Antarctica Questions, Advice Sought on Sample Itinerary
Nov 27th, 2009 | 04:57 PM
#1
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Antarctica Questions, Advice Sought on Sample Itinerary
If one were to go to the Antarctic, what do you think of this itinerary to maximize wildlife viewing? What are the pros and cons here? South Georgia is a must for me.
<navy>Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia
Days 1 & 2: Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, the most southerly town in the world, lies at the bottom of the Andes. Take in the sights of this lovely town at your leisure before boarding our ship, specially designed for polar and oceanographic research.
Days 3 - 5: Falkland Islands
Sail northeast to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). This windswept archipelago is a study in stone, sand and peat, with rugged cliffs battered by the ocean. Its isolated shores are home to marine mammals and prodigious birdlife. We may see flightless steamer ducks, nesting black-browed albatross, blue-eyed shags and several penguin species, including Magellanic, gentoo and rockhopper. Dolphins often ride our bow waves. Though the Falklands, a British colony off the coast of Argentina, are still disputed territory, culturally they are British through and through. English and Scottish immigrants arrived in the 19th century, bringing sheep in the late 1800’s, and wool is still produced. After tea at a local farm, wander around the photogenic capital of Stanley, with its tin-roofed houses, rose gardens, pubs and other emblems of the Falklands’ colonial heritage.
Days 6 - 11: South Georgia
Our shipboard historian shares riveting stories of exploration in the South Atlantic, including the saga of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s shipwreck and heroic trek across South Georgia to secure the rescue of his crew. The magnitude of this feat will only be grasped when we catch our first glimpse of South Georgia, with its spine of harsh mountain peaks rising precipitously from the sea. Over half of South Georgia is glaciated. J. Gunnar Anderson, who encountered the island in 1902, described it as “mighty fells with snowy crowns and sharp, uncovered teeth, around the valleys through which enormous, broad rivers of ice came flowing to the sea.” Yet the land, for all its ruggedness, is rich in animal life. By Zodiac, we visit desolate beaches and glacier-carved fjords, while curious fur seals approach our boats. Millions of king penguins live here, in colonies stretching to the horizon. South Georgia’s waters are home to blue, sperm, fin, sei and southern right whales, though they were nearly wiped out in the 20th century, when whaling was still a commercial industry. At the former whaling outpost of Grytviken, abandoned processing factories lie derelict, and elephant seals have taken over the grounds. We pay our respects at the grave of Shackleton, who died here in 1922.
Days 12 - 17: South Shetlands / Antarctic Peninsula
We will sail by Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. In the rare case that weather conditions allow, we’ll go ashore. The crew of Shackleton’s Endurance took refuge here while he and five men sailed nearly 800 miles across the South Atlantic in one of the most heroic and improbable journeys ever recorded. Frosty blue icebergs indicate our approach to the Antarctic Peninsula, a grand and otherworldly kingdom of ice, rock, sea and sky. Almost constant daylight provides ample opportunity to explore this frozen white frontier, with the guidance of our seasoned expedition team. We find a rich assortment of marine life, including Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, and minke, humpback and killer whales. On shore landings we walk among noisy colonies of penguins, while skyward, we find kelp gulls, cape petrels, snowy sheathbills and Antarctic terns. As we sail through narrow Lemaire Channel, a magnificent parade of icebergs bobs past.
Days 18 - 20: Drake Passage
On our return voyage across Drake Passage, wandering albatross, cape petrels, whales and dolphins often escort us. Dock in Ushuaia in time for breakfast before transferring to the airport for flights home.</navy>
This is the link to the above:
http://www.nathab.com/destinations/i...full_itinerary
Natural Habitat is offering this trip. I've used them before and know they do a great job, but I'm open to any reliable company.
It looks very similar to what Chris in Atlanta did, through Quark, I believe.
http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...d-pictures.cfm
Chris in Atlanta and I trade destinations but never cross paths.
Suggestions on dates, ships, tactics to minimize the single supplement are welcome. I’d gladly share or go in a triple. I'd do a quad or quint if it existed. I hesitate to volunteer for a "sex" and beyond that I think accommodations are considered dormitory, which would be acceptable as well. I just want to remain dry, safe, and have excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Nothing fancy needed. Basic is fine.
