  Antarctica
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 971 Antarctica Tips.1882 Antarctica Photos. Antarctica Pages by toonsarah
| Page Views: 1,911 Last Visit to Antarctica: February, 2003 | Antarctica by toonsarah - last update: Jan 27, 2007 |
Getting there
You can't just hop on a plane to the Antarctic! So while cruising might not be your cup of tea, for this "holiday of a lifetime" it's worth considering. We chose a trip on one of the larger cruise ships - it may feel less close to nature, and you have to wait longer for your turn to go ashore, but on the other hand there's plenty to do on board while you wait, and the costs are considerably lower. And as this may well be the most expensive trip you'll go on, that's a major consideration. |
|  | Penguins Step on shore anywhere and you'll immediately be hit by the sound, sight and incredible smell of the penguins! They look just as great as they do on TV, but no nature programme can prepare you for that smell - although if you ate nothing but fish and spent most of the day standing in one spot, you might make your patch rather smelly too!
We were told by our guides to obey the 5 metre rule: don't go any closer than that to any wildlife (and 15 metres from a leopard seal). But no one's taught the penguins that rule, and they'll come close enough that you'll get some great shots. Some even posed for us! |
Icebergs Possibly the most amazing thing about the Antarctic is the colour of the icebergs. You thought ice was white, right? Wrong :)
The icebergs are streaked with all shades of blue and turquoise, as you can see from the photo. I never tired of watching them. They drift along quite slowly and looking very stable, then can suddenly flip on their side. We learnt that this is caused by the ice below the water line being gradually eroded and changing the balance. It was also fun to watch the penguins sliding off them onto the sea. Quite a few times too we saw a leopard seal basking on the ice, looking much more benign than their fiercesome reputation would suggest. | | |
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| Pros: | "Getting closer to nature than you ever thought possible" | | Cons: | "The cost!" | | In A Nutshell: | "Dramatic scenery and incredibly cute penguins!" |
toonsarah's Antarctica Travel Tips
 Comments for toonsarah about Antarctica | | | | |
kyoub Thu Mar 6, 2008 15:57 UTC
Exciting experience, great photos, very interesting. The gentoo penguins are starting to migrate to the islands off Ushuaia. They must have heard that it is a bit warmer there. | volopolo Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:27 UTC
Nice pictures! Is it cold here? volopolo | Nemorino Fri Dec 7, 2007 23:15 UTC
Fascinating tips and photos! I've never taken a cruise either, but for Antarctica I'm sure it would be worth it. I never knew there were so many different kinds of icebergs. Over here we had a TV special about the Scott expedition not long ago. | richiecdisc Tue Dec 4, 2007 20:35 UTC
Great write up, Sarah. I can almost smell those penguins. ;) Love the surrealistic Lemaire Channel photo. Martini tasting? Sounds dangerous. ;=> |
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