Due to bad weather conditions we had to forgo our early morning (05:30) landing at Baily Head on Deception Island. This weather is typical of the location but it doesn’t deter the large number (>100,000) of Chinstrap penguins whose Rookery is there. My first sight of land in over 48 hours was of Deception Island, so called because there is only a narrow gap in the caldera wall which wasn’t discovered for a while. At first glance it appears desolate with lichens the only decoration on the dark grey volcanic rocks.
Our initial landing was at Whaler’s Bay. It was raining heavily with strong winds blowing. The weather combined with the ascetic landscape presented an oxymoronic introduction to the polar desert I had expected. Usually bereft of wildlife we were welcomed ashore by numerous Gentoo penguins, Chinstrap penguins and a solitary Adélie penguin. I envied them their waterproof feathers as my hired water-resistant trousers were not up to the weather and soon I was soaked through. I hiked up to look out the natural break in the rocks that is Neptune’s window. One of the first sightings of the Antarctic Peninsula was from here but all we saw was a bleak, grey, rain-filled sky and a matching sea. How the whalers lived and worked here I don’t know. The beach is littered with all manner of abandoned whaling accroutements particularly whale bones, broken freshwater-barrels and the small rowing boats used for carrying the fresh water.
After warming up on the ship over a fabulous lunch we prepared for the afternoon landing at Telefon Bay. We split up into three groups here to do hikes of varying difficulty. We saw our first seals here – Weddel, Crabeater and some saw a Fur seal too. The waters here are supposedly thermally heated so twenty-one of us had intended swimming. Having felt how cold the water was I, along with eight others chickened out. A courageous dozen stripped to their togs (even this would have taken guts) and braved the frigid sea. None lasted too long though.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner