. Read more about Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica, the top one third (650km) actually lying north of the Antarctic Circle. It includes numerous islands and connecting ice sheets that reach to within 1000 km of the southernmost tips of Chile and Argentina. The northern part of the peninsula in known as Graham Land, the southern half Palmer Land. Read more about Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Port Stanley is the capital and only town in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope, south of Stanley Harbour, in one of the wettest parts of the islands. It is very easy to see most of the islands’ worthwhile sites on a short walking tour. Read more about Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut, one of the most sheltered places on the Patagonian coast of Argentina. The town, founded in 1865 by 150 Welsh immigrants, has become an important tourist centre. This coastal city has warm summers and moderate winters all year round. Read more about Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Montevideo is the largest city, capital, and chief port of Uruguay. Situated on the River Plate (Silver River), it is also home to almost half of the nation's population, and subsequently is a modern metropolis, though with a fascinating historical old town dating back to colonial times. Described as a vibrant, eclectic place with a rich cultural life, it is the hub of commerce. Read more about Montevideo, Uruguay

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Rio de la Plata, on the SE coast of South America. The birthplace of the tango, the city is as bustling with energy as the dance itself. Stroll neighbourhoods with romantic restaurants, past its architecture and parks. Read more about Buenos Aires, Argentina