Antarctica, The Falklands & South Georgia

Photography on a different planet

Amazing scenes like these Gentoo Penguins emerging from the ice are quite literally daily events in Antarctica. It really is like being in another world! (Pete Morris)

 

Sunday 6th November – Tuesday 29th November 2011 (24 days)

Leaders: Pete Morris and Oceanwide Expeditions staff

Group Size Limit: 20 or more

 

Potential photographic highlights

• Amazing encounters with several photogenic species of penguins, including Rockhopper, King, Macaroni, Chinstrap, Adelie and Gentoo at their colonies.
• Close up encounters with breeding albatrosses, including Black-browed and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses.
  
• Fantastic Antarctic scenery, with unbelievable blue icebergs, glaciers, and snow-covered mountains rising from the sea.
  
• Un-rivalled opportunities to photograph flying seabirds including several species of albatross and Snow and Antarctic Petrels.
  
• Great encounters with marine mammals, including several species of cetaceans and several confiding species of seals and sea-lions

The great advantage of taking this particular cruise, if you are especially interested in seeing Antarctic wildlife in all its glory, is that the itinerary and day to day schedule are strongly wildlife-orientated, and the group will greatly benefit by having an experienced photographer guide. There will be more landings made and more time spent ashore in total than is the norm on those Antarctic cruises which cater for those less keen on maximizing time ashore and those less interested in seeing a great deal of the region’s remarkable wildlife. Furthermore, the period November to January is the best time for seeing Antarctic wildlife.

Antarctica is the last frontier on our ever-shrinking planet, a place that every traveller longs to explore but so few ever see. An uninhabited continent of more that twelve million square kilometres almost entirely encrusted with ice - an awesomely silent but starkly beautiful frozen world. Here some of the most magnificent scenery of all can be seen under the cleanest skies on earth. Towering volcanoes, stark mountain ranges, lowering headlands, icebergs like floating cathedrals - all are enhanced by the peculiar quality of the light, which lends an ethereal beauty to the savage grandeur of the landscapes. This is a land of superlatives, at one and the same time the coldest, highest, windiest, driest, most barren and least known area on earth. Some 90% of the world’s fresh water is locked up in Antarctica’s icecap, which if it were to melt would cause sea levels to rise over 60m, drowning much of the world’s arable land and hundreds of major cities. One of the strangest features of this lost continent is the fact that Antarctica is surrounded by the richest oceans of all, thronged with marine life ranging from tiny krill to elephant seals and whales, and supporting enormous numbers of seabirds. The tameness of Antarctica’s seabirds and sea mammals is legendary and this remarkable journey will not only provide numerous opportunities to photograph albatrosses, petrels, penguins and seals at sea but also see us wandering right amongst their breeding colonies, accepted without question by creatures that have learned no fear of man. Whale-watching is also feature of Antarctic cruises and we are likely to enjoy some spectacular views of these leviathans breaching and sounding right next to our ship.

We shall be sailing on the Professor Multanovskiy (capacity 50 passengers), a ship operated by the well-respected Oceanwide Expeditions. Ships of this class are Finnish-built vessels under Russian registry, they were built in the 1980s and early 1990s and commissioned by the Academy of Sciences in Moscow. They were originally intended for oceanographic research, but were subsequently adapted for expedition-style cruising following the financial cutbacks that later affected all formerly Soviet research programmes. These ships are, of course, not ‘cruise ships’ in the traditional manner and will appeal most to those for whom exploring wild places and enjoying wild nature, rather than enjoying luxurious surroundings and ‘black-tie’ dinners with the officers, is the prime attraction. Cabins are furnished with two berths and have some storage space and an outside view (most grades having en-suite bathroom facilities). Public facilities include restaurant, lounge/bar, lecture facilities, library, small shop and sauna. Food is plentiful, of good quality, waiter-served and prepared by European, North American or Australasian chefs. The ship carries a small complement of expedition staff cum guest lecturers who will give informal talks on the environment, wildlife and history of Antarctica and also guide shore excursions. Much of the sailing is done at night (or what passes for ‘night’ in summer in high latitudes), thus maximizing opportunities for going ashore and enjoying the harsh but beautiful Antarctic landscape to the full. For more detailed information about the vessel, please click here.

