Patagonia, The Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica 2022
Patagonia/Tierra Del Fuego
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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 on some incredibly remote islands, Saunders, Carcass and New Islands to name but a few. We managed to get up close to the fauna and flora, which included plenty of penguins and albatross'! The Falkland Islands are also home to Striated Caracara, which are remarkably intelligent birds, and were incredibly entertaining to watch!
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Having toured the more remote areas, we finished the Falklands leg of the journey in Stanley, which felt remarkably like a small English village! It's also home to a fantastic museum covering the cultural heritage of the Falklands. It also includes a extensive exhibition covering the Falklands War, which was equally fascinating and moving at the same time. It was soon time to embark the Fram and head out into the open ocean towards our next destination, South Georgia.
South Georgia
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, 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 drive, we were lucky to spot Flamingos, Rhea and even some Condor. 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.
Falkland Islands
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 in some areas, as well as significant numbers of Albatross, Giant Petrels, Elephant Seals and Fur Seals. The scenery was incredibly rugged and undeniably beautiful.
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The first landings were at Fortuna Bay and Salisbury Plain, and the sights and sounds were incredible. We were met by tens of thousands of Penguins, hundreds of seals and plenty of Petrels. Further landings took place over the following days, including to the only permanently inhabited site at Grytviken, an old whaling station which now houses regional offices for government officials. The old whaling station is a stark reminder of the purpose South Georgia used to play.
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Our time in South Georgia quickly came to an end, and all that lay between us and Antarctica was a 2 day crossing of the notorious Scotia Sea.
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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.
