Antarctica Cruise: Drake Passage
Weather: Overcast. 39 degrees F
It was Christmas Eve and my adventure South was truly underway now. The conditions were not so rough that the ship could not make good progress, but never the less there was a small swell which gave the ship a nasty cork screw motion that caught some of us out. Those who were not laid up in bed due to sea sicknesses were able to attend an interesting program of lectures. Christian spoke about Seabirds, Axel about Whales and James about Glaciation and Icebergs. During the day, our ship was surrounded by many seabirds, mostly Southern giant petrels and Cape petrels. Also some of the big Albatrosses were spotted as well, during the day.
Another highlight of this day at sea was the handout of the Wellington boots. These essential items mean our feet will be nice and dry once we reach Antarctica. As the day wore on the swell became less and less until it was quiet calm in the evening, in time for the recap. In the recap Delphine talked about the bio security measures we need to undertake before landing in Antarctica in order not to introduce any aliens (plants seeds); Franz spoke about longitude and latitude while James gave a physical oceanographic explanation for the Antarctic Convergence, which was crossed later that evening after dinner. At midnight it was Christmas Day and we were now in the cold waters of Antarctica, what a Christmas present!
I slept well, but when I awoke in the middle of the night I realized why the bed sheets were made of a textured material: it was to keep me from sliding out of the bed when the ship pitched and rolled its way across the Drakes Passage!
All night the boat shuddered as waves slammed the reinforced hull and the wind blew. Imagine my surprise when the morning announcement stated that our luck had held, and that instead of experiencing the Drakes' Shake, we were on the Drakes' Lake. My vestibular system didn't believe any of it. However, it takes two days of full of sailing to reach the Antarctic Archipelago, so for those who weren't out on deck soaking up the wind and fresh air, or watching the waves from the comfort of the observation lounge, there were lectures on natural history (i.e., glaciers, penguins, whales).
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
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
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.