My Journey to Antarctica: detailed journal, info, photos (Nat Geo Explorer)

A year before my partner and I journeyed to Antarctica (this past Jan/Feb) aboard the National Geographic Explorer, I began a blog to chronicle our preparations for that trip and then document the expedition itself. Needless to say, it was an extraordinary adventure.

I have finally put the finishing touches on the journal, which you can view at the link below. In addition to my detailed, photographic day-by-day accounts, there is information along the way about our gear choices, clothing, and other preparations. I hope that this information will be useful to others planning a trip to the White Continent.

Please enjoy!

http://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

Wonderful trip report! Great pictures, informative (and funny) texts, good job and thank you so much for sharing.

Your blog/journal is beautifully done. Your photos and writing tell a great story. I'm three months out from my journey to Antarctica and in the preparation phase. After a day spent at REI, I have almost all of my clothing. Like you, I use a Nikon 18-200 as my go to lens. I'm thinking very seriously about getting a longer lense for the journey.

Thanks for taking the time to chronicle your trip.

Wow! I just spent the past couple hours reading your entire blog. All your agonizing over cameras was worth it! What an incredible trip you had.

I do not have an elderly aunt so this may be as close as I get to going to Antarctica. However you have made me want to go more than ever.

We just spent three weeks in New Zealand and its beauty blew us away. Antarctica would do the same.

Thank you so much for sharing your adventure.

Thank you everyone for such kind words, I appreciate them very much!

Your blog/journal is beautifully done. Your photos and writing tell a great story. I'm three months out from my journey to Antarctica and in the preparation phase. After a day spent at REI, I have almost all of my clothing. Like you, I use a Nikon 18-200 as my go to lens. I'm thinking very seriously about getting a longer lense for the journey.

 

Thanks for taking the time to chronicle your trip.

Thank you!

If getting a longer lens is an option for you, I would highly recommend it. I am extremely glad that I brought the 18-300mm; I would never have gotten the images of the birds in flight or many of the seals and penguins on icebergs without it. For those sorts of shots, the difference between 200mm and 300mm is huge. (Even better would be 400mm, but then you are talking about some big, heavy gear.)

Have a wonderful trip! (We got the largest member rebate we've ever gotten from REI after our Antarctica purchases. :))

A fabulous read Turtle. Of all the shots - the absolute thumbs up goes to the series of humpback breach shots !!! Great job !!

Simply amazing, thanks so much for sharing this! DH and I are considering a similar voyage with National Geographic/Lindblad, so this is really helpful to us.

A year before my partner and I journeyed to Antarctica (this past Jan/Feb) aboard the National Geographic Explorer, I began a blog to chronicle our preparations for that trip and then document the expedition itself. Needless to say, it was an extraordinary adventure.

 

I have finally put the finishing touches on the journal, which you can view at the link below. In addition to my detailed, photographic day-by-day accounts, there is information along the way about our gear choices, clothing, and other preparations. I hope that this information will be useful to others planning a trip to the White Continent.

 

Please enjoy!

 

http://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much for sharing your incredible journey! Your story, and the beautiful pictures, are inspiring! Now, more than ever, I want to go to Antarctica! I hope you will publish other blogs about your cruises so we can follow along on more of your adventures.

A year before my partner and I journeyed to Antarctica (this past Jan/Feb) aboard the National Geographic Explorer, I began a blog to chronicle our preparations for that trip and then document the expedition itself. Needless to say, it was an extraordinary adventure.

 

I have finally put the finishing touches on the journal, which you can view at the link below. In addition to my detailed, photographic day-by-day accounts, there is information along the way about our gear choices, clothing, and other preparations. I hope that this information will be useful to others planning a trip to the White Continent.

 

Please enjoy!

 

http://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much for your excellent blog & amazing photos! We are looking at an expedition trip to Antarctica with Falkland & South Georgia islands next year so have lots of planning to do.

Have been advised that the best time to go for photography as most sunny days with least rain etc. is mid December to mid January ...anyone have any thoughts on this? Garry is a mad keen photographer & sunny days make for much better photos than overcast & dull, I'm keen to see the most wild-life & seems early Jan is best time for this?