For those of you who are aware of some of my other upcoming travels, don’t turn green with envy at another gigantic trip. This is merely investigation for hopefully someday (as are some of the other upcoming travels I've posted recently.) Unless an 80% discount materializes.
Thank you.
<navy>Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia
Days 1 & 2: Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, the most southerly town in the world, lies at the bottom of the Andes. Take in the sights of this lovely town at your leisure before boarding our ship, specially designed for polar and oceanographic research.
Days 3 - 5: Falkland Islands
Sail northeast to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). This windswept archipelago is a study in stone, sand and peat, with rugged cliffs battered by the ocean. Its isolated shores are home to marine mammals and prodigious birdlife. We may see flightless steamer ducks, nesting black-browed albatross, blue-eyed shags and several penguin species, including Magellanic, gentoo and rockhopper. Dolphins often ride our bow waves. Though the Falklands, a British colony off the coast of Argentina, are still disputed territory, culturally they are British through and through. English and Scottish immigrants arrived in the 19th century, bringing sheep in the late 1800’s, and wool is still produced. After tea at a local farm, wander around the photogenic capital of Stanley, with its tin-roofed houses, rose gardens, pubs and other emblems of the Falklands’ colonial heritage.
Days 6 - 11: South Georgia
Our shipboard historian shares riveting stories of exploration in the South Atlantic, including the saga of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s shipwreck and heroic trek across South Georgia to secure the rescue of his crew. The magnitude of this feat will only be grasped when we catch our first glimpse of South Georgia, with its spine of harsh mountain peaks rising precipitously from the sea. Over half of South Georgia is glaciated. J. Gunnar Anderson, who encountered the island in 1902, described it as “mighty fells with snowy crowns and sharp, uncovered teeth, around the valleys through which enormous, broad rivers of ice came flowing to the sea.” Yet the land, for all its ruggedness, is rich in animal life. By Zodiac, we visit desolate beaches and glacier-carved fjords, while curious fur seals approach our boats. Millions of king penguins live here, in colonies stretching to the horizon. South Georgia’s waters are home to blue, sperm, fin, sei and southern right whales, though they were nearly wiped out in the 20th century, when whaling was still a commercial industry. At the former whaling outpost of Grytviken, abandoned processing factories lie derelict, and elephant seals have taken over the grounds. We pay our respects at the grave of Shackleton, who died here in 1922.
Days 12 - 17: South Shetlands / Antarctic Peninsula
We will sail by Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. In the rare case that weather conditions allow, we’ll go ashore. The crew of Shackleton’s Endurance took refuge here while he and five men sailed nearly 800 miles across the South Atlantic in one of the most heroic and improbable journeys ever recorded. Frosty blue icebergs indicate our approach to the Antarctic Peninsula, a grand and otherworldly kingdom of ice, rock, sea and sky. Almost constant daylight provides ample opportunity to explore this frozen white frontier, with the guidance of our seasoned expedition team. We find a rich assortment of marine life, including Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, and minke, humpback and killer whales. On shore landings we walk among noisy colonies of penguins, while skyward, we find kelp gulls, cape petrels, snowy sheathbills and Antarctic terns. As we sail through narrow Lemaire Channel, a magnificent parade of icebergs bobs past.
Days 18 - 20: Drake Passage
On our return voyage across Drake Passage, wandering albatross, cape petrels, whales and dolphins often escort us. Dock in Ushuaia in time for breakfast before transferring to the airport for flights home.</navy>
This is the link to the above:
http://www.nathab.com/destinations/i...full_itinerary
Natural Habitat is offering this trip. I've used them before and know they do a great job, but I'm open to any reliable company.
It looks very similar to what Chris in Atlanta did, through Quark, I believe.
http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...d-pictures.cfm
Chris in Atlanta and I trade destinations but never cross paths.
Suggestions on dates, ships, tactics to minimize the single supplement are welcome. I’d gladly share or go in a triple. I'd do a quad or quint if it existed. I hesitate to volunteer for a "sex" and beyond that I think accommodations are considered dormitory, which would be acceptable as well. I just want to remain dry, safe, and have excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Nothing fancy needed. Basic is fine.
For those of you who are aware of some of my other upcoming travels, don’t turn green with envy at another gigantic trip. This is merely investigation for hopefully someday (as are some of the other upcoming travels I've posted recently.) Unless an 80% discount materializes.
