Read more →
 
A penguin searches for pebbles on the rocky shore

Antarctica Travel Video: Leave the Pebbles for the Penguins

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9-eBAdteM&feature=channel_video_title] A little reminder in the principles of Leave No Trace is always a good idea. This short video from my last Antarctica trip provides just that. Although a tiny pebble might seem insignificant, they are incredibly coveted by Antarctica penguins — penguins make their nests from small pebbles, that are not always easy to come by in the snowy, stark environment. Seen here in a short clip are Gentoos [...]

 

Read more →
 
Antarctica camping during an polar expedition cruise

Polar Adventures: Five pieces of advice for an overnight Antarctica camping trip

More and more, an overnight camping trip on Antarctica is becoming a popular addition to a polar adventure. The majority of expedition ships offer this optional excursion to a select number of passengers each voyage, which is definitely not for everyone… but is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that hearty travelers have a hard time passing up (yours-truly included). Beyond your camping basics, here are a few other items [...]

 

Read more →
 
Looking for whales from the zodiac

Minke Whale, Meet Antarctica Travelers

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ9cPbIeEUQ] Hey — remember that time we were in Antarctica and that minke whale decided to swim over to our zodiac, give it a little nudge and dive underneath before meandering on its way…? Antarctica travelers have a close encounter with a curious Minke whale off the coast of the Peninsula. Unlike the other wildlife of Antarctica, whales do not breed in the region. However, they do take advantage of [...]

 

Read more →
 
Penguins on Petermann Island

Great Antarctica Discount. Book by Sept. 30th, 2010

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biVHGrP2KWA&feature=player_embedded] Book by September 30, 2010 to save 30% off an 11-day polar voyage onboard the Antarctic Dream. This discount applies to the November 7, 2010 departure. Here’s a beautiful clip of an Antarctic Dream expedition to give you an idea of what you might expect during a trip to the Great White Continent. Click here for details on the expedition and discount. The month of November (late Austral spring [...]

 

Read more →
 
Sea kayaking in Alaska near Dawes Glacier

Marissa Captures her Alaska Adventure Cruise on Video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJ6MXK2B38] Continuing my love affair with Alaska, I’m living vicariously through Adventure Lifer, Marissa, and this short clip of her adventures in Alaska. In mid-May, Marissa spent a week in the famous panhandle. Spreading her time between hiking to caves, a camping trip, taking a polar plunge, and sea kayaking in one of the last remaining frontiers, her home-base for her Alaska voyage was the 49-passenger expedition vessel, Wilderness Discoverer. [...]

 

Read more →
 
A brown bear fishing for salmon

Wildside of Alaska Travel

Wildlife has come to define Alaska. Images of grand grizzlies, a breaching humpback whale, or a bald eagle snatching a salmon from a stream have come to symbolize the spirit of the United States’ largest state. The list of Alaskan wildlife is long and diverse. Here is a sampling of Alaska’s most famous inhabitants. BEARS Nearly 98 percent of the country’s grizzly bears live in Alaska. They are found throughout [...]

 

Read more →
 
Flat Stanley and Beth at Paradise Bay in Antarctica

Flat Stanley Visits Antarctica with Adventure Life

Flat Stanley: The ingenious little international phenomenon that encourages school children to expand their geography know-how and explore the world… arrived on my Missoula, Montana doorstep at the end of October, via US Post. He came compliments of my darling 6-year-old cousin, Evan, from Olive Branch, MS. The timing was perfect — I was only weeks away from departing on a two-week trip to Argentina and Antarctica. And while Stanley [...]

 

Read more →
 
The famous and beautiful blue ice of Antarctica

Chilling in Antarctica

  Antarctic traveler and travel writer, Chris Connelly, shares his experiences in the great white continent. I’m wearing snowpants for the first time since childhood, and I have on the same coat I wore several years ago while covering the Iditarod sled dog race across Alaska. This coat comes with an extra dense fleece lining that can be unzipped and removed, and despite living in Wisconsin, where winter temperatures routinely [...]

 

Read more →
 
See rockhopper penguins up close on a Falkland Islands tour

December 2: The Falklands

An absolutely stunning day today! Due to departing Antarctica a half day early, the Expedition Leader requested permission for an additional landing in the Falklands. The landing was at Steeple Jason Island and the highlight was the largest Black Browed Ablatross nesting site in the world. Thousands of the enormous birds covered the beach and upland slopes – a literal sea of wings and squawking. Intermingled with these charismatic birds [...]

 

Read more →
 
Kapitan Khlebnikov breaking ice

On Toward the Falklands

Yesterday’s attempt at the Shetland Islands was a bust, again due to weather.  Winds were blowing hard, and word was that all the ships in the area that had planned similar visits canceled their trips as well.  This meant that we immediately turned toward the Falkland Islands and have now been at sea for over 36 hours.  Expected land arrival is tomorrow afternoon, which will mean my longest time ever [...]