Patagonia, The Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica 2022
Patagonia
The story so far. Back in 2019, I made the decision to book the ultimate photographic trip to Antarctica. This was after watching many inspiring documentaries about the wildlife there and a desire to visit somewhere truly unique.
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Originally due to travel in 2020, the voyage was cancelled due to the ship operator going into administration, but I was able to rebook for the same time. This was before Covid was around. Covid resulted in the voyage being cancelled, with the rebooked trip the following year also cancelled for the same reasons. Finally in November 2022, I was able to depart.
The first leg of the journey took me to Punta Arenas via Santiago in Chile requiring 3 flights, after which a short 3 hour minibus journey took me to a stunning hotel on the outskirts of Puerto Natales on the edge of the Torres Del Paine National Park. During the short time I was there, many miles were hiked and when I wasn't walking, a small boat became the preferred mode of transport, allowing me to view some stunning glaciers up close along with the surrounding wildlife.
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From there, it was back South to Punta Arenas to board the ship, Hurtigruten's MS Fram, and the long voyage to the first stop, The Falkland Islands. Several days were spent in the area, carrying out beach landings to get up close to the fauna and flora, which included plenty of penguins and albatross!
Falkland Islands
South Georgia
Then began another lengthy voyage to the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean, South Georgia. South Georgia is home to some of the largest breeding colonies of King Penguins in the world, with approximately a quarter of a million breeding pairs, as well as significant numbers of Albatross, Giant Petrels, Elephant Seals and Fur Seals. The scenery was incredibly rugged and undeniably beautiful. Words simply could not describe what I saw and heard.
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We endeavoured 2 gruelling days on a very rough sea from South Georgia to the Antarctic peninsula but finally we made it, our sea legs barely intact after a very rough journey! Antarctica took the scenery I'd previously seen in South Georgia and Patagonia to another level entirely. Glaciers were everywhere as were vast icebergs hundreds of feet high, one of which we passed was around 50 miles wide. Huge snow covered mountains rose straight from the ocean, with patches of black rock where the snow and ice could not adhere to them. Huge colonies of penguins made their homes on the steep slopes and while we didn't see nearly as many seals, plenty of whales and dolphins took their place in the channels between the islands. Nothing I can say though can truly describe the experience.
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The time in Antarctica was cut short due to huge storms brewing to the west, so the long trip across the Drake Passage commenced early to get us to calm waters before the hurricane force winds and 30 plus ft waves hit us. Finally we ended up in Puerto Williams before returning to Punta Arenas and the journey home began.
Antarctica
