I was scarcely prepared for South Georgia. I had, of course, read about Ernest Shackleton, and knew generally about his trek across the mountains and glaciers of South Georgia after having crossed the Southern Ocean in an open boat with five of his crew. But I was unprepared for the scale of the mountains and the abundance of glaciers. The only flat areas were right along the coast, and not even there in many places. It is a stark and incredibly beautiful place - a place that one hopes can be preserved.
South Georgia has very strict requirements for visiting ships. Visits are limited to 72 hours. Boots and other gear must be washed between landings so as to avoid transferring biological material from one site to another. The number of visitors allowed on shore at certain locations is limited, so we were taken ashore in two shifts. And the ship was required to be blacked out at night to avoid lights from the ship attracting birds (mostly prions and petrels) that fly to and from shore after dark, thereby avoiding predators.
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