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There are
penguins as far as the eye can see. It is an amazing site. We are in the South
Georgia Islands at St. Andrews Bay, home of the world’s largest King Penguin
colony, 150,000 breeding pairs! Landing here is only possible if conditions are
ideal. We were able to land, then had to hike awhile, and then ford a stream of
glacial melt-off with a very heavy current and water deeper than our boots are
high. Once on the other side we saw the penguins and even saw an all black King
Penguin, quite a rarity.
We were on board Plancius, the newest ship in the Oceanwide Expeditions fleet, on a 19- day journey to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. The first challenge I faced was getting to Ushuia, Argentina, the end-of-the-world southernmost city in the world. You reach there by flying through Buenos Aires and changing airports there from the international airport to the domestic airport. You'll want to arrive a day or two early to ensure you don't miss your ship due to travel delays. After traveling 24 hours from Tampa to Ushuaia I checked into the Hotel Los Cauquenes, a spa and resort on the outskirts of the city. The hotel was exquisite and the view from the picture window in my room was spectacular. The restaurant is casual yet gourmet. There is a complimentary shuttle bus to the city or you can take a taxi for about $6.
One of the main attractions in Ushuaia is the Maritime Museum which is housed in an old prison. There are exhibits about the prison, maritime history, and there are a couple of fine arts exhibits as well. There are also a large number of shops and restaurants in town as well as two casinos. I boarded the Plancius at 4:00 pm for a 6:00 pm departure. We had a safety drill and then a dinner of seafood pasta. The following day was a day at sea on our way to our first destination -- Carcass Island in the Falklands. The waters were pretty rough but everyone made it through ok, although a few passengers were seasick. Time on board was filled with lectures about climate change that was occurring, about Falkland Islands geography and wildlife, and about the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands. We arrived at Carcass Island early and after breakfast loaded the zodiacs and headed for shore and an inter-tidal pool where a myriad of seabirds were present. Carcass Island is inhabited by three generations of one family who are the sole inhabitants of the island. Passengers are offered a 2-hour hike along the shoreline or attending a high tea at the home of the residents. I chose the hot tea and a large table heaped with home-baked cakes and sweets.
The planned stop for the afternoon was Saunders Island. But a last minute change due to high winds on Saunders Island took us to Westpoint Island instead. The seas were rough when we arrived and we were told the zodiac ride was not dangerous, just required a lot of patience getting in and out and it would be a very wet ride. We managed to fill one boat after about 10 minutes of waiting for the waves to be just at the right point for each passenger to board. I decided that I was not comfortable about getting in after watching the first boat load. Just as I removed myself from the line the expedition leader announced that we could not proceed with the loadings and that our shore excursion for the afternoon was called off due to bad weather. It just proves that we sometimes can and should rely on our instincts. The following day we arrived in Stanley, the capitol of the Falkland Islands with a population of just over 2000 people, about 85% of the population of the Falklands. The Falklands is a protectorate of Great Britain, and English is the official language and pounds are the official currency, although Euros and US dollars are accepted.
We boarded mini-buses for a short ride to Gypsy Cove where there is a long sweeping beach with a trail up into the bluffs above the beach. In addition to many sea birds, there was a colony of Magellanic penguins, approximately 200 breeding pairs. After returning to town we walked the main street looking at the shops and various monuments including a memorial to the Falklands Islands war of 1982. There is a museum at the end of town. Internet access is offered at several places. An optional tour was offered which was by 4-wheel drive to view Rockhopper penguins which we missed by having yesterday’s excursion canceled. The tour lasted for 4 hours and cost approximately US$75. We sailed in the afternoon, starting our 2-1/2 day crossing to South Georgia. The seas seemed pretty rough to me, but I was informed that they were relatively mild compared with the norm. As we sailed we heard a lecture on the seabirds of Antarctica as well as research methods being used by one of the staff in an Albatross colony in Tierra del Fuego. The next day the ride was relatively stable but you still had to hold on to the railings. This morning we were briefed on proper treatment of the ecosystem of Antarctica and South Georgia. Leave nothing and bring back only memories and photographs. South Georgia is very strict about it, and we are required to have all of our outerwear and backpacks vacuum cleaned by the expedition staff. The following day we continued our crossing with lectures on Ernest Shackleton, the famous Antarctic explorer, and on ocean currents and on penguins. Throughout the days at sea we continued to spot wildlife. Birds circled the ship. A school of Hour Glass dolphins followed in the bow waves, and a couple of Right whales were seen. In the early evening we spotted our first icebergs.
It was now day 7 and we were anxious to arrive at South Georgia and get off the ship. We got up early and had an early breakfast, ready for our landing at Right Whale Bay with its Fur seals and King penguins. But it was announced that plans for our landing would have to be aborted due to rough sea conditions making it unsafe to load and unload the zodiacs. Once again we are foiled by Mother Nature.
In the afternoon we finally got off the boat. Conditions were relatively calm and we landed on a rocky beach littered with hundreds of Fur seal pups, and up a shallow creek bed was a group of King penguins. There were steep hills all around us with some snow at the peaks. We walked over a promontory to an adjacent beach where we heard there were Elephant seals. Five fat females were on the beach piled lazily one on top of the other. You dare not get too close as they can outrun a human even though topping the scales at 2 tons. The immature Fur seals move fast too. They love to charge at you mouths agape, barking, but quickly pull up their attack when they see you are standing your ground. We were in Rosita Harbor, a place that our ship had never been to before and it will probably become a regular stopping point.
