Reflections from the Bottom of the WorldAntarctica Cruise: Drake Passage Again
Weather: Calm, overcast. 36 degrees F
. . . Another pleasant day aboard the M/V Ortelius. Due to the mild winds the large albatrosses remained shy, but a large number of tubenoses, including Light-mantled, Black-browed and Grey-headed albatrosses; Giant, Cape and Storm petrels followed the vessel all day. The presence of hundreds of birds - most of them cape petrels - was unequivocal proof of the abundance of food around the Antarctic Convergence. There were blows on the horizon during all morning, but the whales were not easy to identify, most falling into the ''unidentified'' category, but finally around midday a few could see some Fin, Humpback and Minke whales at close range, opportunities used to learn about diving behavior and immersion patterns, essential for cetacean identification.
Lectures on Geology, Antarctic Oasis and on the life of polar explorer E. Shackleton were offered by the staff specialists during the afternoon.
Making good speed, the Captain set course to Cape Horn with hopes that the Chilean authorities would allow MV Ortelius to make an approach tomorrow at noon. At recap in the bar, Delphine offered a review of the different seals species we encountered during the voyage and also played some underwater sound recordings of Weddell seals. Axel showed pictures from the past showing both the whaling activities like the British exploration times in the volcano. By dinner time MV Ortelius continued her course towards Cape Horn, rolling softly over gentle waves. After dinner our Sunday movie in the lecture room was ''Encounters at the end of the world''.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 day ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
2 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
4 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.