Also, looking at previous posts it seems that the ships with around 100 passengers seem to get the most landing time? These ships seem to be a lot more expensive so I guess it's a case of cost v's time on the ice??

Happy to hear any advice from those that have been before...

Cheers,

G&G :):cool:

We did Ushuaia -Antarctica - South Georgia - Falklands - Buenos Aires on Hurtigruten's Fram in February/March 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. There was just under 200 of us on board but we never felt rushed or short changed on landings: there's always plenty to see on deck if you're not ashore!

Fram does this trip as its last Antarctic trip of the season and does the reverse itinerary on the first trip. There are usually a couple of trips during the season that might satisfy your needs. Fram is an excellent compromise on cost/size/luxury and we're so happy with the package that we're going back to Antarctica on her in three months time having also taken the Svalbard circumnavigation last August.

As for photography, the light was good to excellent pretty much all of the time and I came back with 4000+ images. If you decide to go you may wish to consider taking a fairly long lens: I had a Sigma 150-500 that was more than worth its weight and I now have a Sigma 50-500 for the extra flexibility at the short end.

Wildlife is wall-to-wall even at the end of the season and you won't be disappointed. Try, for example, 16000 king penguins at Fortuna Bay, South Georgia within touching distance (you can't approach them closer than five metres, but they've not been given the same instructions!) or a leopard seal dismembering a couple of gentoo penguins alongside the ship at Port Lockroy.

Just to complete the trip, consider adding on Iguazu Falls at the end and visiting both sides: stunning!. Taking the side trip at the end is better than at the beginning as if you are delayed in getting to Buenos Aires for the start of the Antarctic trip (Iguazu - Buenos Aires flights have a reputation for changes), and you miss departure, there are no ports on the itinerary to get to to catch up with the ship!

Thank you so much for your excellent blog & amazing photos! We are looking at an expedition trip to Antarctica with Falkland & South Georgia islands next year so have lots of planning to do.

 

Have been advised that the best time to go for photography as most sunny days with least rain etc. is mid December to mid January ...anyone have any thoughts on this? Garry is a mad keen photographer & sunny days make for much better photos than overcast & dull, I'm keen to see the most wild-life & seems early Jan is best time for this?

To complete digitl's experience, I have also been to Antarctica with MS Fram, in early February 2009. The trip was to the Polar Circle so no South Georgia. We had glorious weather all through the trip (except maybe one snowy day) and we saw plenty of wildlife.

You can see my pictures on my blog starting here : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2011/02/au-sud-du-sud-jour-1.html

(mostly pictures, and a bit of text in French only which you can ignore or google-translate).

The weather is highly unpredictible from day to day (even from hour to hour) and even the cloudy days can give for spectacular picture opportunities. Planning a trip with a weather in mind seems a highly risk bet. Better plan on where you want to go, what you want to see, which ship/company might better suits your need.

My experience and satisfaction with MS Fram was very similar to what digitl describes, so much that I am also going back to Antarctica with them next month! ;) And it is a trip that includes Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula as well, this year they have a few more trips with these destinations so you can check out the catalog for 2014/2015 . It is a well balanced program because there are 5 full days planned along the Antarctic peninsula (many programs including Falklands and S.Georgia spend less days there) and the price was "decent" when booking early (as far as decent prices go when Antarctica is concerned).

I haven't actually read anyone disappointed with their Antarctica trip, so everybody will tell you that their ship/company was the best ;) It won't help you so much with your choice, but the good news is you can't really go wrong.

To complete digitl's experience, I have also been to Antarctica with MS Fram, in early February 2009. The trip was to the Polar Circle so no South Georgia. We had glorious weather all through the trip (except maybe one snowy day) and we saw plenty of wildlife.

You can see my pictures on my blog starting here : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2011/02/au-sud-du-sud-jour-1.html

(mostly pictures, and a bit of text in French only which you can ignore or google-translate).

 

The weather is highly unpredictible from day to day (even from hour to hour) and even the cloudy days can give for spectacular picture opportunities. Planning a trip with a weather in mind seems a highly risk bet. Better plan on where you want to go, what you want to see, which ship/company might better suits your need.

