Antarctica cruise review: Ortelius Basecamp December 2023

Highlights: Photo Workshop, Snowshoeing, Mountaineering, Antarctic Camping, Kayaking, Basecamp, Adelie Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin, Gentoo Penguin, Humpback Whale, Killer Whale, Leopard Seal, Wandering Albatross, Weddell Seal, Snow Petrel, Giant Petrel, Shearwater, Antarctic Shag, Pintado Petrel, Long-tailed Jaeger, Storm Petrel

We travelled to Antarctica aboard the MV Ortelius in December 2023 on the Basecamp Expedition. We cannot speak highly enough of the entire voyage and both the vessel crew under Captain Per and the Expedition crew under Team Leader Chris. Chris told us we weren’t on a cruise but an expedition and this was exactly the experience that we wanted and had. Chris did an incredible job given that this was his first time in the expedition leader role, we all enjoyed his early morning wake up call of “Good morning Ortelius, Good morning”. We travelled with our 12 and 14 year old children and all the crew were incredibly helpful in looking after them. A special mention to Maria for watching out for her “babies”, Damian for bringing the hot chocolate, Mary for always smiling and Captain Per for his funny and interesting talks. The Expedition team were all very friendly and worked extremely hard to adapt to changing weather conditions to make sure that we all got to experience all the the Basecamp tour had to offer. The kayaking, mountaineering, camping out, zodiac and snowshoeing were all activities that we will never forget in a truly amazing environment in Antarctica.

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