Antarctica Travel Forum

Hi everyone:
Anyone has the experience of this cruise? Seastate, wind, wildlife and so on.
thanks for help.
HRod

I remember from previous postings that you have travelled with Hurtigruten before, and will already know in general what the style of life on board the ship, food, landing arrangements etc. will be like, so I’ll just try to comment on more specific aspects of your forthcoming trip.

I was on Nordnorge to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands in February 2005. I think your 2008 itinerary on the sister ship Nordkapp will be in reverse, visiting the Falklands first. This will have the advantage that the potentially roughest seas of the Drake Passage will be at the end of the voyage, giving you time to acquire your “sea-legs”, and I think it is appropriate to visit the Antarctic peninsula as the finale of the voyage. There are a couple of days at sea between the three destinations, and after the busy “landing days” I found the change of pace refreshing; time to relax and reflect on experiences, to enjoy the company of new friends and to make the most of the extensive lecture programme. Of course the sea conditions are unpredictable throughout the region, but for me it was sunny between Antarctica and South Georgia and warm enough to sit out on the sheltered side of the deck.

For English people visiting the Falklands, the chance to experience aspects of Britain transplanted to the South Atlantic, and perhaps to make some sense of recent history, makes the Falklands fascinating, and I chose to spend my full day in Port Stanley looking around on my own rather than taking the optional excursions. Many passengers enjoyed the half day excursion to a traditional sheep farm. Also a number of local operators offer four-wheel-drive vehicle trips from Port Stanley and some passengers with a particular interest in visiting specific places got together and the ship’s reception phoned ahead and arranged for the driver to collect them from the ship.

On the other days in the Falklands, a few passengers found the scenery of the islands, with much peat moorland, an anticlimax coming at the end of our voyage, but it has its own wild attraction and is an absolute paradise for bird watchers. For me a wildlife highlight of the entire trip was seeing the normally aggressive Rockhopper penguins happily co-existing around the fluffy white chicks of Black-browed albatrosses. This was on West Point island, where if you have time I recommend taking the 4-wheel drive transport to the nesting site and enjoying an invigorating walk back via the farmhouse.

South Georgia is a spectacular contrast in scenery. The effect of continuously changing weather and light on the subtle colours of sea and mountains and the comparatively lush green vegetation of late summer is magnificent. If you are interested in the biography of Shackleton it is also something of a pilgrimage. You should be able to visit his grave in the old whalers cemetery at Grytviken. Here I encountered elephant seals and king penguins close up. At Stromness there was a complete change of weather with strong gusts of wind blowing down from the mountains and it was fascinating to observe the behaviour of fur seals and penguins in response to this.

I think you have already experienced Antarctica and will appreciate that every trip will be different with varying weather and ice conditions. On my trip, not setting out from Ushuaia until 25 February which is late in the season, penguins at some locations were not as numerous as earlier because they had already gone to sea. We were able to penetrate, but not completely sail through the Lemaire channel, but I think the trip before had done so. Every day in Antarctica we were able to make two landings.

Hi Mooselet:

In fact i did a cruise from Punta Arenas to Antartida via Magellan Strait, Pacific Beagle Chanel, Drake Passages and Antartida. About this matter that's OK! Now the other circuit what i know I'm felling that's not enough.About the life aboard and the ship,i know that this company is quite good. Thank you very much for your informations and advices and i hope to get this cruise.
HRod