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We are excited to offer this Field Guides tour to the Weddell Sea in search of one of the world's most iconic and difficult-to-reach birds, the Emperor Penguin. Partnering with Oceanwide Expeditions, we will journey south from Ushuaia, Argentina, toward Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea, east of the Antarctic Peninsula. We will be aboard the 91-meter-long, ice-strengthened M/V Ortelius, a ship with countless Antarctic voyages under her belt (see a gallery of images of the ship). One of the exciting features of this vessel is its ability to carry three helicopters, which will be used to search for Emperor Penguins. If ice and weather conditions allow, we will use the helicopters to shuttle to a site near an Emperor Penguin colony at Snow Hill Island. We will then hike to the colony and enjoy these magnificent birds (with their chicks) up close and personal.
This tour is is an adventure, and the overarching goal is to see Emperor Penguin, with the first priority to see them in the colony itself. Note, however, that due to seasonal ice conditions and local weather, a landing at the colony itself is not guaranteed. During a typical year, we will have three days in the vicinity of the colony in which to find a favorable weather window to safely get everyone to the colony, and Oceanwide's luck with this situation has been excellent over the past several years. In the event that the staff and captain of the vessel determine that we can't make a helicopter visit to the colony, we still stand a very good chance of seeing Emperors away from the colony, in the pack ice around the ship, and perhaps even via zodiac. This is an ambitious itinerary, with flexible daily plans structured to take advantage of local conditions. Unlike our longer Antarctica tour (which has a very low probability of seeing Emperor Penguin, and no chance whatsoever of visiting a colony), this voyage will not visit the Falkland Islands or South Georgia, and we maximize our time in Antarctica. After leaving the Weddell Sea, we plan to stop at the South Shetland Islands en route back to Ushuaia. The seabirding and marine mammal possibilities while at sea between Ushuaia and Antarctica are extensive and exciting, and this trip in particular has a good shot at seeing Antarctic Petrel, one of the most difficult-to-see seabirds in the world.
We are very excited to offer this chance of a lifetime to go to the land of the Emperors, and we hope that you'll join us!
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