The next day we were awakened at 4:30 to go to Salisbury Plain, a 3-mile stretch of beach that is home to the second largest King penguin rookery in South Georgia with 60,000 breeding pairs. The beach is also home to Elephant seals and Fur seals. We had to be very conscience of our hygiene as we move between landing sites as there is a virus affecting the King penguins. After each stop we disinfected our boots and backpacks and any outerwear that had touched land. After breakfast we went to Prion Island which we missed yesterday. It is the only place where we will be able to see nesting Albatross. We climbed up a long boardwalk and at the summit were treated to seeing a juvenile Albatross sitting in its nest and an adult Albatross coming and going.
Our next stop was Godthul (Good Hole) and our first day of sunshine and no wind so it was quite pleasant out. We could choose to stay on the beach which is littered with whale bones or take an arduous rocky hike in the hills or take a climb through the grass tussocks to see a Gentoo penguin colony at the top. Most passengers opted for the uphill climb which was billed as medium intensity, but I must be out of shape because for me it was hard work and I had to stop several times on the way up. At the top of the bluff there were not only penguins but also a large herd of caribou. Two Skuas (predatory birds) were attacking the nursery and the penguins all grouped together tightly to ward them off, screeching at them while trying to protect their chicks. Day 10, Valentines Day. We had a 5:00 am wake-up call for a pre-breakfast departure to Gold Harbour where we were greeted by a cacophony of sounds. Fur seals barking, Elephant seals bellowing, and penguins screeching. It is almost too much to take in at once. The seal pups were wrestling and enormous Elephant seals were fighting. A male Elephant seal can reach up to 4 tons in weight. Gold Harbour is the third largest King penguin colony in South Georgia with 25,000 pairs, and once again there are penguins as far as the eye can see.
After breakfast we were scheduled to see Macaroni penguins, our only chance on this trip. As luck would have it we were unable to land as winds were up to 40-45 knots. We were told plan “B” was to cruise up a fjord to see a glacier, but conditions were to rough even for that so we left for our journey to the South Orkney Islands. The good news is it saved me from having to climb up another tussock covered muddy hill. My thighs are aching from yesterdays climb. Another day at sea and we had lectures on Scott and Amundson, early explorers of Antarctica, and one on the history of whaling. We had plans to visit a scientific research station in the South Orkneys, but once again we were foiled by high winds. As we continued southward to the Antarctic Peninsula we began to spot large icebergs.
We had a very international group of passengers that included the USA, Israel, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, England, Australia, Holland, and Netherlands. We had almost a full ship, 89 passengers aboard with a capacity of 110. The majority of passengers were traveling solo so it was easy to make new friends. Seating is open so you can get to know many different people. There is an open bridge policy. The next day our attempts to land were foiled by pack ice. Instead it was a day of lectures and films, one on the different types of ice and one on seals and other Antarctic wildlife. The natives were starting to get restless and there was talk of mutiny if we can't get off the ship and on to land (just kidding). Day 14 and our morning plans for landing were once again thwarted by pack ice, so we watched a couple of documentary films including the story of Ernest Shackelton’s journey. In the afternoon we were able to get off at Barrientos Island, part of the Aitcho archipelago. There are Gentoo and Chinstrap penguin colonies here, although not nearly as many as we have seen previously. Once again we witnessed the ongoing struggles between penguins and Skuas. Most of the group took a 1-1/2 hour hike through the hills that included some steep portions. Day15. We awakened at 7:00 am and the sun was shining and the water was flat calm. We made our first landing on the Antarctic continent at Neko Harbor in Andvord Bay and found a colony of Gentoo penguins. We were near the edge of an active glacier and were warned to be very alert for calving and to walk quickly to 100 feet of the water’s edge in the event of a large calving.
Upon return to the ship we were alerted to a whale sighting near the ship. I grabbed my camera and headed out on deck. Humpbacks were surfacing right next to the ship. They continued to surface and go around the ship, playing around for almost 45 minutes. After lunch we boarded the zodiacs for a tour around Skontorp Cove, Paradise Bay. It was a 2-1/2 hour zodiac tour around the stunning glaciers all around us. We got up close to Leopard, Crabeater, and Weddell seals all lounging on floating ice. We then made a brief landing at an old Argentine scientific base Almirante Brown. There was a colony of Gentoos and a steep walk up a hill to an incredible view. Feb. 20. Day 16. The sun has decided to shine another day for us. Our first stop this morning was Whalers Bay, Deception Island. It is part of a volcanic caldera. The beach and surrounding land are all covered with volcanic ash. The last volcano eruption was 40 years ago. There are remnants of a deserted whaling station. Whaling was stopped in 1930 when the price of whale oil dropped. After that it was used as a scientific outpost until the 1960’s. A landslide caused by volcanic activity wiped out the outpost. In the afternoon we arrived at Hannah Point, Livingston Island, said to be a microcosm of Antarctica with many species of animals being represented. There is a large colony of Elephant seals, Fur seals, and Weddell seals, and also Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins and nesting Giant Petrels. We had another long trek up a hillside to the beach on the other side. The sun has gone and there is a breeze and it feels cold. It was our last landing before starting the voyage back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia. Either at the beginning or the end of this trip you will probably find yourself staying over in Buenos Aires. Take time to enjoy it. It is a spectacular city with lots to do and see. I stayed in a small boutique hotel called the BoBo Hotel. It has only 7 rooms each with its own theme. They are currently building a new addition next door so they will be up to 15 rooms. The dining room is well known for its gourmet fare. If you have a little time you can take a 3-hour city tour conducted by Eternautas and in the evening take in a Tango show. I had dinner and a show at El Viejo Almacen.
Oceanwide Expeditions operates cruises in the Arctic North in the summer and in Antarctic in the winter..
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