November Reviews

I felt overjoyed, ecstatic to witness this once in a lifetime journey. Breathtaking views, gorgeous, huge icebergs. Being among the massive icebergs and the vastness of the sea ice gave me a sense of awe. The pristine icebergs after icebergs gave me a perspective of how much larger than life and timeless they were. It reminded me that my life is transient, they will stand the test of time and stand tall and mighty long after I am gone. Being here in the silence has a deep sense of peace and tranquility. I stood staring at the vast ice landscape enjoying their beauty and strength. It felt fantastic walking on the sea ice. The Emperor Penguins and the hungry rolly polly chicks stole my heart. Brought tears to my eyes, my dream came true! What an absolutely magnificent, beautiful, thrilling fairy tale journey, the memories are imprinted in my memories forever. It Felt completely magical, out of this world experience, like we were not on planet earth.

Highlight was every morning another day; landscapes and weather were varied. Expedition staff were superb and inspirational. Boat crew were also superb - sorry for lots of superlatives but I could not fault the boat, its crew or the expedition staff on anything - they were all fantastic

The trip met all of our expectations. The weather was beautiful, and we saw everything we came to see, including an Emperor penguin! The trip was bi-lingual, with about 80% of the people German speakers from Switzerland. As such, we weren't able to engage the other people as much as we would have wanted.

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Highlights were the icebergs! That is what drove me to Antarctica and we were not disappointed. Of course the penguins were icing no the cake. Kayaking was superb! We don't remember signing up (did Swoop comp us?) and we loved every moment of it!

Hard to pick one. The terrain in Antartica is hard to describe and the wild life in South Georgia was almost beyond belief. We had an awesome snowshoe at Fort Point and the hike and pilgrimage to Shackleton's grave was remarkable. We had wonderful meals with expedition staff and fellow travelers. The hotel staff even entertained us at a few meals.

Which magical moment to describe? I was so elated once we embarked on our epic journey to South Georgia and feel ever so lucky to hit the big 3 colonies - St Andrews, Gold Harbour and Salisbury Plain, as well as King Haakon Bay and Drygalski Fjord. Yes my anxiety levels peaked at the start of our expedition with a flight cancellation and an aborted landing in the Falklands but yes, I am now proud to be part of a statistic shared - only 0.04% of the population has ever visited South Georgia. After dealing with the initial feeling of being overwhelmed when greeted by 150,000 pairs of kings plus their furry offspring, I discovered so much more to penguins - I love how they use their becks not just to feed but also to push themselves up or to climb hills. Their cuteness, curiosity and cheekiness is so mesmerising, and their inflappable nature - I could watch them for hours. Whilst I joined the expedition as an independent traveller, I disembarked from the Vavilov with some new found friends, some moving stories, magical moments and many cherished memories. If it wasn't for the photographic evidence, I think it was a distant dream!

Out of everything - exploring the 7th continent, eating ice from the ocean, feeling like I'm at the end of the world, seeing all the wildlife with my own two eyes - my most memorable moments were meeting all of my new friends on this trip.

Seeing the penguins actually present pebbles to the nest was amazing!

Everything about the trip to the Peninsula aboard MV Ushuaia was wonderful. The ship, crew, staff, and especially the expedition leaders were great. They really took care of us well and ensured that we all had the journey of a lifetime. The landscapes and seascapes were breathtakingly otherworldly. Of special note were the awesome tabular icebergs and the various hues of the ice and snow. Penguins topped the list for the wildlife experience. And for the humans, we met some interesting fellow passengers from around the world. The certificate and info disc were welcome surprises, icing on the cake.

It would be impossible to choose the most memorable moment because the entire trip was so incredible! The first time we stepped onto the ice is definitely high up on my list!!

Kayaking among the icebergs, looking at penguins.

1. The overall quality of the experience! 2. South Georgia landscapes and wildlife viewing opportunities are the best of the best in the Southern Ocean! 3. The ship operator's staff was excellent, and the Russian crew was great! The Kayak Program's Marko and Katie were absolutely extraordinary! 4. The overpopulation of fur seals since my 2009 trip and the onshore safety issues that the staff handled so perfectly and professionally. 5. David's idea to do a sunrise visit ashore at Gold Harbor! Unbelievable!

We loved sea kayaking on our trip! The overall scenery was just astounding as well. The crew on Quark (expedition and service) were all fantastic.

Getting close to the humpback whales on our kayak and also kayaking in Neko Harbour

The Zodiac cruise among the icebergs, sheet ice, and pack ice around Pleneau Island, accompanied by an intelligent, well-informed guide who took a few "ice-breaking" risks and kept us all well-informed as to exactly what he was doing.

Sailing through the Lemaier Channel with a huge iceberg in the middle. Several other ships had to turn around but we successfully navigated the channel and were rewarded with a breathtaking experience in flow ice and bergs

South Georgia was fantastic. Seeing the sheer volume of wildlife was incredible. It's frightening to think of the effects of global warming are having there. We had excellent weather. Only 2 landings were revised. Going early in the season gave us pristine snowy landscapes. We had the unique opportunity to see a lone emperor penguin. Getting out onto the ice flat and so close to massive ice bergs was fantastic. It was a friendly group of European travellers for the most part. I've discovery that I'm not so great on the open seas.

Kayaking through brash ice with my husband and seeing an avalanche, penguins, and a seal. It was such a phenomenal experience!

We had a really rough voyage—including sailing through a hurricane plus two or three whiteout days. We arrived late and left very early. So, we got only 4 days down there. Highlights were kayaking onto an iceberg, seeing an iceberg roll, ice climbing. People were fascinating, especially over meals. One of my roommates was hilarious—both intentionally and unintentionally. I was surprised by how short the excursions were. I would have gladly given up a meal or two to experience in-depth excursions.