Maiviken, Grytviken, and Fortuna Bay, 3/1/2023, National Geographic Resolution
Aboard the
National Geographic Resolution
Antarctica
Today our guests had the chance to take a long hike from Maiviken to the historic whaling station of Grytviken. The 2.5-mile hike was lovely with an elevation gain of around 700 feet. In the afternoon, we repositioned to Fortuna Bay for another great look at a king penguin colony.
Nathan Kelley developed his love for nature as a kid at his family’s cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Family fishing trips, camping, hiking and a trip to his first National Park in the Everglades, all vigorously shaped his passion for the natural world. ...
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With a gentle following sea astern, we set our bow to the shores of Antarctica. Gentle breezes pushed us past towering tabular icebergs as seabirds streamed alongside our ship. The horizon was full of the blows from fin and humpback whales, some passing close to National Geographic Explorer , giving us incredible views of these stunning creatures. Much to our surprise, cryptic animals such as strap-toothed beaked whales and a southern bottlenose whale were spotted from the bridge to the delight of all present. Calm seas in a breathtaking landscape lay ahead on our course to the seventh continent.
We awoke as the ship navigated towards Cooper Bay. As we approached our anchorage, we watched king, chinstrap, gentoo and macaroni penguins porpoising toward their rookeries. The morning was spent cruising around the macaroni colony in the snow before we repositioned for more cruising under mountain reflections and sunshine in Drygalski fjord.
Today we awoke to a snowy day in South Georgia. We had already arrived at our next destination of Gold Harbour by the time we were called to breakfast. We loaded into our Zodiacs and our expedition team landed us on a beach filled with king penguins and elephant seals. Huge male elephant seals chased each other around trying to steal females from each other and our expedition team made sure we stayed safe as they charged through everything in their path. We were even able to view some of the fluffy king penguin chicks as the weather started to clear and the sun started to shine. Some of us took a hike up to higher grounds to overlook the colony. Everyone came away with beautiful photos and memories. We returned to National Geographic Explorer for a quick lunch while the ship repositioned then headed back out. Our next stop was Moltke Harbour. The landing was challenging, and our drivers and expedition team expertly landed us all onto the beach. Once there, we enjoyed the incredible views of the mountains, the elephant seals, fur seals, and king penguins resting on the beach. Some of us hiked up the stream. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day.
