I hope you enjoy it.
Olivia Travels: Following Penguins in Antarctica
The biggest highlight of my world traveler adventures was for sure my visit to Antarctica, the White Continent. There are no hotels in Antarctica, so you can’t visit it for few days or a weekend. There are international bases for people working there. In order to preserve the environment, only a selected group of up to 150 visitors a day is allowed and for a very limited amount of hours. Some get there by luxury yachts and other, like myself, fly there on private tours. Not all cruises that go to Antarctica offer the luxury of having their guests actually stepping in Antarctica.
We were a group of 40 lucky travelers that would live the magic of setting foot in such mysterious place. We had a meeting prior to our adventure date to clarify what to expect from our visit, how to dress, what to bring and avoid. You could feel our anticipation building. We were like kids going to Disney World for the very first time.
Our adventure day started very early in the morning in Chile on a charter flight with other 40 lucky travelers. Yes, they gave us a hearty breakfast during our flight to give us energy for the adventure to come.
We were there during the summer, so it was very cold (hence the layers of clothing I am wearing in the pictures making me look much bigger than I actually am) but not as freezing as we imagined. Contrary to what many believe, Antarctica is not all covered in Ice and snow. There are paths were you can walk.
As soon as we landed, we toured 2 international bases. It’s fascinating to see that the crew working there live with so little for long periods of time. There was no luxury. Everything was extremely functional.
After our little “sightseen” our group got divided in smaller ones and it was time to ride the zodiacs, the inflatable boats that would take us to penguin paradise, and paradise it was indeed. I’ve never imagined seeing so many penguins together. There were hundreds of them walking around, roaming free on their preserved habitat. Visitors are not allowed to touch the penguins but if you stay still, they will approach you. They are very curious animals and will easily touch your hands and feet. It was more than the perfect photo moment; it was like being in a movie- If I had an umbrella I probably would have tried to sing like Mary Poppins. They come in all shapes and sizes and are absolutely adorable.
At the end of our 6 hours in Antarctica we took our charter flight back to Chile. In the plane we toasted with champagne the amazing day we had and the memories we would cherish forever.
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Delightfully Yours,
Olivia Lush
Your Brazilian Delight at The Mustang Ranch
Vaccinated
