This afternoon, we cruised over to the Danger Islands to make a landing for a sunset hike. I don’t recall the name of the island - I’m not sure if it even had a name - but it was home to a small colony of Adelie penguins. Like others we had seen so far, these ones were also moulting - losing all of their feathers to grow new ones - and sat around looking quite grumpy.
Adelie penguins (Anna Zlotnicki)
The landscape itself was striking, totally barren with odd hills and canyons carved into the island. In the bay around us were other sculptural islands, as well as the ever-present ice. We took a nice long hike here across rocks and snow, and saw the beginning of the long, drawn-out sunset from the shore. By the time we boarded zodiacs to return to the ship, the sky was brilliant with pinks, oranges and purples - our driver took us on a leisurely route back to the ship to give us the opportunity to take photos of the stunning sunset from various vantage points around the bay before we returned to the ship for dinner. What an amazing first day of excursions!
Hiking in Antarctica (Anna Zlotnicki)
I really appreciated that attitude from the guides: everything was flexible, and decisions were made in the moment to try to give us the best experience possible based on the present circumstances. It made the entire experience feel so customized and special - because, well, it was! No other itinerary would be exactly like ours, no other experience would be the same. A fitting way to experience such a unique place.
Returning to the Ocean Nova at sunset (Anna Zlotnicki)
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
