Erik Geerts contacted Swoop to help him arrange an Antarctic adventure for him and his daughter, Natascha. Our Antarctica expert, Alex set about tailor making a once-in-a-lifetime trip for them both. Little did Alex or Erik know that a Chilean strike at Santiago Airport on the day that they were due to travel could threaten the entire adventure.
Erik tells us how everything turned out and shares the story of their incredible journey.
Tell us about your journey to Antarctica?
Just after we checked in for our flights (which we had decided to book ourselves), I got an email from Alex at Swoop telling me of a possible strike for 48 hours in Chile! I immediately searched on the internet and I read that the last strike in September left more than 70,000 people trapped at the airport of Santiago.
So, I called Alex and asked “what can we do?”. Alex was already searching for alternatives, but alternative flights on the other days were full. When we booked our Antarctica adventure Alex had advised me to take an extra day for travelling because ‘things might happen’ in South America which you don’t expect. So fortunately we had one day extra!
Alex suggested I contact the agency where I booked my flights; I did but they couldn’t help us, they could only cancel the flights. So Alex suggested a flight from Amsterdam to London to Buenos Aires and then to El Calafate and then we might get onto a bus to Punta Arenas. So I said ok let’s go for it, anything is better than getting trapped in Santiago. When we arrived at the airport, within five minutes, the flights were confirmed by Alex. Wow, he really had acted quick. So we flew through London to Buenos Aires.
When we landed in Buenos Aires, I immediately had contact with Alex, and he told us he had arranged a transfer from the international airport to the domestic airport. When we finally got to the domestic airport we had 45 minutes left at the gate. Just 45 minutes between us having an Antarctic adventure or not!
What happened when you finally arrived in Patagonia?
When we arrived at El Calafate there was another transfer arranged by Alex and he had also arranged a very nice hotel with wonderful views! Everybody was perfectly informed what to do with us and we got more instructions what to do the next day. Alex and his Swoop family really were in control to get us to Punta Arenas. The next morning, we were picked up by someone else who also was perfectly instructed to get us on the bus. He helped us checking in, and he didn’t leave before he was sure that we and our luggage were on the right bus. During our bus trip we had a wonderful sightseeing tour of Patagonia – a plus we didn’t count on! The first bus brought us over the border of Chile and to Puerto Natales. When we arrived our bus tickets for Punta Arenas were already there and everything was arranged. Alex even suggested a nearby restaurant! About 50 hours after our departure in Amsterdam, we finally arrived in Punta Arenas. We were extremely happy we made it! We heard on the ship that most of the people also tried to get an alternative route but didn’t succeed and that four people didn’t make it in time and missed their Antarctic adventure. Having an expert with local ground forces saved our trip.
Was the long and stressful journey worth it?
The whole adventure getting in Punta Arenas was worth every second of stress and sweat. Our trip started at the Falkland Islands, we had an amazing expedition when we spent some time on one of the most southern islands.
It was a bit strange to see so many penguins surrounded by lots of sun and greenery.
We were also lucky as the elephant seals were quite active. Our voyage of the Drake Passage was more like the ‘Drake Lake’ and there was certainly no ‘Drake Shake’. We will never forget how Antarctica emerged between the haze and clouds.
How was your ship?
Our ship ‘Akademik Sergey Vavilov’ was just right for what we wanted; large enough for a bit of comfort and small enough to get to know the group of people on board. Over time the number of friends we made grew. The ship had a young and enthusiastic crew. The food was good and there was always plenty of choice, the bar was also a very pleasant place to stay.
What expeditions did you choose?
We made many expeditions and we sometimes found it difficult to choose between kayaking or just going onto land. We didn’t want to miss anything. We really enjoyed the camping for one night, it is certainly worth doing it.
We really enjoyed the wildlife in Antarctica; it was like National Geographic at its best. We saw a pod of orcas try to separate and drown a humpback whale calf from its mother – probably something you would only see once in your life. We also saw a leopard seal catch a penguin and tear it to shreds in the water.
Besides wildlife, the views and setting were brilliant although it’s hard to describe to people who have never been here – pictures can only convey a small part of what we have experienced. The only solution is to go to Antarctica yourself.
Would you recommend Swoop Antarctica?
I’m sure that next time when we travel, we will certainly book with Alex and his Swoop family. During our long 50 hour journey to Punta Arenas, we had direct access to Alex; he was always available for us. We want to thank Alex and his Swoop family very much for the extreme service they provided us. Thank you very much!
If you want to book an extraordinary trip to Antarctica, arranged by experts who are always on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly, then please do get in touch with Alex or John.
