Antarctica Travel Blog Nov 14: Courtship of Southern Royal Albatrosses on Campbell Island
Monday - Nov. 14, 2011
This morning we arrived at Perseverance Harbor, Campbell Island about 8am. Wind was 30 knots and temperature about 40 F degrees. The 100 passengers were divided into several groups by ability: ie. fast to slow walkers. The goal was to complete the 2.5 mile walk with 811 feet elevation gain to the top of the island to view the south side of the island. We hoped to see Southern Royal Albatrosses. Much to our surprise, we watched several pairs doing their courtship rituals including mutual preening.. We were careful to not interrupt the birds which was somewhat difficult as the big birds nested right beside the one foot wide boardwalk.
After lunch, we headed south out of the Perseverance Harbor. Next stop is Antarctica. The expedition leader, Mike Messick, announced that that now would be a good time to take a shower as the next two days are expected to be rough. The rolling is already 15 to 30 degrees at times. The Captain just closed the bridge as the rolling is exaggerated on the higher decks.
Everyone seems to be in the lounge on the 5th floor or in their rooms. Finally, we are now in the Southern Ocean where the waves are expected to be very high until we arrive are the ice.
(This is Laurie's fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica trip; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)
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.