I'm talking with our Arctic cruise expedition leader at the bridge, curious about our progress across the Davis Strait from Greenland to Canada. Suddenly one of my fellow passengers shouts "whale, 1 o'clock". I push open the door and shout for the kids. A second whale breaches at 2 o'clock, followed by several others. Within moments an announcement is made on the ship speakers and our onboard biologist comes out to inform us that we are surrounded by Northern Bottlenose whales. Since they tend to spend up to an hour feeding near the ocean floor, Northern Bottlenose whales can be difficult to spot at the surface. Few of our expedition staff have ever seen them. A few minutes later, she announces that there is a second pod, as well, these are Long-Finned Pilot whales. The site is breathtaking. Two northern bottlenose come right up to the ship directly in front of me. I can see their full bodies silhouetted a few feet beneath the green water. I watch as they dive under the ship. Soon other whales follow suit. I watch a half dozen approach only a few meters from the ship and give a tremendous show, water spouting from their blowholes. Tears are streaming down my face. I’ve never had such an awe inspiring wildlife encounter. Read more of Mary's mother-daughter Arctic adventure. Click here!
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.