South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula

Posted by Chris Hipgrave on December 6, 2016 in Adventure | 1 Comment

After 2 weeks of exploring South Georgia and the Antarctic peninsula, we crossed the Drake Passage, made a pit stop at Cape Horn where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, and then headed into Puerto Williams to resupply and change a few guides and guests. The past few weeks have been nothing short of incredible and I’ve run out of metaphors to describe what we have seen down here.

South Georgia was a wild wind blown place with male Fur Seals littering beaches by the hundreds, all waiting for their potential mates to come ashore. These feisty buggers were not to be messed with. The highlight for me was sitting in the middle of a colony of King Penguins estimated to be close to 10,000 or more. We also took the time to hike some of Earnest Shackletons trail from Stromness to Grytviken and then raise a glass and make a toast at his grave.

Onto Antarctica and the edge of the Antarctic circle. Here, glaciers drop directly into the ocean with bergs and sea ice everywhere, making kayaking logistics challenging at times. We got to spend close to 20 minutes with an inquisitive Leopard Seal, see several massive fin whales and an abundance of other wildlife. The scale the mountains and glaciers is hard to comprehend.

Once refueled, it’s back across the Drake Passage and into Antarctica for more adventures in this intoxicating environment. We’re hoping to explore the Aitcho Islands and visit Hydrurga Rocks and the Almirante Brown Research Station among others.