Orne Harbor and Chiriguano Bay, 11/29/2024, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
Today was a wonderful day. We went to visit the colony of chinstrap penguins in Orne Harbor, a mainland landing with stunning views. We enjoyed the morning there, and after lunch we headed to the protected Chiriguano Bay where we had the option of kayaking or Zodiac cruising.
We ended this amazing day with the classic polar plunge, and we celebrated it later all together in the lounge!
Maria Intxaustegi is an internationally awarded maritime archaeologist, naval historian, commercial diver, professional offshore sailor, and expedition guide from the Basque Country.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
We started our first day in Antarctica with a wake-up call from Expedition Leader Michael Jackson. Overnight the ship repositioned to our first landing in Mikkelsen Harbor. After breakfast we loaded our Zodiacs and set off towards land. We explored in two groups, one went ashore while the other attended a presentation from Certified Photo Instructor Nathan Kelley called, “iPhone Photography”, then the groups swapped activities. The island was covered in snow and a large colony of gentoo penguins. It was so beautiful. While we were there, the wind picked up and we were sprayed upon our return. In the afternoon we cruised the bay, pushing through all the ice on our way to the glacier. The views were really special. We thought we were done for the day, but our expedition leader had a surprise for us after dinner. National Geographic Explorer drove itself into the ice! After our expedition team checked the conditions, we were told we could go out and walk on the fast ice. It was amazing! Finally, it was time to leave and prepare ourselves for more adventure tomorrow.