 

My experience and satisfaction with MS Fram was very similar to what digitl describes, so much that I am also going back to Antarctica with them next month! ;) And it is a trip that includes Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula as well, this year they have a few more trips with these destinations so you can check out the catalog for 2014/2015 . It is a well balanced program because there are 5 full days planned along the Antarctic peninsula (many programs including Falklands and S.Georgia spend less days there) and the price was "decent" when booking early (as far as decent prices go when Antarctica is concerned).

 

I haven't actually read anyone disappointed with their Antarctica trip, so everybody will tell you that their ship/company was the best ;) It won't help you so much with your choice, but the good news is you can't really go wrong.

Thanks SarniaLo, the prices for Fram do seem to be quite reasonable & have read many good reports about them on CC. We have also been looking at Quark & national Geographic. There seem to be soooo many companies to choose from I wonder how many ships are at the same place at the same time?

Would love to hear how your December cruise goes as that looks like the one we would like to do in December 2014

Cheers,

G&G :):cool:

...I wonder how many ships are at the same place at the same time?

My understanding is that there should be only one ship at any location at any one time as they have to 'book' in advance.

Just to add to SarniaLo's observation on planning and expectations: planning around weather is fairly pointless, as is expecting to see anything in particular or visiting any location in particular. If you take the trip you will hear the same phrase repeated in every briefing: 'we hope to...'.

Nothing is guaranteed on an Antarctic trip other than that you will come away with a big grin and a desire to return (and a hole in your wallet!).

My understanding is that there should be only one ship at any location at any one time as they have to 'book' in advance.

I understand the same.

You can maybe check IAATO's website for more information :

http://iaato.org/home

And here is the list of IAATO's approved ships:

http://iaato.org/iaato-member-vessels

There are about 30 ships overall in the C1 (Traditional expedition ships that carry 13-200 passengers and are making landings) and C2 (Mid-size vessels that carry 201-500 passengers and are making landings) category.

 

Nothing is guaranteed on an Antarctic trip other than that you will come away with a big grin and a desire to return (and a hole in your wallet!).

The line of the day !!!!!

Agree with all.

Yes the expedition companies obtain permits for their time slots up to two seasons in advance so it's all designed to ensure minimum human impact in each region.

Definitely don't presume you are booking a "sunny time of year". The weather changes hourly and clouds will ensure you the far more stunning sunrise sunset shots that we all end up coveting.

A cloudy grey day can also produce amazing berg shots as the white berg stands out against the darkened water and sky.

My advice is to just choose the length of time itinerary that fits in your budget. There really are no expedition ships that get consistently bad reviews and more often than not the complaints are by people who travelled with the wrong expectations.

For me - I sailed with Quark for 30 days in 2010 and again another 30 days in 2011 and am heading back there with them again in February. So they are my recommendation but as I haven't sailed with anyone else - that will obviously be a bias :)

Awesome write up on your trip Turtles06! I am headed to Antarctica this December and I am really stressing out about the baggage limit on the charter flight. Did they weigh your checked and carry on luggage before the flight? Were they very strict?

Thanks!

A year before my partner and I journeyed to Antarctica (this past Jan/Feb) aboard the National Geographic Explorer, I began a blog to chronicle our preparations for that trip and then document the expedition itself. Needless to say, it was an extraordinary adventure.

 

I have finally put the finishing touches on the journal, which you can view at the link below. In addition to my detailed, photographic day-by-day accounts, there is information along the way about our gear choices, clothing, and other preparations. I hope that this information will be useful to others planning a trip to the White Continent.

 

Please enjoy!

 

http://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

Awesome write up on your trip Turtles06! I am headed to Antarctica this December and I am really stressing out about the baggage limit on the charter flight. Did they weigh your checked and carry on luggage before the flight? Were they very strict?

 

Thanks!

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and thank you for your kind words. I can't speak to the checked bags on the charter (ours never exceeded the weight limit and we were never worried about them), but I was totally stressed out about the weight limit for carry ons on the charter, needlessly as it turned out. Here's what I wrote on my blog for the BA to Ushuaia flight:

And, guess what?! After all the grief that Lindblad had put us through over weight limits for our carry on bags on the charter, NO ONE weighed anything. In fact, there wasn’t even a scale in sight. (It struck me that since Lindblad was chartering the plane, perhaps something better could have been worked out over the carry ons that would have spared folks all that needless worry.)

