Pleneau Bay lies just south of the Lemaire Channel, separating Hovgaard Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. At the northwest end of the bay there is a passage between Hovgaard Island and Booth Island where the Pléneau Island groups can be accessed. Here we can find an iceberg graveyard, where both large tabular icebergs and older, rolled icebergs have run aground. Many of these icebergs have originated from as far south as the Ross Ice Shelf. Port Charcot lies on the north coast of Booth Island (then named Wandel Island). It was discovered by Jean-Baptiste Charcot in 1904 and named for his father. Charcot’s crew spent the winter of 1904 in this location. Their ship, Français, was moored and the men slept onboard but established a shore station for scientific observations and as a potential emergency shelter.
Port Lockroy is a half mile-long and -wide harbor on the west side of Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago. It is named after Edouard Lockroy, the French politician who assisted Dr. Jean Baptiste Charcot in obtaining government backing for his expedition French Antarctic Expeditions of 1903-1905 & 1908-1910. Port Lockroy is comprised of Jougla Point and Goudier Island, both of which are home to numerous nesting gentoo penguins.
British history in Antarctica began when Captain James Cook first circumnavigated the continent in 1773-75. UK presence in Antarctica dates back to 1943 when the Royal Navy mounted operation Tabarin. Its mission was to provide reconnaissance and meteorological information concerning the South Atlantic by establishing a series of small stations along the Antarctic Peninsula. Port Lockroy is the home to Base A, which has been turned into a museum. There is also a gift shop and post office on Goudier Island where stamps and souvenirs may be purchased, and mail can be sent, although delivery usually takes a number of weeks. US DOLLARS & POUNDS STERLING accepted. Credit card is accepted for purchases over $100. Port Lockroy is a small space! We will take half of you to Goudier Island and half to Jougla Point. After approximately one hour we will switch groups so that everyone can experience both locations.
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Very hard ice conditions, nothing happening until 10AM; cruise through Bismark Strait; later on zodiac cruise.
Kayaking on Channel Peltier all the way to the Port Lockroy and Gudier Island. Good 3 hours of kayaking, zig zag across the channel, at the beginning was great, but later on wind picked up! Spent $200 on shirts, cap, and gifts. Michael and Andy rescued a gentoo penguin from net’s string around his leg.
Instead of a regular dinner we had a BBQ at the top deck. Grilled meat, chicken and beef, and fish for me! Potatoes, salads, hot red wine and cookies. In a second of time everything is cold!
Late night at the bar, Dan and his guitar and songs about Ocean Nova, kayaking and camping.
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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.