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 We have chartered an entire ship for our clients only. During our voyage, we will be visiting the most prolific wildlife habitats at each destination, landing as much as possible and spending a luxurious amount of time on shore—even extended shore time for very early morning light or evening alpenglow. And to top off our amazing itinerary, we have scheduled six full days on South Georgia!
During our twenty-four days aboard ship we will explore and photograph a number of almost mythic locations including the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Orkneys, multiple spectacular wildlife areas on South Georgia and some seldom-visited islands in the Falklands, including Steeple Jason Island—the world’s largest albatross colony—home to more than a million nesting black-browed albatrosses.
Depart from home. Day 2 Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and continue to Ushuaia. We gather for a short orientation and dinner this evening at our hotel. (D) Day 3 The morning is free to explore the southernmost city in the world. A bus tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park is optional. In late afternoon we board our ship and set sail for the Falkland Islands. (BLD) Day 4 We start our journey around the “Scotia Arc,” traveling with the prevailing current to the Falkland Islands. We’ll see a variety of birds, including our first black-browed and wandering albatrosses, and thousands of shearwaters and petrels; we also hope to see whales and dolphins. On all our “at sea” days throughout the cruise, there will be photography and natural history discussions and slide presentations, plus, if wind conditions are right, great bird-flight shots can be made on deck. (All meals are included while aboard ship.)
During our three days in the Falklands we make landings on four substantially diverse islands with photogenic rockhopper penguins, beaches dotted with oystercatchers and kelp and upland geese, meadows punctuated with active Magellanic penguin burrows, and exciting black-browed albatross colonies. A highlight is a stop at Steeple Jason Island, where squadrons of black-brows fill the sky, and row upon endless row of lively nests ring the shoreline. Other photo subjects should include striated caracaras, snowy sheathbills, imperial cormorants and a host of other waterbirds. Days 8–10 Departing the Falklands, our ship crosses the Scotia Sea. Although we will be far from land, there is much to see if you are an active wildlife observer on deck, and numerous leader presentations will prepare us for the landings to come. Our course takes us across the Antarctic Convergence, the invisible boundary between the cold Antarctic water and the warmer currents flowing from the South Atlantic. We start to see our first icebergs. Our next landfall is South Georgia, some 800 miles from the Falklands. With favorable weather, we arrive at South Georgia the evening of Day 10.
This absolutely phenomenal island is 102 miles long and 24 miles wide—a mere speck in the vast Southern Ocean. At South Georgia, we’ll repeatedly find ourselves in stunning colonies of king penguins, macaroni penguins and wandering albatrosses. Here, at the most spectacular island on Earth, we’ll usually stop at only one landing site per day, but our experience at these locations will surpass what any other ship will offer to its passengers, without exception. We’ll visit the enormous king penguin colony of the incomparable Salisbury Plain for two very full days, Prion Island in the Bay of Isles for fur seals, wanderers and gentoo penguins, and Hercules Bay for macaronis—and spend a day each at wildlife packed St. Andrews Bay and Cooper Bay for good measure. There are innumerable seals throughout the landing sites including gigantic elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals. The landscape, reminiscent of the last ice age, is dotted with vast glaciers, meltwater streams, alluvial beaches and offshore icebergs.
Days 17–19 We spend this day cruising the South Atlantic en route to Antarctica via the South Orkneys. Icebergs are now a familiar sight and depending on our timing we may choose to cruise the South Orkney’s iceberg graveyard in hopes of photographing a beautiful berg covered with penguins. Days 20–24 The Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetlands will offer photography that will pack these next exciting five days. We will be selecting landings at wildlife and scenic areas only, avoiding national bases and historic sites that have meager wildlife populations. We will visit Paulet Island with its massive Adélie colonies, cruise the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels—the quintessential Antarctic scenery locations—and also land our Zodiacs adjacent to gentoo and chinstrap penguin colonies and loafing beaches. Our leaders will use their experience to select the best areas to optimize our photography and ensure our safety.
We spend these two days at sea, crossing the famous Drake Passage. Cape Horn looms on the horizon as we make our return trip and cruise up the Beagle Channel towards Ushuaia. Day 27 Arriving in Ushuaia, we disembark the ship and transfer to the airport to depart for home. (B) Day 28 Arrive home. 
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Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070 Phone: (206) 463-5383 Fax: (206) 463-5484 Email: info@photosafaris.com Copyright © 2008, Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. |