Several Antarctic cruise ships travel to the Amundsen Sea continental shelf, which is one of the most remote areas of coastal Antarctica. Nils Larsen gave the sea its name during an expedition in 1929 after Ronald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer who led the first team to reach the South Pole in 1911. The Amundsen is an arm of the Southern Ocean that lies off the coast of Marie Byrd Land between Cape Dart and Suple Island. The majority of the sea is covered by the Thwaites Ice Tongue, which is a large sheet of glacial ice and snow that extends from the mainland of Antarctica into the southern portion of the Amundsen Sea.
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
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.