“Humpbacks from the bow – all guests to the bridge,” a voice sang over the intercom at 7am on the first morning of our expedition. I blinked away sleep and ran onto the deck in my robe and a bright white glow filled my eyes through panoramic windows. Meters in front of our yacht, a … Read more
“The Weddell Sea,” wrote historian Thomas R. Henry in 1950, “is, according to the testimony of all who have navigated its mountain-filled waters, the most treacherous and bleak region on earth.” These are the swirling, ship-crushing waters where Ernest Shackleton lost the Endurance. Common sense would therefore indicate that tourists can do well there – … Read more
Antarctica is an unforgettable destination, but time on the continent is precious and precious – Andrea Klaussner/Hurtigruten Antarctica, once off-limits to all but scientists at research stations, is becoming an increasingly popular cruise destination. According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), commercial tourism began in the late 1950s when approximately 500 paying … Read more
(Viking Octantis) It was about 10 hours into our journey through the swirling Drake Passage when I realized I was suffering from a strange kind of cabin fever. Sailing aboard Viking Cruises’ Viking Octantis ship, we were already a quarter of the way through the notoriously temperamental canal that connects the southernmost tip of Argentina … Read more
The ship encountered a colony of chinstrap penguins at Diaz Rock – Alamy, Sarak Knapton The remote Antarctic island of Diaz Rock was supposed to be deserted, but when penguin experts trained their binoculars on the rock, little eyes looked back. While guarding their ascetic stone nests, a completely undiscovered colony of chinstrap penguins emerged, … Read more