I have to be honest. Antarctica never really appealed to me as a beautiful place to visit. I wanted to go there to check off my 6th continent and to see millions of penguins. Snow? Ice? Mountains? Bleh! That had no draw for me.
Having been there, now all I can say is WOW! Magestic is the only word I can find even close enough to describe the INCREDIBLE beauty of Antarctica. The colors seem unreal. The deep blues of the ice, the dark black of the rock. The hundreds of shades of gray that I never knew existed (nor would have ever thought were beautiful).
I was completely blown away by Antarctica's beauty. So what follows are just a few of my favorite shots of this truly amazing area of the world. I swear, if you haven't been there, these don't do it justice!
Beautiful scenery for spotting whales in Wilhelmina Bay (Erin Correia)The most beautiful gray skies I have ever seen in Wilhelmina Bay (Erin Correia)Pleneau Island: Taking a look back at the boat. Puts the grandeur of Antarctica into a nice perspective. (Erin Correia)Pleneau Island: Iceberg Graveyard Sunset (Erin Correia)Amazing sky at Skorntorp Cove in Paradise Harbour (Erin Correia)Another beautiful shot of the gray skies against the icebergs (Erin Correia)Pleneau Island: Dragging our kayaks back to the ship (Erin Correia)Anvord Bay-Neko Harbour: Beautiful views. Hilarious penguins sliding on their bellies! (Erin Correia)Pleneau Island: Iceberg Graveyard (Erin Correia)
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.