Thank you.
Nov 28th, 2009 | 01:19 AM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
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Hi Lynn
This looks like a similar itinerary to what we did too.
We travelled with Peregrine back in 2004, on the Akademik Ioffe and then, by 2008, when we travelled on her almost identical sister ship, the Sergei Vavilov, it was through Quark. (Both are now owned by same mammoth parent company, as is the UK travel operator I once worked for many years ago).
Itinerary wise: although they won't guarantee specific landing sites anywhere, I'd ask which islands they're planning to visit in Falklands (Carcass and West Point are both common and we enjoyed visiting and photographing black browed albatross and rockhopper colonies in particular, as well as those afternoon teas!). In South Georgia it's also weather dependent but favourites include Salisbury Plain, St Andrews, Gold Harbour for wildlife, amongst others and Grytviken for the whaling history and Shackleton's grave. Weather makes landings difficult to predict so it really does depend. It's worth maximising days here as much as possible.
Down in the Peninsula and islands, you'll have many more large ice bergs, some are so incredibly beautiful. There are both landings, weather dependent of course, and zodiac bay cruises. And you'll see different species of penguins. I liked being able to visit a few research bases, we tended to go to Argentinian ones, to see what life there is like.
Main point: Absolutely do not choose a ship that takes more than 100 pax as this is maximum allowed to land at any time, which means taking turns and less time ashore/ less different landings overall.
We liked Peregrine/Quark as they choose great crew and experts, though not as good in 2008 as 2004 in that a number of the experts had only been on one or two trips themselves and/ or were signed on for just a few trips in total. In 2004 we had genuine experts, those doing the research, those who had been down there years and years and years in a row...
This looks like a similar itinerary to what we did too.
We travelled with Peregrine back in 2004, on the Akademik Ioffe and then, by 2008, when we travelled on her almost identical sister ship, the Sergei Vavilov, it was through Quark. (Both are now owned by same mammoth parent company, as is the UK travel operator I once worked for many years ago).
Itinerary wise: although they won't guarantee specific landing sites anywhere, I'd ask which islands they're planning to visit in Falklands (Carcass and West Point are both common and we enjoyed visiting and photographing black browed albatross and rockhopper colonies in particular, as well as those afternoon teas!). In South Georgia it's also weather dependent but favourites include Salisbury Plain, St Andrews, Gold Harbour for wildlife, amongst others and Grytviken for the whaling history and Shackleton's grave. Weather makes landings difficult to predict so it really does depend. It's worth maximising days here as much as possible.
Down in the Peninsula and islands, you'll have many more large ice bergs, some are so incredibly beautiful. There are both landings, weather dependent of course, and zodiac bay cruises. And you'll see different species of penguins. I liked being able to visit a few research bases, we tended to go to Argentinian ones, to see what life there is like.
Main point: Absolutely do not choose a ship that takes more than 100 pax as this is maximum allowed to land at any time, which means taking turns and less time ashore/ less different landings overall.
We liked Peregrine/Quark as they choose great crew and experts, though not as good in 2008 as 2004 in that a number of the experts had only been on one or two trips themselves and/ or were signed on for just a few trips in total. In 2004 we had genuine experts, those doing the research, those who had been down there years and years and years in a row...
Nov 28th, 2009 | 05:54 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
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Hi Lynne - not exactly on point for your question but I bookmarked this really detailed trip report as Antarctica is on our list too (we are likes ships passing in the night) - in fact we were going to do it this year until Africa called!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/antar...ch-2006-a.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/antar...ch-2006-a.html
Nov 29th, 2009 | 02:30 PM
#5
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 371
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Lynn, we agree with everything Kavey said!
In Jan 2003 we booked a similar itinerary through Galapagos Travel on the Grigoriy Mikheev (max 46 passengers). Then Oct 2009 we traveled to Snow Hill Island for the Emperor penguins with Quark on the Kapitan Khlebnikov (max 112 passengers, but we had 70). We loved both expeditions and ships, but thought Quark was better organized. I think the company that operated the Mikheev at that time is now out of business.
Timing: I read somewhere that early Dec might not have many penguin chicks yet. We went in Jan and had chicks galore. Also, the later you go in their summer the more slushy and penguin-poo-dirty the snow/ice gets making for dicey hiking and less than pristine photo ops.
