My Antarctica Diary

Day one

We arrived at Buenos Aires mid-afternoon and took a cab from outside the airport to the Hilton which cost Around £49, we realised afterwards if you go beyond the guys touting their taxis there is an Uber pick up point which would have been a fraction of the cost.

Arrived at the hotel, where check in was very smooth, we met the Atlas Ocean Voyages rep who explained the process for the next day.

We dumped our bags and grabbed an Uber, which was £3, and we did a whistle stop tour of Boca Juniors football stadium. The temperature in Buenos Aires was very pleasant, averaging at around 29 degrees.

We took an Uber back to the hotel, another Bank breaking £3, got a quick shower and headed out for a famous Argentinian steak, it didn’t disappoint!

We then headed back to the hotel and where in bed by 7pm ready for our early morning  (2:15 ) alarm!

Day two

This morning started with a quick buffet breakfast in the hotel lobby and then we where organised into groups by our Atlas rep and we jumped onto our 3:50 yellow coach to Buenos Aires airport for our 06:00 charter flight down to Ushuaia. 

We were given a little Atlas branded pack onboard the flight containing an eye mask, toothbrush, flight socks and lotion - a lovely little touch and a “Paula’s Pantry” snack box.

Arrived at Ushuaia after our 3 hour flight and boarded our coach with our tour guide, Melody, and set off for our tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park. This was a lovely, very informative tour, although a lot of people extremely tired due to the very early start. We were lucky as we had been in bed so early the night before. We stopped at the Post Box at the End of the World, on the shores of Ensenada Zaratiegui Bay which is sadly now closed so we were unable to send our post cards home! 

We had an amazing lunch at a beautiful French restaurant, Chez Manu with the most stunning views over Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel before heading down to board our ship at around 3:30 pm.

We were welcomed onboard by Nuno and his amazing team, swiftly check-in with a very refreshing glass of champagne and headed to our rooms where our luggage was ready and waiting in our cabin. 

After our safety briefing, we headed up on deck ready for our 6pm sail away from Ushuaia, we couldn’t believe our luck as we spotted several groups of whales in the port before we even set sail!

After setting sail we headed down to the auditorium to meet Jonathon and his 17 strong expedition team for a debrief on the trip ahead.

Back to the cabin for a quick shower and we headed up to Porto - the main restaurant on board, for a lovely buffet style evening meal, a quick mojito in the Dome Lounge and off to bed ready to see what the Drake Passage would have to offer! Would we get the Drake Lake or the Drake Shakes!

Day three

Well apparently, we got “the best Drake of the season!” Some people, however, were still quite ill! We were lucky, we began taking anti sickness medication on arrival in Ushuaia, so not sure if that helped.

Today was mainly about getting prepared for the expedition ahead, briefings and kit distribution.

Day Four

We arrived in Antarctica a full day ahead of schedule due to our calm crossing of the Drake Passage, spotting our first glimpses of the Antarctic wildlife as we arrived in the South Shetland Islands. There were lots of whooping and wooing from the passengers as there were penguins galore porpoising alongside our ship and on the rocks as we arrived. 

We had a morning zodiac safari around Aitcho Islands with masses of chinstrap and gentoo penguin colonies, and even a couple of leopard seals swimming around and under our zodiac! Back onboard for a spot of delicious lunch then back out again late afternoon for a landing at Robert Point and a wander amongst the penguins, fur seals and a couple of leopard seals.

Day Five

Sailed passed Dragons Teeth and into Astrolabe Island for a morning landing strolling in amongst masses of playful young fur seals, a couple of lazing weddel seals and hundreds of gentoo penguins.  we went back on board for lunch then back into the zodiacs for an afternoon sailing amongst the porpoising penguins and the amazing dramatic scenery of Tower Islands. 

Day Six

The day I’ve been waiting for…..amazing views of a pod of seven orcas as we sailed towards Hydrurga Rocks, then spent an afternoon kayaking 4km around Sprightly Island in the floating ice, or bergy bits as they are known locally,  with humpbacks swimming and popping in and out of the water alongside us. An utterly amazing day!

Day Seven

Morning cruising around Pleneau Bay amongst the most spectacular scenery and amazing icebergs, we even managed to spot another leopard seal on our travels. 

Our afternoon visit was to Yalour Islands, to observe some Adélie penguins, then zodiac cruising around the bay with a brief glimpse of a pod of orcas and several humpbacks. 

Day Eight

We arrived at Damoy Point in the morning and began zodiac cruising around the bay, with Port Lockroy in the distance, home to the worlds most southerly post office, or the Penguin Post Office, which is sadly currently closed as we are towards the end of the summer season here in Antarctica.

We spotted lots of humpbacks and even a couple of minky whales, which was incredible to see with my own eyes.

We then headed back to the ship to get ready for our “polar plunge”! It wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be, in fact it was quite exhilarating! 94 out of 157 guests took part, quite impressive!

We cruised through the dramatic scenery of Neumayar Channel during lunch before arriving in Paradise Bay. We spent an hour zodiac cruising and had the amazing privilege of spotting a breaching humpback whale! And a crab-eating seal.

We were then dropped at Stony Point to take our first steps on the actual mainland of the continent of Antarctica. We spent a further hour exploring the area and the dramatic scenery amongst the peace and serenity apart from the odd roar of ice calvings falling into the water. 

Day Nine

We arrived an hour late into a very foggy Pendulum Cove due to ice delaying our journey through the night. We spent an hour cruising around Deception Island during which the fog lifted giving views of the masses of chinstrap penguins on the volcanic island. There were also lots of fur seals frolicking on the black beach along with several giant petrels flying by. 

This afternoon we sailed into Pendulum Cove, within the Deception Island volcanic caldera for a strenuous 5km hike to appreciate the amazing views of the masses of penguin colonies below. 

Day Ten

We commence our journey home back through the Drake Passage. We were warned last night to expect more unsettled conditions than we experienced on the way here so I began my anti-sickness meds prior to bed. 

It was a little rocky for a few hours, but other than that it was all good. 

Day Eleven

We arrived back in Ushuaia a few hours early allowing for a few hours, for those that wanted,  to explore the town in the evening. 

Day Twelve

We disembarked the ship early morning ready to commence our journey home.

This was an utterly amazing, mind-blowing trip! If a cruise to the seventh continent is on your bucket list, then do it! You won’t be disappointed.