Antarctica Wilderness Expedition & Argentina 2023 - Hostess RoundUp - Donna Simmons

It was with much anticipation that 8 adventurous sisters embarked on the journey of a lifetime and headed down to the “white continent” With a couple of days to check out the most southern town in the world Ushuaia we then boarded our very comfortable expedition ship for our journey to the Antarctic Peninsula.  Crossing the notorious Drake Passage we were rocked and rolled as we were introduced to our expedition team and attended interesting and informative lectures as our ship was flanked by amazing and huge albatross and other seabirds.  In the morning we awoke to view our very first Icebergs.  The next 4 days were filled with amazing scenery and wildlife viewing as we donned our layers to head out in the zodiacs at -3 degrees for up close viewing and landings.  We were treated to the most stunning natural iceberg sculptures, huge penguin colonies, friendly seals, elusive whales, an amazing array of birdlife.  Highlights included Deception Island the caldera of an active volcano and old whaling station, Danco Island with its massive penguin colonies, leopard seals and beautiful scenery, Neko harbor where we stepped foot on Antarcitc soil proper and Freud Passage where we were treated to a complete whiteout of snow while our ship pushed its way through the massive brash ice. 

We rounded out our tour with a few days in Argentina's cosmopolitan capital Buenos Aires where we enjoyed a city tour learning about the city's interesting political history, visited the Ateneo Grand Splendid Book shop, once a palatial theatre, toured the intriguing Recoleta Cemetery and checked out the colorful streets of La Boca. 

Antarctica, what can I say?  A humbling and mind blowing experience that only approximately 1% of the population ever get to visit, and we are now part of that exclusive percentile.