Ships: Sorry, can't help too much. The Mikheev is no longer touring Antarctica and the KK doesn't do that itinerary. But I do have a bias towards Russian ships and crews.
Single supplement: I think the single supplement is often waived if you are willing to be paired up with another traveler. Check this out with the companies you're interested in.
Companies: I think companies like Natural Habitat Adventures reserve blocks of cabins from companies that own/operate the ships. So unless they offer other unique services, you can always book directly with the company that owns/operates the ship. I'm pretty sure they all charge the same prices for the same expeditions, e.g., no middleman markup.
If we were to do it again (and I'd love to if money were no object) we'd seriously consider the Cheeseman's itinerary. Because they lease the entire ship (max 94 passengers), they can pretty much call the shots, within the guidelines. Their itinerary is longer and they spend alot of time on shore. Their website does a good job of spelling everything out:
http://www.cheesemans.com/antarctica.html#benefits
http://www.cheesemans.com/antarctica_sg_dec09.html
If you have the chance, don't hesitate to go. I think you would love Antarctica, SGI and the Falklands...the wildlife and scenery are simply amazing.
Marsha
In Jan 2003 we booked a similar itinerary through Galapagos Travel on the Grigoriy Mikheev (max 46 passengers). Then Oct 2009 we traveled to Snow Hill Island for the Emperor penguins with Quark on the Kapitan Khlebnikov (max 112 passengers, but we had 70). We loved both expeditions and ships, but thought Quark was better organized. I think the company that operated the Mikheev at that time is now out of business.
Timing: I read somewhere that early Dec might not have many penguin chicks yet. We went in Jan and had chicks galore. Also, the later you go in their summer the more slushy and penguin-poo-dirty the snow/ice gets making for dicey hiking and less than pristine photo ops.
Ships: Sorry, can't help too much. The Mikheev is no longer touring Antarctica and the KK doesn't do that itinerary. But I do have a bias towards Russian ships and crews.
Single supplement: I think the single supplement is often waived if you are willing to be paired up with another traveler. Check this out with the companies you're interested in.
Companies: I think companies like Natural Habitat Adventures reserve blocks of cabins from companies that own/operate the ships. So unless they offer other unique services, you can always book directly with the company that owns/operates the ship. I'm pretty sure they all charge the same prices for the same expeditions, e.g., no middleman markup.
If we were to do it again (and I'd love to if money were no object) we'd seriously consider the Cheeseman's itinerary. Because they lease the entire ship (max 94 passengers), they can pretty much call the shots, within the guidelines. Their itinerary is longer and they spend alot of time on shore. Their website does a good job of spelling everything out:
http://www.cheesemans.com/antarctica.html#benefits
http://www.cheesemans.com/antarctica_sg_dec09.html
If you have the chance, don't hesitate to go. I think you would love Antarctica, SGI and the Falklands...the wildlife and scenery are simply amazing.
Marsha
Nov 29th, 2009 | 04:40 PM
#6
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Ovenbird, thanks for the comments. Did you do a "regular" Galapagos Trip with Galapagos Travel? Sorry if we've discussed this before. That's who I used for the Galapagos.
So you went back again too. I thought Kavey was the only 2-timing Anartica Traveler.
So you went back again too. I thought Kavey was the only 2-timing Anartica Traveler.
Nov 29th, 2009 | 04:45 PM
#7
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Continuing,
I figured places like Nat Hab buy a # of spaces on boats.
I checked out Cheeseman's briefly. I often take a look at their trips and am always impressed that that they never shortchange an itinerary. They stay there a long time like I would. In this case, that may be their downfall. I try not to be gone more than about three weeks (maybe tacking on a day or so) from my husband.
What a helpful link to others who have no time limitations.
I figured places like Nat Hab buy a # of spaces on boats.
I checked out Cheeseman's briefly. I often take a look at their trips and am always impressed that that they never shortchange an itinerary. They stay there a long time like I would. In this case, that may be their downfall. I try not to be gone more than about three weeks (maybe tacking on a day or so) from my husband.
What a helpful link to others who have no time limitations.
