Here’s the day to day detail of where we went and what we did. There are details of the plans made by Jonathan and Oliver, plus write-ups of each day’s events by the Naturalists and other Expedition staff. There are also a few related video, photo and internet links.

As with everything on this site, reading about it – even with photos & video – only provides a fleeting taste of the experience. The reality was many, many times more exhilarating, enthralling and exhausting!

Details of Our Route

Day 1 – “At Sea”

Shaylyn Potter · Undersea Specialist

Michael Jackson · Naturalist

Last night we waved goodbye to Ushuaia, Argentina, and knew it was the last civilization we would see for more than a week. We’re headed to Antarctica! We awoke on our first sea day to our expedition leader’s voice welcoming us to the Drake Passage. We must’ve brought good karma, because we had uncharacteristically calm seas. We’re on Drake Lake today!

Days at sea are great for enjoying all the amenities offered aboard our vessel, National Geographic Explorer. Explorer is a beautiful ship and offers a gym with ocean views, a sauna, library, chart room, a bistro, and spacious lounge. Some guests took advantage of the free time to book a massage with our wellness specialist—surely a good idea to loosen up our muscles before the upcoming active expedition.

Days on the ship are also a great time to get to know some of the crew members. Let’s meet two very important men, our bar team!

Chris has been as a bar waiter on National Geographic Explorer since 2009 but worked in the industry for many years prior. His favorite trip is to South Georgia because he likes to see all the king penguins and elephant seals. Chris has one son, and when he’s home in the Philippines, he enjoys picking up different jobs throughout the community and going on long drives. Driving for long hours is one of his favorite ways to relax and clear his head. When asked what about him might surprise people, he disclosed that his favorite music is love songs.

Marek, our bar manager, came to Explorer shortly after Chris (they both worked on National Geographic Endeavour before). Marek started out as part of the deck team—he’s a skilled carpenter. Though he likes carpentry, he prefers working behind the bar where he can interact with people and be in the center of the action. Marek has been collecting corks since 1994 and currently has around 320,000! He plans to use the corks to build a replica of a French castle and be listed in “The Guinness Book of Records.”

Day 2 – “Half Moon Island & Iceberg A57a”

Robert Edwards·Naturalist

Aided by exceptionally calm seas and low winds in the Drake Passage, we made landfall in the South Shetland Islands less than 36 hours after departing Ushuaia, Argentina. We spotted our first iceberg at 4:41 a.m., and by breakfast, the excitement for our first landing in Antarctica was radiating through the ship. We were so lucky to have unusually nice weather for these locations and were soon ashore on Robert Point, Robert Island, where a welcoming committee of molting elephant seals greeted us on the beach. Some guests hiked to the top of the ridge for dramatic views of ice, snow, and sea. Both gentoo and chinstrap penguins nest here, as well as some of those living off the chaotic production of the penguin colonies—brown skuas and giant petrels. A small rookery of Antarctic shags (cormorants) dotted the seaward rocks. Lichens, mosses, hair grass, and prasiola (algae) made for a surprisingly colorful patchwork landscape amid the snow and rock.We took a short cruise over to Half Moon Island during lunch, landing on the pebble beaches of the island for either a long hike up the ridge and around the western shore or a direct walk to a chinstrap penguin colony. Those on the hike had exceptional views of the 3,000-foot mountains and tumbling ice of Livingston Island as well as Weddell seals and an aging blue whale jawbone on the southern beach. Chinstrap chicks were well along in their growth rush to fledging size and, like adolescents everywhere, were preoccupied with begging their parents for more food and just a little bit of their own personal space. Come on, mom!New and wonderful things weren’t limited just to the daytime. After dinner, we approached and transited the southern edge of iceberg A57a. A giant tabular berg as can only be seen in Antarctic waters, A57a is more than 12 miles long and 5 miles wide, and separated from the Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf, 960 nautical miles away, in 2008. In dusky evening twilight, we headed toward the Weddell Sea, barely able to digest what we saw and excited for what’s to come.

