Amazing wildlife
We experienced our first landing at Yankee Harbour. In groups of around 15, we boarded the zodiac boats, our Expedition Group was called ‘The Cape Petrels’ after a type of bird. At Yankee Harbour, we saw gentoo penguins for the first time and we were given an in-depth briefing beforehand about how to land and the protocol around these magnificent animals. It was an incredible experience to see them in the wild just doing their own thing. It was funny to watch the male penguins show off in front of the females by bring stones back to their nests – the female penguins were completely unimpressed!
We then headed to Brown Bluff and the scenery was stunning. We saw more gentoo penguins and some Adélie penguins too. We went out on the zodiacs and cruised beside the icebergs, where we saw seals and birds, it was the most stunning and overwhelming feeling. I found the whole experience of being completely at one with nature quite spiritual. I went with the expectation that the most exciting thing would be the wildlife, however for me, the most amazing moment was the ice cruising. It is hard to put into words just how amazing it was and the photos don’t come close to doing it justice. I had to pinch myself the first time I saw them! After dinner one night, we sailed alongside the longest iceberg in the world – it was 159km long!