I wasn’t sure what I would be most infatuated when visiting Antarctica, but I don’t think penguins crossed my mind as a front-runner. But once we saw them I found them totally fascinating and funny and found that I could happily sit and watch them for hours. Counting our Martillo Island excursion, we saw 4 species of penguins, King, Magellanic, Chinstrap, and Gentoo. Once on the Antarctic Peninsula, we primarily saw Gentoos and Chinstraps. Since we traveled in March most of the penguin populations had returned to the sea for the season. I was still impressed with the numbers but I can only imagine what travelers who go earlier in the season experience. The chicks were juveniles by the time we visited and had lost their downy feathers, so while they weren’t the cute fluffy chicks some people plan their trip around, they were the awkward, curious teenager. This made for a lot of funny interactions. Their awkwardness on land is trumped by their grace in the water. One of my favorite things to see was when they would porpoise past us in the water. They are made to missile through the water in search of fish.
Martillo Island penguins! (Molly Stanko)
Here are some penguin facts that might surprise you:
A group of penguins in the water is called a 'raft' – a group of penguins on land is called a waddle.
Gentoo penguins are the fastest species – they can reach swimming speeds up to 22 mph. Most penguins manage speeds of between 4-7mph
Penguins will mate with the same member of the opposite sex season after season.
Scientists can locate large penguin colonies from space, just by looking for dark ice patches stained by penguin droppings.
Chinstrap penguins return to land to nest 2 weeks after most other species. This leaves only higher up areas available for nesting. They will actually hike, using their beaks like pickaxes, as high as 1,500 vertical feet.
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.
