Happy Valentine’s Day from National Geographic Explorer! We spent the morning among busy gentoo penguins on Cuverville Island as parents spent their final weeks foraging to prepare their chicks to fledge. Many visitors to the island enjoyed the view above the colony with a backdrop of big icebergs and dramatic skies.
For our final adventure, we parked in Paradise Bay for Zodiac cruises by glaciers and icebergs, all dusted with a fresh layer of snow. Antarctic shags learning to fly, the thunderous crashing of calving ice into the still sea surface, even a singing leopard seal, were some of the highlights of the afternoon. There was also a surprise hot chocolate treat to raise a toast to the friendships made and experiences shared during this wonderful voyage to the White Continent. We entered the Drake feeling accomplished and full of inspiration and memories to last a lifetime.