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/day-two-flight-to-ushuaia-and-embarkation/

It was the same on the return charter back to BA-- no one was weighing anything, there were no scales around. But I suppose they could have. Late in our planning, I got advice from a Nat Geo photographer to just make sure that your carry on does not look too big (and in fact, in Ushuaia, it looked like the LAN agents might have been eye-balling stuff). So we each took a back pack (not a massive one) and stuffed it with the valuables that we don't put in checked bags/camera gear/electronics/stuff we wanted to have on the flight. Lindblad told me that cameras did not count toward the weight limit, and that if they tried to weigh our carry on, we should insist on taking out the cameras first. (I was ready to stuff lenses in my pockets.:))

As I noted in my blog, this is Lindblad's charter, and I really think it's one aspect of the trip where they need to do a better job.

Have a great time! I'm happy to answer any other questions.

Awesome, thank you so much! I would agree that the weight limit part is a major issue and something that I agree they need to work on. And being a charter flight and all, why do they really care that much. Maybe less weight passengers bring the less Lindblad has to pay. The flight cost me $800 which was not included in the cost of the trip!! That makes me mad how they do that. If its required then just include it in the price. Anyways, seems like there should be minimal or no restrictions on weight on an expensive charter flight. Thanks again for your info and blog! I am hoping to make a nice video of the trip like I did on a recent trip to Iceland (you can see it here

Awesome, thank you so much! I would agree that the weight limit part is a major issue and something that I agree they need to work on. And being a charter flight and all, why do they really care that much. Maybe less weight passengers bring the less Lindblad has to pay. The flight cost me $800 which was not included in the cost of the trip!! That makes me mad how they do that. If its required then just include it in the price. Anyways, seems like there should be minimal or no restrictions on weight on an expensive charter flight. Thanks again for your info and blog! I am hoping to make a nice video of the trip like I did on a recent trip to Iceland (you can see it here

)

Well, in fairness to Lindblad, there have to be overall weight limits on a plane. One thing they explained to me is that the charter from BA is used by them to bring a lot of goods down to Ushuaia for the ship. But I think there needs to be a happy medium, and if the carry ons really aren't going to be weighed but just eyeballed for size (if that), then tell pax what the size limits are.

If I recall correctly, the charters were priced separately from the expedition; you could travel to Ushuaia on your own if you wanted to, you didn't need to take the charter.

Ah that makes sense, I can see how they would use the flight to bring supplies to the ship. When I booked they just automatically charged me for the flight and did not mention it. When I looked at my billing it was $800 more than the cost of the trip. I called them and asked what it was and they said it was the flight. The should tell people up front that they have the option.

One last question for you... On average, how much time did you, or can you, spend on the land? Are they just quick 1 hour landings or can you spend a couple hours out there?

Thank you!

Well, in fairness to Lindblad, there have to be overall weight limits on a plane. One thing they explained to me is that the charter from BA is used by them to bring a lot of goods down to Ushuaia for the ship. But I think there needs to be a happy medium, and if the carry ons really aren't going to be weighed but just eyeballed for size (if that), then tell pax what the size limits are.

 

If I recall correctly, the charters were priced separately from the expedition; you could travel to Ushuaia on your own if you wanted to, you didn't need to take the charter.

One last question for you... On average, how much time did you, or can you, spend on the land? Are they just quick 1 hour landings or can you spend a couple hours out there?

 

Thank you!

Each landing group was typically given a couple of hours on each landing. We never really felt rushed ashore, except at Port Lockroy as I noted in my blog, where we did not have that much time.

I just want to say the review and photos were amazing. Thank You!

An incredible video and blog by Chris Stanley of Amber Pacific Studios. Enjoy!!

http://amberpacificstudios.com/2014/01/12/antarctica-expedition/

An incredible video and blog by Chris Stanley of Amber Pacific Studios. Enjoy!!

 

http://amberpacificstudios.com/2014/01/12/antarctica-expedition/

Incredible!! Thanks so much for sharing that!!!