Région:
Antarctique
Destinations:
Péninsule Antarctique,
Îles Malouines,
Géorgie du Sud
Navire:
m/v Ortelius
Points forts:
Otarie à fourrure antarctique,
Manchot Adélie,
Manchot à jugulaire,
Eléphant de mer austral,
Rorqual commun,
Manchot papou,
Manchot royal,
Léopard de mer,
Gorfou sauteur,
Rorqual boréal,
Baleine australe,
Albatros errant,
Phoque de Weddell,
Cormoran antarctique,
Albatros à tête grise,
Albatros fuligineux,
Chionis blanc
It's difficult to sum up this trip as it was so full of wonderful experiences. I had never visited any of the destinations before and I had no pre-conceptions. We saw such a range of wildlife and visited some really remarkable places. Staff were highly professional throughout, placing appropriate priority on safety, and also on ensuring minimum disturbance to wildlife. Staff were very generous with their time and were engaging.. They were widely knowledgeable and I found I learnt a lot about the polar environment, polar history and the wildlife we were seeing. The weather was quite challenging on the trip which resulted in a need to curtail or miss some landings. Staff always explained why this was clearly and I fully understood the need for changes. Thet were also quick to put on additional talks if required, to use additional time at sea positively.
The stars though of course were the wildlife and the environment. Memories will stay with me for the rest of my life. Not all customers were as happy as I am with the trip. These people, in my opinion, demonstrated a lack of knowledge and appreciation of the polar environment- they were treating the trip as a visit to a theme park!Text