Dates October 19–November 3, 2006 and
October 31–November 15, 2006
Leaders Joe Van Os and Wayne Lynch
Additional leaders added as tour size warrants
Fee $8,495  Triple Cabin
$11,995 Standard Twin
$14,495 Suite
$15,495 Corner Suite
Pricing is for land and cruise only, from Ushuaia, Argentina, based on shared occupancy.
Deposit 25% of the cabin fee
Special Terms and Conditions Apply
A colony of 4,000 breeding pairs of emperor penguins has recently been discovered in the Weddell Sea within close proximity to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Reachable only with an icebreaker and helicopters, the incredible Snow Hill Island colony is undoubtedly the most accessible emperor penguin colony in the world!

Our Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island voyages will be the first of their kind—totally new trips that have never been offered—and we are very excited to present these voyages to our adventurous travelers!

The Snow Hill emperor colony is a fantastic windfall for photographers and nature enthusiasts alike. The distance between Snow Hill Island and our embarkation point of Ushuaia, Argentina is relatively short by virtually all Antarctic cruise standards. Compared to the locations of other emperor colonies in the Weddell Sea, Snow Hill Island is just a “short hop” from South America! This means an expedition to visit these superlative birds will now require half the time and half the cost of former voyages to the Weddell and Ross Sea emperor colonies.

This substantially shorter travel distance, requiring considerably fewer miles of time-consuming icebreaking, allows us to plan these voyages for late October and early November. These dates are significantly earlier than previous emperor penguin expedition cruises and fly-in camping trips, and we’ve timed these trips to see large numbers of photogenic and extremely appealing chicks in several stages of development. With luck, some chicks will still be brooded on their parents’ feet; others may huddle together in huge crèches on the ice.

The emperor, largest of the penguins, is the only bird to breed on the frozen sea—an extraordinary feat of endurance accomplished during the dark, extremely cold Antarctic winter months. Now, as the days grow longer we’ll find them against a stunning backdrop of geometric landfast tabular icebergs. A constant stream of adults will come and go from the colony to the ice floe edge as alternating parents take their lengthy turn foraging for food for their one voracious chick.

Depending on the weather, ice and helicopter flying conditions, we hope to spend portions
of 4 days with emperor penguins—almost twice the emperor time the lengthier Weddell Sea trip itinerary normally has planned! We’ll also attempt to station the ship at the location where the emperors are coming and going from ice to the sea. The birds use the shortest and most direct route possible and, at this time of year, this could be as far as 25 miles or more from the penguin colony! Here, the birds rocket out of the water as they arrive with food and—being wary of predatory leopard seals—form big clusters of birds on the ice edge as they wait to depart for the open ocean. This, alone, is a great photo opportunity.

These trips will also spend time in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula photographing colonies of just arriving Adélie and gentoo penguins, and of course some of the dramatic icescapes at the tip of the peninsula and adjacent islands. At this time of year, if the weather is clear, glowing twilight on the tabular icebergs can be sensational. But spending time with emperors will be our highest priority on this voyage!

Our sturdy ship, the Kapitan Khlebnikov, was built in Finland in 1981 and is one of three vessels of this class. Not simply an ice-reinforced ship, the Kapitan Khlebnikov is a powerful polar-class icebreaker which has sailed to extremely remote corners of the globe with adventurous travelers since 1992. No other expedition vessel has navigated more polar waters!

Now the Kapitan Khlebnikov brings us to another new and exciting destination, the Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island, where warm showers, comfortable beds, great food and genial camaraderie are all part of this extraordinary Antarctic Photo Safari.



Voyage embarking and disembarking in Ushuaia, Argentina.

 Day 1
Depart from home.

 Day 2
Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and continue to Ushuaia. We gather for a short orientation at our hotel. (Dinner is on your own this evening.)

 Day 3
This morning we’ll enjoy a bus tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park. In its mountain, beech forest and intertidal habitats we’ll search for wildlife including Andean condors, black-chested buzzard-eagles, caracaras, several species of geese and ducks, great grebes, and a broad spectrum of Tierra del Fuego’s land birds. In late afternoon we board the Kapitan Khlebnikov and set sail down the famous Beagle Channel for Antarctica! (BLD)

 Days 4–5
At sea. We begin to get familiar with Kapitan Khlebnikov shipboard life. We’ll see a variety of birds, including black-browed and
wandering albatrosses, and thousands of shearwaters and petrels; we also hope to see whales and dolphins. On these “at sea” days, there will be photography and emperor penguin natural history discussions; plus, if wind conditions are right, great bird-flight shots can be made on deck. With clear weather we may pass within sight of Elephant Island. (All meals are included while aboard ship.)

 Day 6
We cruise through famous “Iceberg Alley” in the Antarctic Sound on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. This 30-mile-long, 7.5-mile-wide channel funnels
hundreds of icebergs, of all shapes and sizes. Then, having reached the Weddell Sea we’ll see giant tabular icebergs that have broken off the nearby ice shelf. Join our expedition team as they recount the region’s dramatic history. Learn the incredible story of the 1902 Swedish expedition led by Otto Nordenskjöld—and, of course, Ernest Shackleton’s miraculous Endurance expedition. Before finally landing with his icebound shipwrecked crew on Elephant Island, Snow Hill Island was Shackleton’s first landfall target! Unable to reach Snow Hill, he then set his sights on Paulet Island. But passing Paulet, they finally reached Elephant Island in a miraculous last-chance landing.

Days 7–10
As we approach the region of the Snow Hill emperor penguin colony, the Captain and Expedition Leader rely on reconnaissance helicopter flights to assess the best possible approach to the colony. This will be an extended visit to the region. The goal is to offer photographers and naturalists as much time as possible at the colony. Based on ice conditions, we plan to position the ship as close as possible to the colony before beginning a helicopter shuttle operation. Following well-established guidelines for aircraft operation near Antarctic wildlife concentrations, our team takes painstaking care not to jeopardize the integrity of the colony. The time ashore in the colony will depend on how close the ship can get to the colony, daily weather conditions and helicopter flight safety rules. We’ll also attempt to station the ship at the location where the emperors are coming and going between the ice and the sea. If successful, this positioning could give us an incredible amount of additional time with the birds at the floe edge throughout these days!

Days 11–12
The Antarctic Sound separates the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula from Joinville Island, and runs from the Erebus and Terror Gulf to Bransfield Strait. Depending on time
spent in the emperor colony we hope to set foot on the Antarctic Continent at either Hope Bay or Brown Bluff for the first time during the expedition. We’ll see and photograph two additional species of penguins during visits to an Adélie and a gentoo colony. Like the emperor penguin, the Adélie is a true Antarctic penguin, breeding nowhere else than Antarctica. The gregarious gentoo penguin has a more cosmopolitan distribution, breeding in Antarctica and on many sub-Antarctic islands that dot the Southern Ocean.

Days 13–14
We spend these 2 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 15
Arriving in Ushuaia, we disembark the ship and transfer to the airport to depart for home.

 Day 16
Arrive home.
About the Vessel
The Kapitan Khlebnikov is an icebreaker built in Finland in 1981. Passengers are accommodated in outside cabins and suites, all with private facilities. Twin cabins and suites have two lower berths, a desk and large closets. Public areas include two dining rooms, lounge and bar, auditorium, indoor swimming pool, library, shop, small infirmary, exercise room and sauna. The navigation bridge is almost always open to visitors. Russian officers and crew are highly experienced in polar navigation and European chefs prepare international cuisine using provisions from around the world. Sturdy Zodiac landing craft and a helicopter complete the equipment. The ship meets all international SOLAS and environmental standards.





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.