At Yankee Harbor, I had the chance to experience something I had not experienced during my last trip to Antarctica - encounters with Elephant Seals!
We arrived at one end of the harbor and made our way with the guides on a walk along the shoreline. As we went, they taught us about the geology, history and ecology of the landing site. We examined a dead penguin carcass and saw a few more lives ones waddle by.
We reached the other end of the harbor where the shoreline was covered in wildlife. Gentoo penguins had set up several colonies, and the parents were hard at work sitting on their nests. As we drew closer, we noticed that almost every nest was full. There were a few with eggs still, but mostly, every parent was sitting on one or two chicks! They were adorable and ranged in size from super tiny to over a foot tall. Some lucky parents had two hatchlings, but most only had one. We watched the daily routine take place as one parent made the journey between sea and nest to deliver food to the little ones. It was great!
Right along side the colonies of penguins were piles of giant elephant seals. While a few had the giant noses you envision, many of the smaller ones did not. But that did not prevent them from making the most incredible caucauphany of sounds! It was one of the strangest noises I have ever heard. Sort of like a crazy, deep bubbling of gases. It was non-stop the whole time we were there!
Our two favorite moments at Yankee Harbor came from the wildlife. First, we watched as en elephant seal made his was from one side of a penguin colony (where he was all alone) to the other side to join a giant pile of his friends. Rather than going around, he went directly through the colony. He was massive compared to the penguins, and we thought, for sure, at least one penguin would be crushed or one nest destroyed as he flopped his way through the crowd. To our amazement, he made it through casualty-free! When he got to the pile of seals on the other side, he didn’t just take his place on the edge of the group, but rather, forcibly flopped his way into the center-top of the pile. The whole process took about 10-15 minutes and was hilarious to watch.
The second moment was a bit of dark humor. It was an incredibly windy day - to the point that you had to brace yourself as you walked forward in order not to be blown backwards. As we were standing watching the seals, we watched a giant dead penguin carcass blow across the beach and completely take out a live penguin who was making his way to the shore!
At the end of our visit to Yankee Harbor, the more hearty passengers on board were given the chance to do a polar plunge. They stripped down on the beach and ran into the water, then ran back out. They did this one at a time. I have already experienced a polar plunge in Antarctica - and I felt like my last experience was a better one. It was off the side of the ship where you were actually jumping into the ocean, you had to swim a distance, and then, once you got out, you could run right into the hot tub or shower. These people had to run into the water from zero-depth (I never would have made it past my ankles), they were running in where the water was full of penguin and seal droppings (no thank you!) and then they had to come back out, freezing and soaking wet, wait for everyone else to go, and then ride a zodiac for 20 minutes back to the boat before they could get dry or warm. I decided my previous plunge was more than enough to check that off my bucket list and decided to take a nice, dry, warm ride back to the ship, fully clothed instead!
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
2 days ago
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
3 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.