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Dec 1st, 2009 | 12:07 PM
#10
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 371
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OMG, we were on the San Jacinto in Sep/Oct 1999 with Barry Boyce! Such a beautiful boat...did you know it went aground a year later? Yup, it's a very very small world!
Re: Antarctica from the Pantanal thread, hopefully the following will help to clear up the confusion!
We've done 2 expeditions to Antarctica.
The first one in 2003 included Antarctica, SGI, Falklands with the itinerary similar to the one you're looking at. This expedition was amazing for it's diversity and sheer numbers of animals and birds, and of course the stunning scenery. However, the chances of seeing Emperors is very slim. Ones that do get sighted are usually young (not in adult plumage) who are stranded on ice floes. This is the itinerary I'd recommend for a first trip, especially if it will be your only trip there.
Our second expedition to Antarctica was to see the Emperors. It was focused on Emperors and was pretty limited in scope ( http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/anta...uins/itinerary ) We went to Snow Hill Island where the colony is, and then cruised the Antarctic Sound making a few stops along the way back to Ushuaia. This was a 14 day trip and actually more expensive than the SGI itinerary. I suspect this was due to the need for an ice breaker equiped with helicopters. Unfortunately 2010 is the last year the KK will be making this trip and I don't know if Quark's other icebreaker will take over this route. But you would still have a chance to see Emperors if you wanted to see Antarctica from the other side of the pond (NZ).
The stars were aligned on our Emperor trip and made for optimal conditions. We had good weather, not much sea ice to traverse from the KK to the colony (a 5 minute helo ride), and got to spend 4 full days at the colony. It was more than enough time to forget about taking more photos of Emperors and to just sit and watch them for hours. That was the magic I was refering to. But we were very lucky as the previous year's first outing was greated with terrible weather and a helo ride of 30 minutes to the colony. We heard those folks had a TOTAL of 4 hrs at the colony.
So, there you have our 2 trips in a nut shell. Let me know if I can help with any other questions. FYI, we also did a trip to the Australian/NZ subantarctic islands...another fabulous expedition. I'm such a tease!
Marsha
Re: Antarctica from the Pantanal thread, hopefully the following will help to clear up the confusion!
We've done 2 expeditions to Antarctica.
The first one in 2003 included Antarctica, SGI, Falklands with the itinerary similar to the one you're looking at. This expedition was amazing for it's diversity and sheer numbers of animals and birds, and of course the stunning scenery. However, the chances of seeing Emperors is very slim. Ones that do get sighted are usually young (not in adult plumage) who are stranded on ice floes. This is the itinerary I'd recommend for a first trip, especially if it will be your only trip there.
Our second expedition to Antarctica was to see the Emperors. It was focused on Emperors and was pretty limited in scope ( http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/anta...uins/itinerary ) We went to Snow Hill Island where the colony is, and then cruised the Antarctic Sound making a few stops along the way back to Ushuaia. This was a 14 day trip and actually more expensive than the SGI itinerary. I suspect this was due to the need for an ice breaker equiped with helicopters. Unfortunately 2010 is the last year the KK will be making this trip and I don't know if Quark's other icebreaker will take over this route. But you would still have a chance to see Emperors if you wanted to see Antarctica from the other side of the pond (NZ).
The stars were aligned on our Emperor trip and made for optimal conditions. We had good weather, not much sea ice to traverse from the KK to the colony (a 5 minute helo ride), and got to spend 4 full days at the colony. It was more than enough time to forget about taking more photos of Emperors and to just sit and watch them for hours. That was the magic I was refering to. But we were very lucky as the previous year's first outing was greated with terrible weather and a helo ride of 30 minutes to the colony. We heard those folks had a TOTAL of 4 hrs at the colony.
So, there you have our 2 trips in a nut shell. Let me know if I can help with any other questions. FYI, we also did a trip to the Australian/NZ subantarctic islands...another fabulous expedition. I'm such a tease!
Marsha
Dec 1st, 2009 | 03:51 PM
#11
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A tease and a hard sell, Ovenbird. Thanks.
Not only did I know the San Jacinta ran aground, when I returned with Galapagos Travel in 2001, we found some debris on the shore and saw the name San Jacinta on it. What a strange coincidence!
Not only did I know the San Jacinta ran aground, when I returned with Galapagos Travel in 2001, we found some debris on the shore and saw the name San Jacinta on it. What a strange coincidence!
