Antarctic Adventure

by Vicky Papa

Well I finally did it!  I visited my seventh continent. Everyone who has been to Antarctica says it is the trip of a lifetime and I certainly have to agree. Mentioning that I was going to Antarctica would always invoke the questions “Why? To see a bunch of ice?”. Exactly!  To see one of the most pristine and, for the most part, unspoiled places on earth teeming with wildlife.

It is a long flight down to Ushuaia, known as the “End of the Earth”, but once the snow capped mountains, glistening lakes and glaciers come into view, the true excitement sets in. I travelled with my mom and sister and upon arrival, went to the dock to view the Akademik Ioffe, our 110 passenger Russian research ship that we were going to spend the next 10 days on. Our ship was dwarfed by all the other massive cruise ships in port – thankfully, I would not be travelling on any of those! For the next 8 days we saw no other ships or people.  It was fantastic - Antarctica was ours alone.

The two day sail through the Drake Passage was pretty rocking and rolling. The lectures and movies kept everyone (that wasn’t seasick) busy and interested and overall made the trip more enriching. On the third morning, with the sun rising in the distance, we woke up to the most flat, calm water which reflected the snow covered mountains. Icebergs of all colors and sizes floated by silently as you breathed in the cleanest, crispest air you have ever encountered. Everyone had a big smile on their face, amazed at the realization that you had arrived in Antarctica.

The next five days were filled with 2 land and sea excursions per day. We had great weather, great wildlife viewing, and whales, whales, whales! February is whale season and we definitely saw our share. Seeing only portions of the whales make you realize just how large and graceful these creatures are. As we sat in our zodiac, floating amongst the icebergs, you felt like you were in a giant margarita glass. Ice came in every color - blue, black, white, grey, pink, green. The massive icebergs were of all shapes, sizes and patterns due to water and wind. They appeared to have been sculpted by a masterful artist. Huge chunks of ice would float by with a sea lion lying lazily, without a care in the world and massive penguin and bird colonies would dot the coast of the continent and the surrounding islands.

The staff was amazing. Their love of Antarctica was apparent by their eagerness to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with each and every passenger on the boat. The whole trip, from start to finish, was run top notch. The food was great, the ship was great, and there was always something to do. This isn’t a cheap trip, but it certainly is unlike any other trip you will ever take. Everything on this trip far exceeded my expectations. Now the hard part - sorting through, literally, thousands of photos!

To learn more about this Antarctic Adventure and to see current dates and prices click here.

Vicky Papa is an Adventure Specialist at Adventure Center and is available to answer your questions about travel to Antarctica, her toll free direct number is 1-877-285-0656 or her email address is vicky at adventurecenter.com