Antarctica is one of those rare travel destinations that still elicits awe and wonder just at the sheer mention of its name. Seeing the white continent is a true bucket-list experience for many, but only a few are fortunate enough to make it a reality.

The only way to reach Antarctica and see it is by ship. Whether it's on a large cruise ship or on smaller expedition ships, crossing the infamous Drake Passage has to be endured. Even those who choose to fly over the Drake Passage from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in Antarctica still have to board a ship to explore the rest of the continent.

My first trip to Antarctica was aboard a Princess ship, with an itinerary that included port stops in South America and three and a half days of scenic sailing in Antarctica. I fully expected that trip to satisfy my desire to see my 7th continent. Quite the contrary, in fact. The incredible scenery I saw on that cruise only whetted my appetite for more.

So, this year, as I was planning a trip to Patagonia, I also added a cruise to Antarctica, but this time, on a smaller expedition ship. I had three wants for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It had to start within a few days of the end of our tour around Patagonia. The Itinerary had to include South Georgia Island. And, ideally, I didn’t want to pay a single supplement since I was going to take this cruise alone.

I found a cruise that met all these criteria and then some. To my surprise, the French cruise line Ponant, known for its luxury expedition ships, offered everything I was looking for. And, not only was there no single supplement, which is very unusual, but there was also a discount on the itinerary I wanted.

My chosen itinerary was an 18-day cruise on the L’Austral that started in Ushuaia, Argentina, spent a few days in Antarctica, then went to South Georgia Island, the Falklands, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, and ended in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This 18-day itinerary also included 10 days at sea because none of these destinations were near each other. I love sea days, so this was perfect.

The city of Ushuaia is the starting point for most expedition cruises to Antarctica. It is located at the very southern tip of Argentina’s Patagonia region and promotes itself as “the city at the end of the world.”  After exploring the scenery around Ushuaia for a few days, I excitedly boarded the L’Austral, my first time on a Ponant ship.

On the L’Austral

The L’ Austral is a purpose-built expedition ship that doesn’t shortchange on comforts. My cabin was large, modern, and comfortable, with one of the roomiest bathrooms and showers I have had on a cruise ship, and more than enough storage space.

The ship can accommodate up to 264 guests, but my cruise had only 120, with 154 crew taking care of us and the ship. The guests were an international mix, with about half from France and the rest from all over the world. All announcements were in both French and English, and all the staff spoke English very well.

On the L’ Austral, I discovered a mix of adventurous expeditions combined with the sophistication one would expect from a luxury French cruise line. The atmosphere on board was elegant, quiet, and in general, very laid back. Not surprisingly for a French ship, the food and wine were always excellent. The Captain’s Gala welcome dinner and the farewell dinner were formal affairs where guests dressed up, and the chefs outdid themselves even more.

Two days on the Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is an 800-mile-long finger that sticks out from the frozen Antarctic mainland toward South America’s tip. It’s the most accessible portion of the continent and also has the mildest climate. This is where most of the research stations are located and also where the majority of the cruises take their guests.

The peninsula's coastline is crenelated with bays, inlets, and numerous islands. Steep mountains and glacial valleys characterize the geology. This part of the continent is also very rich with wildlife, as it supports penguin species, seals, and birds that cannot survive and reproduce on ice.

On my Princess cruise to Antarctica, we only did scenic cruising, passing through Admiralty Bay, beautiful Wilhelmina Bay, and the Neumayer Channel. We also did a slow scenic cruise past Elephant Island, where Ernest Shackleton’s crew managed to survive against all odds. The original Princess Antarctica itinerary had scheduled three and a half days of scenic cruising, but due to a large storm and foggy conditions, we barely had two days of good visibility at best. Still, it was enough to get a sense of the majestic scenery on this continent.

On my Ponant cruise, we had stops and excursions at three different locations at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Since the L’Austral was a small ship, we could easily go to these out-of-the-way spots and land via zodiacs.

We started with Brown Bluff Point, located on the Peninsula coastline, where we saw many cute and inquisitive gentoo penguins. We continued to nearby Paulet Island, where we watched Adelie penguins molting. The scenic cruise between these two locations was filled with many enormous icebergs. The next day, we stopped at Penguin Island, where we saw our third penguin species, the happy-looking chinstrap penguins.

Each of these three locations was unique and presented its own beauty. We were fortunate to have good weather at each spot, especially Brown Bluff Point, where we had unusually cloudless blue skies. As I learned on both my Antarctica cruises, the weather dictates where the ships go and what they can do, and flexibility on the part of the ship and the guests is necessary. In both instances, the captains and the bridge crew went out of their way to provide the best possible experiences while keeping safety at the forefront.

Three days in South Georgia Island

From the Antarctic Peninsula, the L’Austral travelled two days at sea and about 1000 miles to reach South Georgia Island. This is one of the subantarctic islands that has survived some dark pages in human history and is now a haven for wildlife.

Starting in 1904, South Georgia Island became a whaling station where as many as 175,000 whales were processed over 60 years. In the mid 1960s, whaling and whale processing stopped in South Georgia. In the 60 years since, the island has become a refuge for wildlife, and the number of whales in the region is also slowly recovering.

Over the course of three days, we visited five varied locations on the island, including Grytviken, the administrative center for South Georgia. At each stop, we saw an abundance of creatures, the majority of which weren’t in the least bit bothered by our presence, and many completely ignored us.

South Georgia Island is known for its immense colonies of king penguins, and we did indeed see many. We also saw cute juvenile fur seals who behaved more like puppies than wild animals. They were extremely curious and eagerly approached our group, making it difficult to maintain the requisite 10-foot distance. On our last stop, we also saw macaroni penguins with their distinctive yellow head plumage.

Our visit to South Georgia was everything I hoped it would be and was well worth the time and distance to get there.

One final thought

So, did this second visit to Antarctica satisfy my itch? Yes… and no. I am certainly very content with what I saw and experienced. At the same time, it also emphasized just how much there is to see in Antarctica, and how little of it I have actually seen. So, if I ever have the chance to go back, I would do it in a heartbeat, but I will also feel conflicted.

For now, the Antarctic Peninsula remains relatively unspoiled, which is what attracts visitors. Yet, every year, more and more tourists visit the continent. Despite the strict and intense biosecurity measures, each ship and each person has an impact on this fragile environment, and does leave a trace, even if it’s only the extra CO2 we exhale.

READ MORE OF ROSE’S ANTARCTICA ARTICLES:
https://quiltripping.com/ponant-laustral-review/
https://quiltripping.com/ponant-antarctica-cruise-photos/

Rose Palmer believes that life is a patchwork of experiences. Traveling the world is one of her deepest passions which continues to add to her ever-growing quilt of life experiences. She likes to focus her traveling lens on art, architecture, history, nature, and soft adventure with a touch of luxury. Rose shares her award-winning stories and photos on her blog www.Quiltripping.com

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