A thin bar of sand separates the sea from a long circuit of shallow lagoons which serve as a sanctuary for marine life and birds along Uruguay’s eastern shore. Today we drove from Jose Ignacio north to Laguna Rocha, a 72 square kilometer body of water that appears as an endless sheen of blue glass stretching across the horizon. With an average depth of only 3 feet, this UNESCO Biosphere [...]
If you find it hard to sleep in the land of the midnight sun, it won’t be the light keeping you awake. It’ll be the excitement. After all, when you clambered into the Arctic Kingdom convoy of snowmobiles and komatiks (wooden trailers on skis) to head off across the sea ice from Pond Inlet, enroute to its base camp at Sirmilik National Park on Baffin Island, you were launching yourself [...]
Working together with International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA), Adventure Life has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for Galapagos conservation. Like other isolated island groups, the Galapagos Islands face serious challenges for the long-term survival of their marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This video is an excellent reminder on how you can be a responsible traveler during your Galapagos tour.
While on a Galapagos tour or an Antarctica cruise you can literally trip over the wildlife if you’re not paying attention. However, we can all use a little advice on spotting those elusive or skittish species. Having a great guide during your travels is always key, but here are a few other helpful tips to practice when on your wildlife adventure. 1. Get up early — turn in late. Dawn [...]
Lonesome George, the famous Pinta Island tortoise of the Galapagos, has died. George was a beloved icon of the Galapagos Islands and his death comes as a shock to some. Scientists estimated his age at around 100 years which may seem old in human years but is actually middle-aged for giant tortoises who live to be 200 years. George was also the last surviving member of the Pinta Island subspecies [...]
Adventure Life is attending the annual members meeting of the International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) this week. The theme this year is both ambitious and admirable: Defining and Achieving Sustainable Tourism in the Galapagos. Adventure Lifer, Erin Corriea, is attending and she’ll be in fine company — special guests and speakers include Swen Lorenz, Executive Director, Charles Darwin Foundation; Eliecer Cruz, Director, World Wildlife Fund; Oswaldo Rosero, Operations Director, [...]
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 [...]
As of February 2012, Adventure Life travelers have raised over $83,000 for conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. Those are impressive numbers – you should be proud of yourself, I know I sure am! These monies where raised through our Galapagos Traveler-Funding program; a program we launched with IGTOA (International Galapagos Tour Operators Association) in 2006. Here’s where your dollars went in 2011: CDF (Charles Darwin Foundation) received a total [...]
December 3, 2011 We arrived at Macquarie Island about 7am. The sea was calm and the weather was foggy with light mist. We were met by park rangers from the ANARE station for a walk around the Isthmus. The Isthmus was teaming with wildlife including huge male elephant seals, king penguins and rock hoppers. We spent about 2.5 hours on the Isthmus and then took a quick zodiac ride to [...]
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 [...]
