Trip Summary, Antarctica - Falkland Islands 21 Feb. 1995 to 12 March 1995 

This "Expedition Antarctica and the Falklands" , was conducted by Marine Expeditions, [which is no longer in business], on the ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov, a Russian research vessel with a Russian crew.  It carries a maximum of 79 passengers and 42 passengers were on this trip.  Twelve Marine Expedition staff were on board.

The Vavilov was built in Finland in 1988.  It is not a luxury ship but is comfortable, clean and the food was very good (we had a Swedish chef).  There is a casual dress code and the trip is suitable for all ages (two ladies 81 and 87 were on this trip).  The staff and crew were very knowledgeable, efficient, friendly and helpful.  The Marine Expedition staff gave us excellent lectures .  We all enjoyed the Russian crew and some spoke English.  Smoking was limited to the deck or in one's cabin.

We flew from the States on Aerolineas Argentina, with a stop at Bogota Columbia for refueling, arriving Buenos Aires at 8:30 a.m.  During the afternoon some of us took a walking tour of the city and took in a tour of the Opera House.

From Buenos Aires we flew to Ushuaia, Argentina, the Southernmost city in the world.  We stayed in the Glacier Hotel which is located 3 miles from town center and about 3 miles from the base of a glacier that can be reached by walking and a ski lift which goes part of the way.  Ushuaia is located on the Beagle Channel and was originally a penal colony.  The museum is interesting, as is the old jail.

Ushuaia is 600 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula, across the Drake Passage.  The Drake is said to have some of the roughest water in the world.  We boarded the ship in Ushuaia and sighted the first icebergs a day and a half later, and made our first landing on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands.

The South Shetland Islands are a group of islands which lie just North of the Antarctic Peninsula.  These islands and the bays have the most scenic areas of the Antarctic Peninsula.  There are old whaling stations on these islands and many countries have their research stations there.  Almost all Antarctic animals and birds have breeding and nesting grounds there.

For the next four days we made landings on the islands of the Shetland group and 2 landings on the Antarctica Peninsula.  The location of landings is dependent on the weather which in Antarctic is very erratic and changeable.  We were able to land at Hannah Point, Baily Head, Whaler's Bay, Cuverville Island, Ronge Island, Neko Harbor, Port Lockroy, (cruise Paradise Bay),  Almirante Brown Station, Half Moon Island and King George Island.  We saw and walked through the rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and a few Macaroni penguins.  During the day we had temperatures ranging from 30 to 50 degrees F in the same day with snow in the a.m. and bright sun and clear in the afternoon.  The wind can blow quite hard and 33 degrees or even 50 degrees with a 15-to 20-mph wind is cold.

The landings are made by zodiac.  The ship anchors 200-300 yards from the shore and Zodiacs, powered by outboard motors carrying 10-12 passengers each, go ashore.  These zodiacs are very safe and stable but in rough water some spray can be encountered.  A rain suit and rubber knee high rubber boots are needed.

On shore the staff conducts tours, provides information and answered any questions.  We were permitted to go where we wanted and were able to walk among, and observe the penguins, seals, sea lions and nesting birds, being careful not to disturb them.  Fur seals can be very aggressive and can move fast on land.  The staff carries long poles to fend them off by just touching their whiskers with the end of the pole.  We gave them a wide berth.  We would stay on shore for 1-2 hours, but could return to the ship at any time.

In the zodiacs we cruised in bays bordered by mountains and glaciers, which contained ice bergs and flow ice.  In the zodiac we followed, for 1/2 hour, two "cooperative" humpback whales and got within 30 feet, and got within touching distance of ice flows, where Leopard seals and Crab-eater seals were lying.  The scenery was spectacular and really indescribable.  Some of these icebergs are huge, 100-150 feet high and 200-300 feet across (and only 20% is out of the water!).  These icebergs are formed by sections of glaciers breaking off and going into the sea (calving).  We saw a small calving from one of the glaciers and it sounded like a clap of thunder when it came down.

The last day in the Shetlands, we visited the Polish research station Henryk Arctowski on King George Island.  There we were able to  mail our letters and post cards.  They have a souvenir shop and served us coffee and tea.  I was able to meet their radio operator, who also is an amateur radio operator, and visit his radio station.  As we headed North we realized that we were leaving the beauty of the ice bergs and glaciers.  It was a down feeling to know that you may never return to this beautiful region of the world.

We were at sea 2 full days before reaching the Falkland Islands.  As will be remembered, the sovereignty of the Falklands is disputed  between England and Argentina.  The Falkland Islanders consider themselves British subjects.  Port Stanley is the only city of any size, and the entire population of the Falkland Islands is only about 2000.  There are no native trees and the landscape is quite barren.  At one time sheep raising was the primary industry, but this has decreased because of market conditions.  The weather is quite changeable and there is always wind.  The winters are moderate because of the surrounding sea.  We had temperatures in the 50s with winds of 15-20 mph.  There is a great deal of wildlife and many species of birds have their rookeries there.

We cruised the Falklands for 2 days, making 2 landings a day in both the East and West Islands.  At New Island, the oldest Falkland settlement, we were greeted by one of the two owners of the island (6000 acres) and served tea, coffee and cakes.  The rookery there overlooks the sea and a very dramatic cliff and coastline.  The bird watchers saw many nesting black-browed albatrosses and were able to observe and photograph the adults coming in from the sea and feeding their young.  They were unafraid and we were able to get quite close.  Several species of penguins have their nests there, Rockhopper, Magellan, King and Gentoo.  Upland geese were numerous wherever we stopped.

From the Falklands we cruised for 1 1/2 days across the Scotia Sea on our return to Ushuaia and took an afternoon flight to Buenos Aires.  That evening at 10 p.m. we had our farewell  Argentine feast, called the Asado.  The next morning, after breakfast, it was time to head to the international airport and enjoy a 15 hour journey back to Los Angeles ( a 3 movie flight) .  A stop at Lima Peru allowed us time to visit the gift shops at that airport.

This was a very well managed and enjoyable tour from start to finish.  It was priced far below other Antarctic trips I have seen advertised.  I do not believe there was anyone in the group who did not consider it to be an outstanding experience.         

Roger Root