After two days at sea, we were all restless and eager to get off the Ocean Nova. We didn’t know until that morning exactly where we were, or where we were going: in lieu of a strict itinerary, our expedition leader worked with the captain to chart our course hour by hour, looking for the best landing sites with ideal weather windows as they came up. This is why flexibility and trust in the expedition team is so vital to enjoy a trip to Antarctica - if you get too attached to specific islands or have too-rigid expectations of what Antarctica should be like, you can easily lose sight of the true spirit of exploration, which takes the fun out of the trip. This is a region best left to surrendering control and relishing what comes!
Our first landing site was determined to be Eden Rocks, a pair of tiny, rocky islands just off the coast of Dundee Island at the northeastern end of the Antarctic peninsula. We all suited up in waterproof pants and jackets and donned the provided lifejackets and insulated, waterproof boots, then made our way to the lower deck to access the gangway to board zodiacs. Then we were off!
Our guide, Zibo, drove us around some floating ice before heading to the landing site, giving us a chance to look for wildlife while we waited our turn to disembark on shore. We found a colony of Antarctic Shags, and cruised around looking at incredible ice formations before coming across a leopard seal stretched out on an ice floe. I was so excited to see one - they’re the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after elephant seals) and are striking animals, with their large mouths and spotted coats. It checked us out before returning to its nap - and then word came over Zibo’s radio that they were ready for us at shore.
Onshore, the guides helped us out of the zodiacs and pointed out the hiking route, which they had set and marked with flags to ensure that we didn’t wander into any nesting sites or unstable land. The route involved a steep climb, but they anchored ropes for us to use for balance. At the top, we had a stunning view of the rest of the island, surrounded by glassy blue water dotted with ice.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.