Landings are carried out by means of a fleet of Zodiacs, the rugged, fast-moving inflatables developed by Jacques Cousteau for expedition work which allow safe landings on remote coastlines in all types of conditions. The sheer speed and efficiency with which the crew carry out these landings, coupled with the small complement of passengers, allows everyone plenty of time ashore, a key factor when considering any Antarctic cruise.

Pete Morris is a competent and experienced photographer and tour guide and has travelled extensively in Antarctica.

 

Itinerary

Day 1 Evening flight from London bound for Buenos Aires.

Day 2 Morning arrival at Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Here we will change airports and then fly southwards to Trelew on the coast of Patagonia for an overnight stay. Later today we will explore Punta Tombo – a tiny peninsula compared to the Valdés to the north, but the site of the largest seabird colony on the Patagonian coast. This three kilometres long peninsula of red volcanic rock with sand dunes, rocky shores and sandy beaches supports up to a million breeding Magellanic Penguins along with small numbers of Rock and Imperial Shags, Brown Skuas, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, and South American Terns. Photographing the penguin colony at close range is quite an experience as thousand upon thousand of adults guard their burrow entrances, feed their young chicks, call noisily or march to and from the beach and the adjacent ocean (where thousand upon thousand more are loafing or feeding).

Day 3 This morning we will drive to Puerto Pirámides, a small seaside village on the Valdés Peninsula, where we will spend the night. The Valdés Peninsula is a rugged headland protruding 100 kilometres (60 miles) out into the Atlantic Ocean which affords a remote haven for an impressive array of marine and terrestrial wildlife. We will spend today exploring this dramatic region, famous for its large colonies of seabirds and mammals. The bays around the peninsula are important mating and calving areas for the Southern Right Whale and we will try to get close up views and photos byl joining one of the regular whale-watching boat trips, which often provide truly spectacular encounters with these leviathans. On shore there are large and impressive rookeries of South American Sealions and Southern Elephant Seals. Killer Whales (or Orcas) are regularly attracted by the presence of so many young pups and sometimes put on spectacular hunting displays. Other interesting photographic subjects may well include Lesser Rhea and a variety of terrestrial mammals such as Guanaco (a smaller cousin of the Llama) and Patagonian Mara (an enormous rodent that sits on its haunches, rather like a kangaroo).

Day 4 Today we will travel to nearby Puerto Madryn and, with increasing excitement, board our ship for the start of our great adventure. We will set sail in the late afternoon or early evening, bound for the ‘Great White Continent’.

Day 5 As we sail towards the Falklands we will be able to spend time on deck, photographing the numerous seabirds around us, which will undoubtedly include a number of albatrosses.

Days 6-7 The Falkland Islands lie some 500 kilometres off the South American mainland. Although the archipelago consists of over 300 islands, it is dominated by the two main islands of East and West Falkland. A tiny population of only a few thousand is concentrated around Port Stanley. These windswept islands enjoy a much milder climate than South Georgia and there is only a little snow during the winter months. During our stay we shall hope to make several landings. The first of these will be at some of the spectacular seabird colonies that have made the Falklands famous. Most of these are situated on remote islands which can only be reached by a vessel such as our own and thus are inaccessible to land-based visitors. On New Island or West Point Island off West Falkland we will visit the dramatic sea-cliffs and visit a Rockhopper Penguin rookery, smiling as we photograph a succession of Rockhoppers popping up out of the sea onto the rocks like champagne corks leaving a bottle and then hopping and scrambling up the cliffs in a long line, working their way up a natural staircase that has been worn smooth by the passage of countless little feet. From time to time a Striated Caracara or ‘Johnny Rook’ appears in the colony, lurking on the periphery in the hope of making off with a titbit or two. Nearby at a large colony of Black-browed Albatrosses we will see some of the adults squatting on top of flattened grass tussocks rather like strange dwarfs on even stranger toadstools whilst others soar high above us or sweep in to the nest sites to greet their mates with an affectionate round of mutual preening and bill clicking. All in all, it is an amazing photographic experience.

