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Astounding Antarctica in Mid-December!

Standing over 400 meters of ocean on "fast ice".
Standing over 400 meters of ocean on "fast ice".
My husband and I traveled to Argentina and 10 magical days in Antarctica aboard L'Austral by Ponant. I reached 65° south, saw my first wild penguins and added two more continents to the list with only Australia to go! We enjoyed our luxury experience, the beautiful scenery of the endless ocean in sight, and amazing French food! I could not feel more honored to have crossed this continent off my list!
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Photo Album

First landing! Posted up next to a penguin rookery.
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Aboard L'Austral cruising through the Weddell Sea.
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In the bridge, watching the captain and crew navigate L'Austral through ice fields.
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Continental landing! This was continent number 6 for me and number 5 for my husband, Grant.
Excursions are Everything!
Lots of things about this adventure were great, but can you blame me if I say that this was by far my favorite aspect? I mean it helped that our expedition guides were cool, but I think it made a world of difference that our captain and our expedition leader both had a sense of adventure at the center of their hearts. The whole ship made us feel …
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Our stateroom aboard L'Austral.
Cruising With Ponant
Cruising with Ponant is a great experience. Every room is equipped with its own beverage center spanning from a wide variety of teas to "make your own cocktails" mini bar. All was included and restocked daily! Many fine spirits and wines were also complementary and every time we came back from an excursion, the crew would have some warm …
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A glance at the restaurant on deck 2.
The Food
Food, on any cruise, speaks to the overall quality of the experience and is an essential part of the adventure- even more so when that food is the only option available for hundreds of miles. Cuisine provides cruise ships an opportunity to showcase their level of sophistication and luxury. Of course, French influence was apparent through each and …
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A few penguins on an iceberg in the Weddell Sea.
The Info
A key aspect of the enjoyment behind this cruise for me was being well informed. I liked the daily programs they would pass out the night before, giving us a run down on scheduled events. This leaflet had everything-- information on the expected weather forecast, including wind speed and sunrise/sunset times. It had our approximate location with a …
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Ushuaia's waterfront and St. Christopher's Shipwreck.
The Pre and Post
To get to Antarctica requires a lot of travel. As the crow flies, it’s a little under 10,000 miles from Missoula, Montana. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and looking back, I wish we would have spent more time exploring some of the miles in between. If we hadn’t been hemmed in by two weeks notice and Christmas travel plans we …
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A chinstrap penguin on Half Moon Island.
This One's for the Animals!
Wildlife is such a huge part of this destination’s appeal! Penguins were a favorite for me. It helped that this is the first time having seen them. Before, I had only ever seen them in a zoo and man was this a different experience. These guys are just a species that you need to experience in the wild (actually I think that of all species). …
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A tabular iceberg while crossing the Drake.
The Drake
The Drake Passage is the body of water between the end of South America and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It is the southernmost point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet. It’s average depth is around 11,000 meters, which is very deep relatively speaking.

The days at sea were disorienting. Time was irrelevant and …
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Stunning colors in Lemaire Channel; a strait off Antarctica.
This One's for the Ice!
The other large aspect of this destination is the ice. Who knew ice was so cool (pun intended)!? Before this trip, I had not experienced this staple of the polar. The farthest north or south I’d been before this trip was 58 degrees north and it was during its meltiest period. I have seen a couple glaciers, but they have been small, very …
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Penguin colony on Orne Island.
Tourism in Antarctica and its future
Tourism in Antarctica began in the 1950’s. It was exclusive and expensive. In the early 1990s, there were around 5,000 tourists visiting Antarctica and in 1991, seven private tour operators came together and formed a group you might have heard of today, IAATO- International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Jumping ahead, the …
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