South Of The Antarctic Circle Reviews

No question, hard to choose one. Far the best: zodiak cruise with the whales. Second: Paradise bay zodiak criuse on an amazing suny afternoon. Third: Deception Island on an amazing sunny day.

Four-star experience! Could not have been better. Highlight was the ship's crew, our guides, and our fellow explorers... all nice folks. Landscapes stark and challenging, photogenic and forboding. Wildlife incredibly resilient and not camera shy, especially the young penguins! Surprised how wonderful the experience was. Being on the bridge, with the Captain, navigating the Lemaire Channel, which had a HUGE iceberg towering over us!

We had amazingly good luck with weather and were able to make about 10 excursions from the ship. The encounters with the whales were just incredibly wonderful. The icebergs and bergy bits were artistic, majestic, noisy, imaginative and splendid. I think we met people from nearly 20 different countries aboard ship. The crew were all friendly, competent, attentive and knowledgeable. I learned a great deal about history, geography, birds and penguins. Drake's passage is long even in good weather.

The trip was great. The Plancius was a clean and well run ship. Accommodations and dining on the hotel staff side were well run and comfortable. The Expedition Staff were helpful, informative and showed their passion for Antarctica. Events were flexible but well planned. Landscapes were stunning, the weather was warmer than expected, hovering around freezing and the wildlife was great to see up close. The small ship size with 105 guests was nice. You may not have had the chance to speak to everyone, but that was your own or their choice. 28 different nationalities amongst the guests and crew, so a nice mix. One surprising aspect was the age of the guests. My initial thoughts due to the "bucket list" type vacation and expense of a trip to South America and Antarctica was of an early retired mid-60's well off couple with appropriate means as the standard guest. However there were many younger guests, although the youngest few (mid 20's) were there with their parents for special birthdays etc. But also many in late 30's to 40's which may have been a product of this being a diving adventure. There definitely were the 60's-ish couples but much more age diversity. It is hard to pick one most special moment, however crossing the Antarctic Circle and cruising in Crystal Bay is something to remember for a lifetime. The same goes for the close interaction with Fur Seals on land and near the shore.

They are are too many but these are some of the top 3. Seeing 100’s of Finn Whales surround our ship. Seeing Leopard Seal catch a penguin, seeing the Ocra Whales hunting right around our ship.

This is so difficult because there were so many memorable moments. I think the one that will stick with me for the rest of my life, and the one that had me feeling the most emotions, was the sunset near Liard Island. We had just crossed the Antarctic Circle and the captain held us stationary as we watched the sunset. The sounds of whales were all around us and the light was perfect. I’m a sucker for sunsets and this one brought tears to my eyes. I will never forget this moment!

Wildlife sightings and zodiac cruises - can't narrow to just one!

The most memorable moment was humpback whales swimming under and around our zodiac, spyhopping us multiple times!!

The landscapes and wildlife were spectacular. After awhile you almost stop taking pictures of whales because you have so many. The other passengers were diverse, adventurous and many will hopefully be friends for life. It was a bummer the weather made us head north a day early, but no worries.

Experiencing the power of the Drake Passage, we had the Drake Shake both ways, made me understand the risks of the early explorers and the extreme ecosystems. Seeing a leopard seal catch and flay a penguin reminded me that nature is not cuddly.

All the landing activities and zodiac cruising are amazing and memorable. There were many moments I felt touched and moved by the great nature of Antarctica. Penguins, whales, seals are having good life there, I hope Antarctica can keep the way it is so that the wild life animals are protected. Also the expedition crew members are amazing, we won't have a great Antarctica adventure without their dedications.

I don't know if I can pick a single moment. The entire trip was wonderful and the staff was great and very knowledgeable in their respective fields. We were able to get farther south of the circle than was anticipated from the beginning and we were able to accomplish all that was expected. There were of course changes in the schedule as Antarctic weather is always changing, but no real negative changes during our trip.

Kayaking with Leopard Seals., Humpbacks seeking Krill and swimming around the Zodiak several meters away, and seeking the raw nature of the Antartica.

When we arrived in Antarctica, and saw for the first time the magnificence of its imposing mountains

Too many to pick from. The sheer number of humpbacks and orcas and how close they were was completely amazing. Then the Iguazu falls extension. Day after day you think it couldn't get any better but then it would. I wasn't really expecting the food and accomadations to be so good but both were excellent. We really enjoyed the lectures and seminars. Not your typical tour guides.

Having 3 different types of whale surround us on the zodiacs in their hundreds for hours!

Impossible! You are surrounded by majestic beauty. The blue hues of the ice, rugged, snow covered mountains… whales feeding… penguins so comical on land, yet so graceful in the water. Just so magnificent.

Humpback fluking 3m from us under the boat or polar plunge!

Zodiac cruises so near the wildlife (Humpback Whales, penguins, seals). We saw hundreds of whales many just a few feet away.

Wildlife, meeting penguins up close and personal!