On beautiful Carcass Island, photogenic Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins potter along waving their little flippers as they wander inland to their nests. A variety of tame wetland species occur here and the shutters will be firing away as we aim our lenses at the various approachable ducks and geese which include pretty and interesting species such as Upland, Ruddy-headed and Kelp Geese, and the strange Falkland Steamer Duck. The latter, also known as ‘Logger’ is a common sight and we shall soon realize how they got their name as these bulky ducks ‘steam’ over the water, kicking up a cloud of spray from the combined action of their wings and large feet! The South American Fur Seals should pose for us too and we may be able to capture Peale’s or the beautiful Commerson’s Dolphin.

Before leaving the islands we will call in at Port Stanley where we shall have an opportunity to wander around the miniscule streets, visit the tiny cathedral, see the historic hulks of the ships that never made it around Cape Horn and make use of a last chance to post mail home. We should also be able to photograph the attractive Rufous-chested Dotterel and Two-banded Plover.

Days 8-9 The long sea crossing to South Georgia can often be a highlight of the voyage, as we will almost constantly have a variety of seabirds close to the ship. As we travel ever further to the southeast we shall pass from the warmer sub-Antarctic waters that surround southern South America and the Falklands to the cold waters of the Antarctic. The line of demarcation between these two water masses is quite strongly pronounced and is known as the Antarctic Convergence. Here the upwelling currents create conditions ideal for plankton and the rich feeding attracts numerous seabirds and often cetaceans. As we watch from the decks we will see an endless succession of seabirds following the ship, or sailing indifferently past, but many allowing great photographic opportunities. These will include many albatrosses including Wandering Albatross, with its remarkable wingspan (up to 3.5 metres!) and the delightful Light-mantled Sooty Albatross. We also have an excellent chance of seeing whales, especially when we cross a bank where the sea depth decreases from over 4000m to under 200m, producing an upwelling that creates a plankton swarm highly attractive to whales: the most regular species here being Minke Whale, Fin Whale and Hourglass Dolphin. On the third day we will be steaming parallel to the northern coast of South Georgia, on our way to ‘check-in’ with the authorities at Grytviken, and numbers of seabirds in this area are often spectacular.

Days 10-13 South Georgia lies at the northeastern corner of the Scotia Ridge, a largely submarine formation with only the summits poking above the sea as islands, that links the Andes of South America with the mountains of Antarctica. Profoundly remote, a mass of inaccessible ice-clad mountains rising to 2934m, South Georgia is the most spectacular of all the sub-Antarctic islands. During our stay in this marvellous area we will hope to make several landings. For over fifty years South Georgia was the hub of the South Atlantic whaling industry and we shall explore the eerie, silent ghost settlement of Grytviken, the oldest whaling station on the island. Here we will see the simple grave of Ernest Shackleton, a hero of Antarctic exploration, who died at Cumberland Bay and also the excellent whaling museum that charts the history of the island. South Georgia is famous for its vast nesting colonies of King Penguins, and we shall admire their handsome silver-grey, glowing orange, black and white plumage that contrasts so strikingly with the green tussock grass and beige sandy beaches, whilst inland the huge glaciers provide an even more dramatic backdrop. On one of the small offshore islands, provided landings are being permitted at the time, we may have to brave the Antarctic Fur Seals, now more than recovered from the depredations of nineteenth century sealers, in order to wander through a colony of Wandering Albatrosses – so graceful in the air yet so awkward on land! Not only will we be able to get right up to the nesting birds, which look even larger sat on a nest than they do on the wing, but we may be fortunate enough to photograph their wild, evocative display as several adults turn their outstretched wings towards the sky and throw back their heads to wail at the heavens. Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, the most beautiful and most gentle of all the albatrosses, are widespread as nesting birds and it is a thrilling sight to photograph them gliding to and fro along the cliffs or displaying to their mates. Other photographic subjects may include attractive Macaroni Penguins, large groups of enormous Southern Elephant Seals, Snow Petrels and, with luck, a pod of Killer Whales (or Orcas).

Days 14-15 We sail southwestwards across the Scotia Sea towards the South Shetlands. Once again seabird photography is likely to be excellent and we may see some cetaceans. As we near the islands we shall start to encounter increasing numbers of gigantic tabular icebergs which have been spewed forth from the mouth of the Weddell Sea. Some of the bergs are the most intense blue colour and have been sculptured into fantastic shapes by the action of wind, water and sun.