Day 2 – Landing at Half Moon Island (photo: Rob Edwards)

Day 3 – “Paulet Island & Cockburn Island”

Amy Malkoski · Naturalist/Expedition Diver

Paulet Island is home to a colony of an estimated 100,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, an amazing sight to behold. It’s also the site of a historic hut used for winter shelter during the Nordenskjöld 1901-04 Swedish Antarctic expedition. Seaman Ole Wennersgaard died during that winter and was buried on Paulet Island. His grave marker remains close to the hut.It was a few hours from Paulet Island to Cockburn for our afternoon operations. As we sailed, we came across a blue whale! Our captain said this was the first time he’d seen a blue whale this far into the Weddell Sea—a truly amazing statement from someone so experienced in Antarctica. The whale, unbothered, swam slowly along beside us before we broke away to continue toward our next destination.Cockburn offered the chance for a Zodiac cruise and a short hike along the shore, where we spotted a large colony of blue-eyed shags. The nesting seabirds came and went as we walked among Adélie penguins, giving way to their penguin highways. A truly wonderful day!

An elusive Blue Whale made an appearance (photo: Amy Malkoski)

Day 4 – “Cierva Cove & Hydrurga Rocks”

Adam Cropp · Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

We awoke to a spectacular Antarctic day with blue skies, calm seas, and ice as far as the eye could see.

After breakfast, the ship navigated through thick pack ice into the remarkable Cierva Cove. The Zodiacs were lowered and soon we were out exploring the ice and its myriad of inhabitants.  We encountered leopard seals, multiple species of whale, and the ever-curious gentoo penguins. 

After lunch, we stepped ashore at Hydrurga Rocks and were immediately surrounded by sleeping Weddell seals and chatty gentoos with their large, fuzzy chicks. The chicks were almost ready to leave the nest and start feeding in the rich krill-infested Antarctic waters.

What an amazing day! We can’t wait for what magical Antarctic experiences are in store for us tomorrow.

Spectacular image of a Minke whale (photo: Adam Cropp)

Day 5 – “Lemaire Channel, Antarctic Peninsula”

Andrew Peacock·Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

One of the real privileges of working for Lindblad Expeditions is the opportunity to meet and learn from the Global Perspectives Guest Speakers on each expedition. On this voyage, we are delighted to have climate science journalist Lee Hotz sharing his knowledge with us.

Here he is, experiencing the delight of the polar plunge!

The Polar Plunge! (photo: Andrew Peacock)

I’m not sure it would be possible to pack more activities into an expedition day than we did today! In very pleasant, almost windless conditions under a mostly blue sky, we woke early for a ship cruise through the spectacular Lemaire Channel before breakfast followed by two shore landings with hikes, kayaking, and finally, a polar plunge.

Phew, what a busy day for expedition staff and guests alike

Day 6 – “Neko Harbor & Useful Island”

Michael Jackson · Naturalist

We woke up to another beautiful bluebird day on the white continent. We were in Neko Harbor on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay. Neko Harbor gets its name from a whaling ship that sailed the area in the early 1900s. National Geographic Explorer nosed its way up to the shore. We landed on the mainland to explore the terrain around a gentoo penguin colony with its well-traveled penguin highways.Afterward we used Zodiacs to explore the glaciers and icebergs of Andvord Bay. The clear waters afforded us excellent views of swimming penguins. One glacier was actively calving, and many of us saw large chunks of ice fall from the glacier face into the water, causing mini-tsunamis along the beach. The views around the bay were spectacular with steep-sided mountains and countless glaciers.Many Zodiac cruisers were treated to excellent views of a leopard seal with its reptilian head and sharp teeth. One of the region’s top predators, leopard seals frequently ambush penguins as they come and go, to and from their colony.In the afternoon, we traveled to Useful Island where guests enjoyed both a Zodiac cruise among the glistening icebergs on a glittering sea as well as an onboard presentation on penguins. And just before dinner, we had a magnificent encounter with the other top Antarctic predator—the killer whale. A pod of about 20 were spread out around the ship, some of them coming right up beside it. It was very special to be able to see the white patches beneath the clear water as they swam. Our evening concluded with a presentation by Global Perspectives Guest Speaker Lee Holtz entitled “The Big Melt.”

