The early bird catches the worm. We awoke at 0500 a.m. to get ashore before dawn at Gold Harbour. As the sun rose over the Scotia Sea our landing site lived up to its name with the sky ablaze and the cliffs and glaciers lit beautifully by the warm light. We shared the moment with tens of thousands of busy king penguins as well as South Georgia pintails (endemic ducks), elephant seals, and fur seals. Not content with one landing here, we landed again after breakfast! En route to our second landing site for today, we encountered a southern right whale which approached our bow and put on a wonderful display of pectoral fin-slapping, fluking, and even spy-hopping (raising its head). Royal Harbour was moodier with rain, rainbows, and dramatic evening light illuminating the king penguin colony. The Zodiac ride ashore was exciting as we cruised over a submerged terminal moraine to access the shore.
3/12/2025
Read
National Geographic Endurance
At Sea towards Ushuaia
It was a day for reflection. Our journey was coming to an end as we left the Falklands behind and National Geographic Endurance steamed towards South America and Ushuaia. The seas were kind to us, and despite low winds, we had black-browed albatross, among other birds, around us. In the morning, we listened to the naturalists onboard as they presented on different subjects in the ice lounge. Land-ho! Mid-morning we had land in sight, South America was appearing on the horizon. Upon entering the Beagle Channel, we saw possibly a hundred sei whales. While the seabirds were waiting for the wind on the surface, the whales were feeding a short distance from the ship. As our vessel waited for the pilot to arrive, we could still see whale blows in the distance. We enjoyed a teatime extravaganza with Chef Sara and her team. Cheese and wine brought most of the ship’s inhabitants to deck 8, and while sipping wine we watched sea lions, dolphins, and stunning views of Tierra del Fuego go by until it was time for Captain Aaron’s farewell toast. As much as we are reflecting on our expedition today, it has also been a day of celebration! It has been an incredible journey of many miles, great people, and wonderful experiences. Thank you all!