Day 16 We will pass Elephant Island today and may even be able to land. Elephant Island is one of the easternmost islands of the South Shetlands, a remote place where black rock outcrops and mighty glaciers speckled with pink algae create a dramatic landscape. This is the place where Ernest Shackleton’s men survived for more than four grim months after Shackleton set out on his epic attempt to reach South Georgia in a tiny open boat and so bring help.

Days 17-20 Colonies of Chinstrap, Gentoo and attractive Adelie Penguins can be found in the South Shetlands, and all provide fantastic photographic opportunities. There will be opportunities to photograph them in all aspects of their fascinating behaviour and in some amazing scenery. Other species that we may be able to photograph include Brown and South Polar Skuas, Antarctic Shags at the nest and scavenging Snowy Sheathbills, as well as cute Weddell Seals on the beach. As we penetrate closer to the Antarctic mainland our excitement grows as photogenic species such as Antarctic Petrel, Southern Fulmar and Cape Petrel follow our ship. Adelie Penguins porpoise through the waves and dive from ice-floes as we approach. Now we come to the climax of our expedition as we slip southwards through the Bransfield Strait, passing icebergs of immense size and awesome beauty, some white, others tinged blue-green. Here well look out for the huge flukes of sounding Humpback Whales, the high dorsal fins of Killer Whales slicing through the water and the smaller Antarctic Minke Whale. We’ll check the ice floes, which may be dotted with Crabeater, Weddell and Leopard Seals whilst beyond is an endless vista of icebergs and distant, snow-coated mountains. Eventually we will make a landing on the Antarctic continent itself, either at the aptly named Paradise Bay or at a similar locality elsewhere. Here as the sea ice sparkles and 3000m high mountains and glaciers tower above us we will go ashore on the Antarctic mainland, watching chicken-like Snowy Sheathbills scavenging along the shoreline and South Polar Skuas keeping a watchful eye out for any opportunity for a meal. Out in the bay, graceful Antarctic Terns perch invitingly on blocks of floating ice. No description can do justice to this awesome, unearthly place, and memory cards are likely to be filled rapidly! If we have time we may be able to navigate the spectacular Lemaire Channel, a narrow geological fault between the towering mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island that provides some of the most dramatic scenery in all Antarctica. Before we finally leave Antarctica we will visit Deception Island. The entry to Deception Island, through the aptly named Neptune’s Bellows, is just wide enough for our ship to navigate and here we will be accompanied by some of the numerous Cape Petrels that nest fulmar-like on the surrounding cliffs. Our anchorage is inside a volcano whose cone caved in to be filled by the sea. A landing at Whaler’s Bay, an abandoned whaling station, could provide us (if we have enough time) with an opportunity to walk over a ridge to the seaward side of the island to see a huge rookery of Chinstrap Penguins, here breeding in their hundreds of thousands and providing another wonderful photographic highlight. The blackness of the obsidian beach and the green lichen-encrusted cliffs provide a startling contrast to the gleaming white breasts of the penguins as they file down to the water’s edge whilst others head inland to greet their mates at the nest.

Day 21 To the north of the Antarctic Peninsula lies the thousand kilometres of the Drake Passage, separating the Antarctic Peninsula from the curving tail end of South America. Crossing this historic waterway, named after the great English seafarer whose expedition almost came to grief in these wild waters, is an exciting experience and gives us our last chance to enjoy a host of albatrosses and petrels which have become so familiar to us during our Antarctic journey. Almost as rich in seabirds as the seas between the Falklands and South Georgia, the Drake Passage will provide a fitting finale to our time in the great ‘Southern Ocean’.

Day 22 In the afternoon we should see the steep, rocky, greenish-grey headland of Cape Horn looming to the west. This southernmost point of South America, named by the Dutch navigator Schouten after Hoorn, his birth place in the Netherlands, has earned a reputation as one of the wildest places on earth. Here, at the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Pacific, the ferocious winds can whip the waves into a frenzy of spray, although in summer it can sometimes be flat calm.

Day 23 This morning we will arrive at Ushuaia, at 55 degrees south the southernmost town in the world, situated on the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego. Here we will very reluctantly disembark from the ship we have come to know so well and which has brought us so many unforgettable memories. Later we will fly back to Buenos Aires and transfer to the international airport in time for an evening flight bound for London. If it is clear as we fly northwards from the toe of South America we will be able to see the ice-clad spires and vast snowfields of Tierra del Fuego and then the vast, arid landscapes of Patagonia far below.

