When deciding when to visit Antarctica, time of year does make a difference, but deciding which time of year is “best” depends on what you are looking at getting out of your Antarctica adventure. Specific wildlife sightings – mating season – new hatchlings – weather – icescapes – mud – penguins poo smell at its worst/best…? While January is typically considered the heart of the Antarctica travel season, visitors shouldn’t [...]
November 26th, 2011 Much to our surprise, the winds increased to 44 knots which again prevented the helicopters from flying to Ross Island for sightseeing. The expedition leader gave up on the weather and decided we should head north, approximately 140 miles northeast to the Ross ice Shelf. Then, as soon as ship started backing up, the wind speed decreased to 30 knots, just enough for us to take a [...]
November 25, 2011 Our plans for visiting McMurdo and Ross Stations, Scott’s Discovery hut at Cape Evans and hiking Observation Hill were delayed by the weather. Here in Antarctica, “weather is our master”, our expedition leader, Shane Envoy, has reminded us many times. Whiteout conditions and 40 knot winds lasted throughout the day with temperature of 30 degrees below zero when considering the wind chill factor. During the afternoon, the [...]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73eJLHrpObs&feature=player_embedded] The Atacama Desert has been experiencing an unusual amount of snow. The cold front that came through the region dumped nearly 32 inches of snow on the desert — more snow then the region has seen in the last half-century. The Atacama Desert is known as one of the driest place on Earth. The Atacama averages just 2 inches of precipitation a year; there are regions in the Atacama [...]
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 [...]
[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 [...]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5WYlqD8mR0&feature=player_embedded#] March 27, 2010 will bring with it the fourth annual Earth Hour — the world’s largest switch-off. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is designed as a non-partisan movement, where the world’s communities, governments and organizations can come together to do something about climate change. To quote WWF: ‘The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting [...]
We have updated information regarding the re-opening of access to Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu Town (also called Aguas Calientes). Following up on our blog post from earlier this month — there are changes to the original schedule that may affect your upcoming Peru trip. The short version: The damage on the lengthy, “backroad route” was greater than originally predicted, and the anticipated Feb. 22 re-open date of Machu Picchu [...]
UPDATE: As of Feb. 22, 2010, there are changes to the original schedule regarding re-opening access to Machu Picchu. Click here for details. Many of you are familiar with the heavy rainfall that hit southern Peru at the end of January. Peru is no stranger to such downpours, but this season the rainfall that hit the region, flooded the Vilcanota and Urumbama river and caused mudslides that made headlines for [...]
Twenty-two hours of flying finally brought me to the city of Buenos Aires. I chose to stop over here for a couple days, just to break up the trip… and enjoy a tango show and some of BA’s fantastic history and architecture. Before the show, I took a tango lesson, and after stepping on my instructor’s toes twice, she told me I was a natural. A day of intense heat [...]
