About a month ago, while browsing the internet for further travel plans, we had accidentally found a blog, where it was mentioned that cruise ships heading for Antartica in November and March sometimes sell their empty cabins for significantly less than the original price. We immediately subscribed to a newsletter in order to be informed about any upcoming deals. We got extremely lucky and could book a last-minute offer for an 11-day cruise with a 50% reduction through a travel agent in Ushuaia (Freestyle Adventure Travel). We were jumpy like small children and finally, on November 20, set sail aboard the luxurious MS Hebridean Sky. This is a small cruise ship with roughly 100 passengers and an incredible number of 76 staff (!). In contrast to the Arctic, Antarctica is a true continent and hence is also referred to as the seventh continent. Half of its size, though, is due to pack ice and land is only accessible during the Antarctic summer (usually October to March). Antarctica has not been actively explored until fairly recently in history, during 1895 to 1922, when the majority of Antarctic explorations were undertaken. Nonetheless, the continent was first sighted already by the Russians (Bellinghausen), the British (Bransfield) and Americans (Palmer) around 1820. Until today, Antarctica does not belong to any specific country, but is ruled by the Antarctic Treaty (funded in 1959) and meant for peaceful use and scientific purposes. Several scientific bases are strategically positioned along the Peninsula and towards the geographical South Pole. Tourism to Antarctica has increased rapidly over the last years; still, the high price tag keeps the number of tourists comparably low (around 40’000 people per season). In order to protect this unique habitat, the IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) was funded in 1991 and set rigid regulations for the private travel industry. For example, one should not approach a wild animal closer than 5 m (unless the animals approaches; animals don't know this rule...) or the number of people per landing on Antarctic ground is limited to 100 persons. Our cruise with Polar Latitudes headed for the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and stretched as far south as the Gerlach Street. To reach the South Shetland Islands - which is the most northern part of Antarctica - every ship has to pass the infamous Drake Passage, where the Antarctic circumpolar stream causes a very strong swell and ferocious winds are blowing. Luckily, we had bought medication against motion sickness, as even though the weather conditions were considered as average and the rough sea as moderate, the swell produced waves as high as 8 m. Below there are some pictures and two movies on how the ship was riding the waves. Our heroes were all the crew members who kept up a fantastic job and motivation even in these conditions, especially the waiters!
The Drake spook was over on the third day and the first iceberg was sighted in the early afternoon. We landed on Aitcho Island on our first expedition the very same evening. Since we were getting closer to the southern polar circle, the days were long and sunset was only after 11 pm. The following five days followed a similar pattern: due to fantastic weather (it felt like a sunny winter day in the Swiss Alps) we could undertake two expeditions in Zodiac speed boats per day; either landing and visiting penguin and elephant seal colonies or cruising along the glaciated shore or amongst icebergs. In between, we enjoyed gastronomic highlights - especially for dinner - and received information to Antarctic wildlife, geology and history from the expedition team. Overall we were (kept) quite busy every day and our plans to read, plan, write etc. we soon had to throw overboard :-)! However, it was a great contrast to the rest of travelling we had been doing and it felt very comfortable to follow a set program and indulge in all the luxury. Philipp's index finger remained utterly active during the entire journey, shooting pictures of Antarctica's unique wildlife and landscape. We saw three types of penguins (Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstraps), various species of seals (Leopard, Crabeater, Wedell and Elephant seals) and whales (Humpback, Minkie and even extremely rare Sperm Whales) and as a sensational sighting: one solitary emperor penguin! Normally, emperor penguins live further south on the Antarctic mainland, but right after hatching, the young swim the sea for 1-2 years before joining their colony. In general, the animals do not fear human beings (they do not know us) and thus are curious and approach everyone very closely. This, of course, led to funny and endearing situations and pictures. Aside the photographs, here are some short videos to give you an impression about what we could experience.
Although all animal encounters were always very exciting, we also were totally fascinated by the icy landscape, the volcanic rock formations and the steal-blue and extremely clean sea, all bathed in the one-of-a-kind Antarctic light. To summarize: This cruise was entirely worth every penny and we would recommend to everyone, who has the chance, to grab it and undertake this unforgettable journey!
1 Comment
Jodie
6/12/2016 02:09:27
What a fantastic trip. I can't believe what nice accommodations you had. Beautiful pictures!!
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