Day 24 Afternoon arrival at London.

 

Accommodation & Road Transport: All the are of a good standard. For details of the ship, see the introductory section. Road transport is by small coach and the few roads we will use are fairly good.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are a few optional harder walks.

Climate: Quite mild at this season. Around the Antarctic Peninsula the temperature is generally a little above freezing point (around 4-5°C, or 39-41°F at South Georgia) and on sunny days it can feel relatively warm if there is no wind (but it feels decidedly cold on windy days at sea). Sunny spells are interspersed with (often longer) overcast periods and some rain or snow are to be expected. In southern Argentina and in the Falklands conditions are typically cool, but considerably warmer than further south.

Important: Adverse weather conditions may prevent landings on exposed coasts. It is, however, unusual for more than two or three landings to have to be called off during a cruise. The information given about possible landing sites should be taken as a general indication about what is likely to be achieved: every Antarctic cruise is different, being dependent on the amount of time available, sea and ice conditions, and the weather, and so it is likely that some of the sites visited will be different from those described.

Tour Dates: The dates for the 2011 cruise are provisional and will be confirmed by 31st October 2010, as will prices.

Tour Price: 2011 (provisional): £7156, €8444, $11807 London/London (or £6076, €7170, $10025 Trelew/Ushuaia, or £5636, €6650, $9299 Puerto Madryn/Ushuaia cruise-only) in a triple-berth cabin with shared bathroom facilities. (If you wish to travel from London but do not wish to join our shore-based programme in Patagonia, there is a reduction of £440, €519, $726.) Supplement for a twin-berth cabin with shared bathroom facilities: £1102, €1300, $1818. Supplement for a twin-berth cabin with private bathroom: £2068, €2440, $3412. Supplement for a superior cabin with private bathroom: £3220, €3800, $5313. Supplement for a suite with private bathroom: £4068, €4800, $6712. Tierra del Fuego Extension: £440, €519, $726. Price includes all transportation (including all flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water during shore-based stays, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants ashore, leader services. Gratuities for the expedition staff and crew are not included in the tour price. The staff work very long hours to make such cruises a success, including a great deal of nige.ht sailing, and we have been told that most passengers give gratuities of around $300-400 (£182-242, €215-286) for such a 20 days cruise.

Important: The Puerto Madryn/Ushuaia cruise-only prices given above cover all arrangements from embarkation at Puerto Madryn to disembarkation from the ship at Ushuaia. Owing to the possibility, however small, of a severe airline delay, we would recommend that participants who are joining the tour on a ‘cruise-only’ basis have at least one night in Puerto Madryn prior to the cruise. Kindly note that in the event you do not arrive in time, the ship will not wait and neither the cruise operator nor ourselves can make a refund in such circumstances. Arriving a day early also has the advantage that your luggage could still catch up with you, should it go astray. We can make hotel bookings for you in Puerto Madryn on request, should you not wish to take our standard pre-cruise land programme in Patagonia.

Single Cabin/Room Supplement: Single occupancy of twin-berth cabins without private bathrooms or twin-berth cabins with private bathrooms can be obtained in return for an 80% supplement on top of the Puerto Madryn/Ushuaia cruise-only price (superiors are available for single occupancy for a 100% supplement). Please note that if you are willing to share but no cabin-mate is available you will not have to pay the single occupancy supplement. The single room supplement in Trelew and Puerto Pyrámides is: (provisional): £56, €66, $92. (Please note that if you are sharing a cabin on board ship and your cabin mate is not overnighting with you in Trelew and Puerto Pyrámides then you will have to pay the supplement for a single room ashore.) Single room supplement for the Tierra del Fuego extension (provisional): £68, €80, $112.

Deposit: 20% of the London/London price (rounded down to the nearest £, € or $), regardless of where you are joining the tour. No additional deposit for the extension. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only £150, €177, $248.

 

A typical Antarctic scene! As we make our way back to the ship, a group of inquisitive Adelie Penguins have come to investigate us! (Pete Morris)

To give some idea of the scale of the icebergsm this is just part of one, and the small dots at the left hand side of the image are a flock of Adelie Penguins! (Pete Morris)

A group of fabulous King Penguins make their way back to their colony (Pete Morris)