We spent 3 days in the Antarctic Penninsula, going to various islands and seeing chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins and fur seals, cruising around icebergs in the Lemaire Channel, visiting Port Lockroy, seeing an abandoned whaling station and taking a dip at Deception Island, where volcanic activity heats up the rocks which then heat up the water (only a few inches of water, but what the heck).
It took 1-1/2 days to get from the Antarctic Penninsula to the South Orkney Islands, where we made one stop on a glacier to see more penguins and seals. Then 2-1/2 days to South Georgia Island, where we stopped at Grytviken (an old whaling station with a nice museum) and made various stops to view the king penguins and nesting albatross.
There were 3 days that really stood out as highlights (each with perfect weather):
- Feb. 26, Lemaire Channel. Dozens of whales, seals, and stunning icebergs
- Mar. 4, St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia. Thousands of colorful & curious king penguins
- Mar. 6, Albatross Island, South Georgia. Dozens of nesting albatross & gorgeous vistas
After leaving South Georgia we encountered strong winds and large swells, so it took a full 6 days to get to Ushuaia (at the tip of Argentina) and back to land again. We spent a few hours sightseeing in Ushuaia before flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina. We enjoyed sightseeing in Buenos Aires 1 day before flying to Chicago and then onto San Francisco. We returned home March 14th.
It's hard to describe a trip like this; nothing can quite convey it's majestic and inspiring qualities. Following are some favorite photos to give just a taste of what we saw.
Tour contact information: We arranged our tour through Expeditions, who booked through Quark Expeditions.
