Chris Weston Wildlife Photography

A journey to Antarctica is the ultimate photographic wilderness experience, offering a wonderful combination of stark, natural beauty and abundant wildlife. Follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest explorers - Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen – to discover a land of unsurpassed beauty and majesty. Joining a small group, with our own private Zodiac landing craft and private Antarctic guide, you will see huge colonies of penguins, many species of seal, whales and seabirds, including the mighty albatross. This time of year is also renowned for spectacular sunrises and sunsets, lending glorious pastel colours to the pristine white landscape. The exclusivity of the group means that you will have more time on the Antarctic peninsular for photography and greater flexibility over the daily itinerary, making our exploration of this ice continent - its landscape and its wildlife - a truly unique experience that will enchant like no other.

Highlights

• Exclusive small-group itinerary
• Private use of Zodiac ship-to-shore transport
• Private Antarctic guide in Antarctica
• Flexible Antarctic landings
• Private lecture theatre for photo tutorials
• Huge penguin colonies with fledgling chicks
• Whales, seals, dolphins and seabirds
• Long days to extend photo opportunities
• Stunning sea- and icescapes
• Two ships cabin options
• The ultimate private photo tour to Antarctica

Description

Our tour starts at the Sofitel Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s vibrant capital city. After a welcome and introduction, and a good night’s rest, the following morning we make an air transfer to Ushuaia, on the isolated and windswept island of Tierra del Fuego and the staging point for our Antarctic adventure. This evening we have dinner in a restaurant in the hills, overlooking the Beagle Channel. On the third morning, there is time to explore the world’s most southerly city before we board our ship, the Antarctic Dream.

The Antarctic Dream is a Chilean ice-reinforced ship with just 39 external cabins over three decks. The vessel features a spacious dining room/observation lounge, bar, lecture room, fitness room plus sauna, boutique and passenger bridge. The communal areas are all spacious, the food is good, and the expedition leaders are highly qualified and enthusiastic. The standard cabins on the third deck have a small porthole, while the superior cabins (on Deck 2) have one large window. Both cabin-types are en-suite.

We set sail around 16:00 and immediately there are opportunities to photograph the penguin colonies along the channel. On Day 4 we cross the Drake Passage, known world wide as one of the most fearsome stretches of open water, as the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern oceans all converge and squeeze through the gap between the Antarctic peninsular and CapeHorn. While the Drake Passage is deserving of its reputation, it can be calm, occasionally being referred to as the ‘Drake Lake’. During the crossing, however, there are opportunities to photograph seabirds, and whales are often sighted. There will also be time for private photographic lectures.

On the fifth day, we will start to see our first big icebergs, as the Antarctic peninsular comes into view. From here, we spend the next six days photographing the landscape and wildlife of Antarctica. We have the sole, private use of a Zodiac landing craft and driver/guide, giving us full flexibility and exclusivity over our daily itineraries. Daily excursions onto Antarctica will be defined by weather and location of wildlife. There will be opportunities to photograph vast penguin colonies, the three most common species being the Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. In addition, there are likely sightings of numerous seal species, including leopard, elephant, Weddel, ringed and fur seals, as well as whales. Flocks of albatross and Wilson’s storm petrel are also common. In addition to the wildlife, the Antarctic landscape offers bountiful photo opportunities. And with the extra daylight at this time of year, there will be adequate time throughout the day to make the most of your time on this last great wilderness.

Throughout the trip, there will be private photographic tutorials in the ship’s lecture theatre, as well as public lectures.

After re-crossing the Drake Passage, we arrive back into Ushuaia on 13 and transfer by air back to Buenos Aires, where we will meet for dinner and share our stories and images from this magical adventure to the frozen planet at the bottom of the world.