News from the road – Antarctica November 2024

The ultimate bucket-list trip to the remotest continent.  Striking landscapes, icy seascapes and polar weather.  Fascinating wildlife.  A thought-provoking learning programme on board a comfortable modern ship with a friendly and professional crew.

Our expedition cruise to Antarctica had all of this and more.  It exceeded our expectations and left us wanting more, to the point we all considered how to stow away for the ship’s next voyage.

We’d left from the southern end of Argentina on the expedition ship Fridtjof Nansen to cross the Drake Passage, an often rough stretch of ocean that was very calm for us.  The two-day crossing passed quickly.  There were plenty of lectures and workshops by our friendly and knowledgeable team of specialist expedition staff to prepare us for our time on the frozen continent.  We explored our comfortable and well-appointed ship and enjoyed the excellent service of the hospitality staff.

First it was “icebergs ahoy” and then “land ahoy”.  On the third morning we awoke to find our cabin windows giving a panoramic view of an ice-covered sea.  We’d arrived.  The next days were filled with exploration, adventure and learning.

Each day we would head away from the ship in small groups on zodiac boats with expert guides.  We got close up to penguin colonies, learnt about different types of iceberg and saw some amazing scenery.  We were lucky to see whales swim by and glaciers calving.  No two trips were ever the same.

Nothing could prepare us for the excitement of stepping ashore on the seventh continent, only about two centuries since the first person did (and less than 100 years since the first woman).  This was the ultimate reach of any of our travels.  Under the watchful eyes of the expedition team we visited penguin colonies, climbed hills and saw extraordinary landscapes not visible from our ship.

There were plenty of other things to do such as kayaking, snowshoe trekking or going out with scientists and taking part in the many citizen science projects the ship operator is involved with.  People even had the opportunity to camp overnight on land, though all our group preferred the warmth and comfort of their cabins!

We were always on the move.  Although we had a busy programme there were still plenty of opportunities to spend time on deck to gaze at the jaw-dropping scenery and spot more wildlife.

The ship was launched as recently as 2020 and designed specially for expedition cruising.  Life on board was very comfortable, and with a staff to guest ratio of 1:2 we were well looked after.  We were impressed by the high-tech systems on this hybrid ship to lessen its environmental footprint, and by the care the expedition team took to minimise the impact of our visit.

It would be a pity to go all that way and not see something of South America.  All our group joined the pre-tour extension for three enjoyable days in Chile, and we also had time to explore the vibrant and cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires.  These insights into South American life were a nice addition to our Antarctic journey.

A repeat of this tour is available to book on our website now.

https://www.calderandlawsontours.co.nz/tour/antarctica-november-2025/

Participant feedback from this tour:

An excellent tour & once in a lifetime adventure

One of the most memorable I’ve ever done. Just stunning.

If you want to see the world and be totally and brilliantly looked after, all the work done for you, travel with Calder and Lawson.