My bucket list trip to the seventh continent was in the making since November of 2022! I watched Mighty Cruise Ships on the Smithsonian Channel, where Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen was featured. It depicted an expedition cruise to Antarctica in the first of its kind “clean” ship. I was enthralled, and at the end of the show, I knew I was going to travel — on that same ship!
Fast forward to November 28, 2023, and I am embarking on this expedition. Two days before, I flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and stayed two days after embarkation so I would have an opportunity to revisit this beautiful city in depth.
Argentina
Tierra Del Fuego is at the tip of Argentina and the southernmost city in the world. The port of Ushuaia was our embarkation point. After our 4 a.m. breakfast call, all 380 expedition members flew from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Before boarding our ship, we visited the Tierra Del Fuego National Park with the Andes as a backdrop. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to explore this picturesque town. Next time, I plan to arrive a day early to explore Ushuaia in depth.
Antarctica
Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen was our expedition vessel, the world’s first hybrid, battery-supported ship. I had a very comfortable and ample cabin with a balcony, which I enjoyed tremendously. The ship felt like home to me. Its size and number of fellow voyagers made it such that in a couple of days, we were starting to make friends and got to know the crew and expedition team members well.
After hearing all about Drake Passage and the infamous “Drake Shake”, we experienced a relatively calm “Drake Lake.” Even the captain mentioned how rare that was. Late into the second sea day, we spotted the first iceberg. That was exciting! As we sailed into the Antarctic Peninsula, the scenery became spectacular. Otherworldly, really. Aside from a few scientists and the abundant wildlife realm, I don't have words to describe how awesome it is to enter this uninhabited continent. Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get better, it did!
We spent five incredible days in Antarctica, with five landings. I got to snowshoe, kayak, explore the beautiful surroundings from the Zodiac, and hike through knee-deep fresh snow among the penguins. There were numerous orcas, minke, and humpback whale sightings, not to mention the many birds we spotted along the way. The expedition team ensured we had a memorable and enriching experience; their enthusiasm and expertise made this an unforgettable journey.
Before heading back across the Drake Passage to the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas), we had the unique opportunity to cross the Lemaire Channel – again! This is unusual in November as many areas are still iced over.
Our last stop was at James Ross Island, where we made an ice shelf landing. The captain maneuvered the ship right up to the ice shelf, and once the expedition team had deemed it safe, we had the opportunity to walk on it. That was another surreal and exciting thing to experience! It was a perfect way to say goodbye to this enchanting and awesome (in the most accurate meaning of the word) continent. Oh, and on our way back, the Ornithologist onboard spotted the elusive Emperor Penguin, so the captain stopped the ship so we could admire this majestic creature.
Falkland Islands
After two days of “Drake Lake” crossing back, we arrived at the Falkland Islands. The scenery was spectacular, and the wildlife was abundant. I saw Gentoo, Rockhopper, Magellanic, and King Penguins. Saunders Island has a vast white sand beach that is full of penguins. There we were, walking on the beach among these beautiful creatures.
Our last day in the Falklands took us to New Island, where we hiked to a spectacular cliff inhabited by thousands of rock-hopping penguins, brown-browed albatrosses, and Antarctic shags. A Macaroni penguin was even spotted, but I didn’t see it. As if this sight wasn’t magnificent enough, the captain made a slight diversion to take us to Jason Island, inhabited by the world's largest colony of brown-browed albatrosses before we arrived. There are 180,000 pairs of them and watching them glide through the sunrise-kissed sky was quite a sight.
This was an extraordinary bucket list adventure. I won’t ever forget it. The expedition crew was fantastic! We had Ornithologists, historians, ice, seals, whale scientists, and a cloud expert. Two guest whale scientists from Argentina and Brazil joined the expedition to collect data and observe the whales. They would report on their findings during our daily lectures. There was also a Science Boat program. Each day after the last briefing for the next day’s activities, we could sign up to accompany scientists on a Zodiac to take water samples and observe the environment.
One of the things I loved most were the lectures in the lecture hall and the science lab. We learned about whales, seals, birds, penguins, glaciers, the Antarctic continent — the land and claim to it, women Antarctic explorers (so many intrepid ones!) and the war in 1982 over the Falklands. We also received a lecture on how to take and edit photos with your phone, given by the professional photographer onboard.
Phew! If you wanted to learn, this was certainly the place to do so!
Traveling Solo
My experience as a woman traveling solo was outstanding. There were about 15 solo travelers onboard. Many of us would sit together during meals or share a drink and a conversation on the observation deck. The expedition team took excellent care of us. They ensured we were paired well during our outings, and I was seated at great tables at the restaurants without having to request it and the restaurant service was superb. This was a significant departure from some previous experiences where if you’re traveling solo, you are summarily ignored.
Overall, traveling with Hurtigruten to this extraordinary continent was a memorable one. Thanks for following my travels and if you have questions, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
Remember to always Experience, Explore, and Enjoy all the wonderful adventures life has to offer!
Learn more about the Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen Antartica adventure and many other destinations on the ships website and to design your own adventure. You won’t regret it!
Comments