Trip to Antarctica

In the decision to finally use up some of this vacation time I have gotten from work, I choose to go to Antarctica. I really cannot say for sure why. It seemed intriguing, and I wanted to see what one would see there I guess. Even before the trip was over, I was ecstatic with the sights. I am not sure I can ever iterate how glad I am to have done this. The trip was absolutely wonderful. (I'll stop repeating myself now.)

I used Rei Adventures to book the trip and airfare and what not. The cruise itself was handled by Quark Expeditions, and the boat was the M/V Orlova.

The rest of this is a travel log. Details and pictures from each day out. So poke around and enjoy. (I demand! ^_^)

Note: To view the panoramics, you will need to have Quicktime installed. Use the arrow keys or mouse (click and drag) to move around. Press shift or control to zoom in or out.

Route traveled

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 8 Day 5 Day 5 Day 5 Day 6 Day 6 Day 7 Day 7 Day 8 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 4

Breif Summery

25/01/03 Ushuaia, Argentina 54° 33.0' S 68° 19.0' W Embarkation
26/01/03 At sea 57° 09.7' S 63° 56.4' W Noon position
27/01/03 King George Island 62° 15.0' S 58° 51.0' W ZL Arctowski Station visit, Adelie penguins
28/01/03 Deception Island SC Neptune's Bellows – caldera entrance
  Whaler's Bay 62° 59.0' S 60° 34.0' W ZL Neptune's Window, Whaling station, swimming
  Crossing the Bransfield Strait SC Souther right whale, leopard seals
  Mikkelson Harbor 62° 54.0' S 60° 47.0' W ZL, ZC Gentoos, whalebones, leopard seals
29/01/03 Port Lockroy 64° 49.0' S 63° 30.0' W ZL Museum, Jougla Point
  Neumayer Channel SC Ship cruise, very windy
  Danco Island 64° 44.0' S 62° 37.0' W ZL, ZC Old British hut, leopard seal with zodiacs
30/01/03 Lemaire Channel SC Very early morning cruise, lots of ice
  Vernadsky Base, Wordie hut 65° 15.1' S 64° 13.9' W ZL Station and hut visit. Furthest South.
  Petermann Island 65° 10.0' S 64° 10.0' W ZL, ZC Adelie Penguins, slippery rocks
  Lemaire Channel SC Cruising during BBQ dinner on deck
31/01/03 Paradise Bay 64° 59.1' S 62° 51.0' W ZL, ZC Glacier cruise and continent landing
  Andvord Bay ZC Zodiac cruising with Minke Whales
  Neko Harbor 64° 50.0' S 62° 33.0' W ZL, ZC Continent Landing
01/02/03 Half Moon Island 62° 36.0' S 59° 55.0' W ZL, ZC Chinstrap penguins, fur seals
  Aitcho Islands 62° 24.0' S 59° 44.0' W ZL, ZC Elephant seals
02/02/03 At sea 59° 30.7' S 63° 44.2' W Noon Position, Long-finned Pilot Whales
03/02/03 Diego Remirez Islands 56° 30.7' S 68° 40.1' W SC Grey-headed albatrosses
  Cape Horn 55° 58.9' S 67° 17.0' W SC
  Beagle Channel SC Farewell Cocktail party
04/02/03 Ushuaia, Argentina 54° 33.0' S 68° 19.0' W Disembarkation

ZL = Zodiac Landing; ZC = Zodiac Cruise; SC = Ship Cruise