Damoy Point & Neko Harbor
What a sunny, warm, beautiful morning we had here on the National Geographic Explorer. The ship cruised through the ice to our first landing. Golden early morning sunshine lit up the surrounding craggy ice covered mountain peaks. Kayaking and plenty of time on shore with the penguins was the order of the day. The views were just as stunning and wonderful as the curious Gentoo penguin colony at Damoy Point.
Zodiac shuttles brought everyone to where they wanted to be: out for a peaceful paddle around icebergs, or walking on the rocks and snow of the shore and observing Gentoos, or hiking up for a panoramic view of the mountains and sea. Just having such a warm and beautiful day was enough to make everyone cheerful and full of energy. So full of energy, in fact, that some chose the fast and exciting route down the snow slope, sliding to the bottom.
Cruising to Neko Harbor through the still breathtaking landscape, many wondered how the amazing morning could be topped. Then, some sharp eyes spotted Killer whales on the horizon. We spent quite a while watching in delight as these fascinating cetaceans frolicked in the sea around us. A rough count of 13 animals was made. The Killer whales here are much paler in color than those most of us are used to in the North Atlantic. Finally, the playful whales decided they had had enough of us and continued on their way, so we continued on ours.
Neko proved to be just as glorious as our first stop (despite being a bit windier). The Gentoo penguins here were just as curious and lovely as those at Damoy. The hike up onto the Antarctic Icecap provided truly wondrous views, and everyone enjoyed a true Antarctic continental landing. No island here, this is the real thing. Everyone can now say that they have set foot on the Antarctic continent.
The landing in Neko was made even more interesting by the fact that the harbor was filled with Humpback whales. Groups took turns going out on Zodiacs to get a closer look at the whales which were feeding in the area and spending much time at the surface.
All in all, it was a very special day today. There was so much to see and so much to do that you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Dinner was served late so everyone could get their chance to get a good water-level view of the graceful whales.
What a sunny, warm, beautiful morning we had here on the National Geographic Explorer. The ship cruised through the ice to our first landing. Golden early morning sunshine lit up the surrounding craggy ice covered mountain peaks. Kayaking and plenty of time on shore with the penguins was the order of the day. The views were just as stunning and wonderful as the curious Gentoo penguin colony at Damoy Point.
Zodiac shuttles brought everyone to where they wanted to be: out for a peaceful paddle around icebergs, or walking on the rocks and snow of the shore and observing Gentoos, or hiking up for a panoramic view of the mountains and sea. Just having such a warm and beautiful day was enough to make everyone cheerful and full of energy. So full of energy, in fact, that some chose the fast and exciting route down the snow slope, sliding to the bottom.
Cruising to Neko Harbor through the still breathtaking landscape, many wondered how the amazing morning could be topped. Then, some sharp eyes spotted Killer whales on the horizon. We spent quite a while watching in delight as these fascinating cetaceans frolicked in the sea around us. A rough count of 13 animals was made. The Killer whales here are much paler in color than those most of us are used to in the North Atlantic. Finally, the playful whales decided they had had enough of us and continued on their way, so we continued on ours.
Neko proved to be just as glorious as our first stop (despite being a bit windier). The Gentoo penguins here were just as curious and lovely as those at Damoy. The hike up onto the Antarctic Icecap provided truly wondrous views, and everyone enjoyed a true Antarctic continental landing. No island here, this is the real thing. Everyone can now say that they have set foot on the Antarctic continent.
The landing in Neko was made even more interesting by the fact that the harbor was filled with Humpback whales. Groups took turns going out on Zodiacs to get a closer look at the whales which were feeding in the area and spending much time at the surface.
All in all, it was a very special day today. There was so much to see and so much to do that you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Dinner was served late so everyone could get their chance to get a good water-level view of the graceful whales.
