Ultimate Antarctica: South Georgia & Antarctic Circle Reviews

Our zodiac boat landed on St Andrews Bay in South Georgia Island. I was in pure awe as we walked among king penguins who seemed to share the same curiosity about us. I snapped countless and countless of pictures documenting, video recording every memory. We continued to walk until we reached the beginning of this dense colony, the second largest in South Georgia Island, where we found ourselves standing in front of hundreds of thousands of king penguins, their vibrating calls echoing through the valley, as giant albatrosses swooped down towering green mountain peaks above us creating a shadow directly over us. My boyfriend insisted, "Put the camera down. Just for 10 seconds." It was difficult to this, but as soon as I did, tears came running. This is Jurassic Park.

Highlight - seeing the first iceberg. And another one - kayaking through the brash ice. Landscapes - ethereal / mind blowing. Wildlife - we hoped for more whales up close ... but we did see some, including orcas. Although smelly, the penguins were delightful. Seals were everywhere! The Expedition Team was outstanding. We were relieved that the Kayaking was so well managed and we coped. Reaching the Polar Circle and landing on the Peninsula were magical - pinch yourself moments.

Standing on South Georgia with 100,000+ breeding pairs of King penguins.

All of it was fantastic. We had a great time exploring Buenos Aires. The tours that you set up for us were well worth it. Dinner at Fogon was to die for. The hotel you booked us at Palladillo was a great choicer in a safe neighborhood. I would not recommend the Tango dancing show/dinner. That was not worth the event or the meal. The rest of what you set up for us would be a definite do again. The UltraMarine ship through Quark was first class all the way. The expedition leaders and team where very knowledgeable. I am not one to think I would have enjoyed lectures or the presentations but I truly learned so much. We were not able to prebook the kayaking or paddle boarding but the weather cooperated so Quark added on additional excursions which were worth doing. The highlight for me were the 2 helicopter rides. Everyone gets the first 15 min ride over glaciers etc. Breath taking. The best was a second heli-landing that we were able to win the lottery and got to actually heli land on the continent. The penguins, seals and whales were abundant but the recommendation to extend the trip to include the Falklands, South Georgia to the Antarctic voyage was where most of the animals were located. We were beyond fortunate with the weather as every day (except sea days) was sunny with little wind. The team kept saying how lucky we were. Icebergs 6 or 7 stories tall and the plunge into the Southern ocean made it a trip that will not be forgotten any time soon. Thank you for all your work

There were many- but cruising up to glacier at thee d if an amazing day with bright blue skies, the glacier in full view with sun shining and a leopard seal flaring by on an iceberg was spectacular. Zodiac raising with the humpback whales and floating among the icebergs south of the Antarctic Circle was full on wonderful!

The raw and natural scenery of Antarctica is spectacular.

There were multiple high points. Visiting Shackleton's grave site at Grytviken. South Georgia. Kayaking at various points around South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula. I got to meet some really interesting people including passengers and ships crew and staff

One highlight was South Georgia. The trip would not have been the same without the myriad of wildlife seen on South Georgia. The landscapes in Antarctica are beyond amazing; they are serene and humbling. It was a pleasant surprise to see 4 different species of whales, including killer whales.

King Penguins on S. Georgia

Wildlife and landscape