No more ice for us today! We left mainland Antarctica and made our way to the South Shetland Islands where wildlife and history awaited us. Our first stop was Snowy Island, full of ellies (aka southern elephant seals) and their pups, lichen and grasses, and the nesting sites of southern giant petrels. After enjoying the antics of the ellies, we made our way to Deception Island where we sailed into the heart of the caldera of an active volcano. Steam rose from the beach, enshrouding the remains of a whaling station in an aura of solemn mystery.
12/25/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Barrientos and Half Moon Islands
Merry Christmas from National Geographic Endurance which just arrived in Antarctica! It is not a bad Christmas morning when the first thing one does is step foot on the Antarctic Continent to be greeted by penguins! After a day of sailing, we arrived at the South Shetlands and made our very first landing at Barrientos Island. Already at the beach, we saw gentoos and chinstrap penguins, that seemed to be awaiting our arrival. It was only a short walk to the colonies and there we could see penguins laying on their eggs and even a few recently hatched chicks! After the great make-your-own-pasta-bar lunch, the next activity was a landing at Half Moon Island. There we chose between a long or shorter hike to get a Christmas Day leg stretch and see even more penguins. After a busy day of outings, it was time for the first recap of the journey and then finally Christmas dinner, where the Christmas buffet awaited guests with some of the best food there is. Today was definitely a Christmas Day to remember!