Gentoo Penguin Highway (photo: Andrew Peacock)

Day 7 – “South Shetland Islands”

Katie Crafts · Naturalist

Today was a magical last day, one that will dance around in our hearts and minds for a long time to come. We began the day sailing into an active caldera, Deception Island, which last erupted in 1969 and wears the scars of its many eruptions inside the main caldera. Intrepid, sweaty hikers climbed to the top of the most recently formed caldera, while others, enjoying a more contemplative pace, explored Caldera Lake. 

In the afternoon, we were serenaded by the Antarctic symphony at Snow Hill: elephant seals belching and scratching during their catastrophic molt, nesting southern giant petrels, and a few wandering chinstrap and gentoo penguins. It was a magical day to take home in our memories as we begin our journey north through the Drake Passage.

The volcanic caldera on Deception Island (Photo: Katie Crafts)

Day 8 – “Drake Passage Northbound”

Bud Lehnhausen · Naturalist

The wonders and good luck never stop. Having had a relatively smooth beginning of the voyage heading across the Drake Passage in calm seas and then spectacular weather during our time along the Antarctic Peninsula, we were expecting a different kind of passage northward at the end of the voyage. But once again we were treated to a smooth ride.

Leaving the South Shetland Islands our evening was restful and there was no reason for a wake-up call in the morning. People got up when they wanted and wandered down to the dining room for breakfast. Some may have even decided to sleep through the day’s first meal.Throughout the day there were opportunities to learn more from the staff and guest presenters. There was also time to look through the gigabytes of images captured during this incredible experience we are just finishing. One objective was to select five images to share with the group and be presented on the last evening at the captain’s farewell cocktails. For many it was difficult to determine which image they found to be most appealing.The day was also a time to reflect on the experience we have all shared. Antarctica is a special part of the world. A mysterious distant land for most people and one that is initially a bit scary, only because of the stories about the Drake Passage and the harrowing exploits of past explorers.

We were fortunate to have had a lovely ocean crossing to and mostly from the peninsula. The weather while experiencing the mountains, icebergs, and wildlife could hardly have been better, and our companionship among all involved will also be a memory that will pass only slowly.

For some, longtime friendships have been formed and will be continued. For those who work for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic we will hopefully see some of these guests again on another voyage discovering some other part of the world on a very special expedition.

A black-browed albatross gliding over the Drake Passage (Photo: Bud Lehnhausen)

Day 9 – “South Shetland Islands”

Peter Puleston · Naturalist

After an entire voyage of largely fine weather and calm seas we awoke to slightly more motion than we had yet experienced. Shortly after 6 a.m. the jagged headland of fabled Cape Horn began to appear out of the mist and low clouds that so often shroud this austere landscape.

Flocks of sooty shearwaters, several species of albatrosses, and tiny storm petrels swarmed over the waves, attracted to their prey in these nutrient-rich waters created here by the upwelling of deep ocean currents.

As our cozy little ship approached to within three miles of the cape we turned eastward and crossed the imaginary line taking us from the South Pacific into the South Atlantic. With the wind now directly behind us, our ride smoothed out as we made our way toward the eastern entrance to the Beagle Channel.Shortly after breakfast our undersea specialist Amy Malkoski presented us with a talk on the biology, life history, and importance of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean food chain. At 10:30 a.m. National Geographic photographer Ken Garrett gave us a very interesting talk on how humans may have first arrived in the Americas. Just before lunch Mike Jackson led a light-hearted Antarctic trivia quiz in the lounge for interested guests and the winning team was awarded with a bottle of champagne.Following chef Sara’s delicious Swedish-themed lunch, Rob Edwards described what it was like working in Antarctica as part of the United States Antarctic Research Program. At 4:45 p.m. our Ushuaia harbor pilot came aboard as we made our way westward along the Beagle Channel. Our final presentation at 5:15 p.m. was a showing of Ken Garrett’s photos taken during this voyage followed by the captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner.

So ended a fabulous adventure down to the ice aboard the National Geographic Explorer. Now we can begin to dream about our next extraordinary expedition to another remote part of this fabulous earth on which we live!

Cape Horn coming into view (Photo: Peter Puleston)