Tuesday 24 November 2015

Visiting the continent + camping on Danco Island

Today was a big day for many of our passengers, as our landing site, Neko Harbour, is the only place where we can do a landing on the continent of Antarctica itself. To be able to set foot on the 7th continent is a big deal, and many pictures were taken to document the event. During our landing, the weather changed quickly from sunny to foggy and windy conditions. We are lucky to have the safety and comfort of the Fram just around the corner when we are doing our landings. For the penguins, it’s a different story.

Johannes C. Apon
Expectations might have been even higher for our next event. During our Antarctica trips, we try to camp in tents, if weather conditions allow it. We call this the "Amundsen night". There are few cruise expedition companies that (can) do these kind of trips, so we are really lucky. So many passengers were interested, that we had to hold a lottery to decide who was able to join. The weather was still a bit windy and snowy when we put up camp at Danco Island, but soon the wind disappeared and the visibility increased. The tents were located not too far (or too close!) from a penguin highway, which the gentoo penguins use to commute between the sea and their rookery (colony). Our Arctic Nature Guides Stian and Johannes took the guests to a good point where they sat in silence, watching the penguins commute, jumping in the sea at night and jumping back on land again in the morning. What a way of getting close to and experience the Antarctic nature!

Johannes C. Apon


Johannes C. Apon


Johannes C. Apon