Amazing Antarctica March 2023

Ushuaia was a lot bigger than I had imagined and you could easily stay for 2 nights to explore and visit more attractions. It felt like a ski resort with plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and the mountainous backdrop was stunning.

We visited the Tierra del Fuego National Park, this has some amazing scenery and the fact it was snowing made it even better!

We had a guide taking us to some trails and beach stops, then we paid extra to go on the most southernly railway in the world. This is where the prisoners used to work chopping trees, etc and this was a narrated steam train journey which lasted about an hour, it was really interesting learning how the prisoner conditions were back then.

In the afternoon we boarded the ship ready to start our journey through the infamous Drake Passage and we wondered what was in store for us!

In fact it was the smoothest sailing they have had all season which we were glad about. Don’t get me wrong we were swaying but that is calm for this convergence of the 3 seas.

Through the passage we saw Albatrosses, Giant Petrels and other birds along the way.

During the 48 hours it takes to get through Drakes Passage there are lectures on board to keep you busy and you learn so much.

Smith Island was our first sighting of land, we spotted Fin Whales, the 2nd largest mammal after Blue Whale, along with a few different birds.

After going through the Gerlache Straite, our first landing was Orne Harbour where the Chinstrap Penguins are.

As we had the Kayak Package we went out in the kayaks instead to see the Penguins plus we saw Whales close by us.

Being on a kayak gives you a lot more time off the ship and more time to explore.

They only go out if the winds are below 15 knots and the conditions are right.

In the afternoon we moved to Cuverville Island to see Gentoo Penguins and again in the kayak to explore, we saw a fur seal, penguins jumping around our kayaks and more birds.

The 2nd day instead of kayaking, we chose to do a Zodiac landing to see Gentoo Penguins on land plus hike up the hill to a fantastic viewpoint in Paradise Bay. It really was Paradise too, to wake up in this bay was amazing, very scenic with ice calving and the ice formations, it made for spectacular scenery.

In the afternoon we chose the Zodiac ride again around the bay and had two amazing wildlife viewings. The first was a Leopard Seal which are rare to see, laying on an iceberg, looking at us curiously and even having a very long wee!

Our 2nd major sighting were humpback whales, close up, one of them turned to our Zodiac to come and check us out. Not to harm us at all, just wanted to inspect the boat.

As you can imagine this was incredible, these two sightings were the highlight of our trip so far, as if the previous sightings weren’t enough! We also had Penguins jumping around in the water and following our Zodiac for a short while.

In the afternoon we opted to do the Polar Plunge! This is where you step off the platform that comes out from the side of the ship into the Antarctic water. The water temperature was -1 and they put a harness around you to pull you back up. Yes it was cold and it took your breath away but it didn’t last long and I am so pleased I did it. They put a towel round and an alcohol shot to warm you up!

The next morning we moored up at Port Charcot. It was too choppy for Kayaking so everyone had Zodiac landings. The Zodiacs are an adventure in themselves in choppy weather. On land we saw many Gentoo Penguins shedding their feathers plus fur seals. We had another hike and the glaciers and icebergs were stunning to look at with dramatic views.

We then travelled through the famous Lemair Channel, very narrow, very dramatic. The ship snaked its way through and crunched through the ice. It was one of life's memorable moments when everyone on deck was silent, witnessing the task of the Captain navigating his way through the icebergs, bouncing off the Ship as we cut through them.

Peterman Island was the most southernmost point on the trip and this was our afternoon kayak adventure. It was choppy but good fun, we saw Adelie and Gentoo Penguins, a Leopard Seal popped up near our Kayaks and many many Penguins jumping along on the water.

Unfortunately this was our last Kayak session as the weather was too bad for the last day.

On our last exploration day we moored at President Head and took the Zodiac over to Snow Island. There are Elephant Seals everywhere, they are very vocal and very smelly. It was a great way to see these big animals up front and butting heads with each other.

We couldn’t have an afternoon landing as we needed to get ahead of the winds coming in to get back across Drake Passage.

On the crossing back we experienced a 5.5 out of 10 on the rock and roll scale and I'm not sure I would want to experience much higher, it’s exciting but many people were ill as well. The lectures continue throughout until the very last day.

The expedition team (I don’t think they slept!) update the on board maps, they give daily briefings, they present the lectures and the communication is amazing, they also run the zodiacs to and from the ship.

The expedition team are some of the best in their fields with decades of experience.

Everything is so well organised, the on board photographer takes pictures of you, the trip log of everywhere you went, the daily food menus, wildlife we saw, just everything is logged on a website which you can access, this is all part of the cost of the trip, as is your expedition Parka which is yours to keep.

The air temperature ranged from 0 to -7 celsius where we landed.

The food was amazing, fresh, plenty of choice, tea, coffee, hot chocolate all day plus afternoon tea.

There is a sauna, gym, bar, expedition lounge and you can visit the Captains bridge at any time.

This was going to be a holiday of lifetime but it was more than that. You can’t call it a holiday, its a life changing experience.

It is important to say that this is an Expedition Ship, it is not a luxury cruise with lots of entertainment, this was about learning about Antarctica, landing on the Ice and experiencing everything you can.

As you can imagine Antarctica is huge and we only touch a tiny point of it.

If you can do it, do it, it is incredible!!