Tag: Penguins

SA: Puerto Madryn, Argentina (part 2)

Saturday, January 28, 2023

The guide told us we had 1.5 hours to walk the trail, go to the bathroom (there would not be another stop on the way back), and be back on the bus. The trail could take you all the way to the shoreline. It was a hot day and the trail looked long. Most of the trail was rock and loose gravel so you had to be careful not to turn an ankle. Some of the trail was boardwalk but even it had slats that were uneven, and I saw people stumble over them. If you didn’t want to walk the trail or couldn’t manage it, there were plenty of benches around and lots of penguins to watch even at the beginning of the trail.

I set my watch alarm for one hour just to be sure we were on the way back when it sounded.

Again, the surrounding area was desert-like with scraggly shrubs. You could find Magellanic penguins in the shade of the shrubbery. Many had made their burrows under the shrubbery. Some would be standing out in the heat. Just like the other places we visited, the penguins would cross the designated path to get to and from the water and we had to wait and give them space to do so. In some places, the boardwalk was raised so the penguins could cross under it or stand under it in the shade.

Once we arrived at the end of the trail, I enjoyed watching the penguins swimming and bobbing in the water. It was so hot that I’m surprised they weren’t all in the water.

There were also a number of Guanacos wandering around in the area. The guide said that the penguins are not bothered by them.

My alarm went off and we started back, it seemed to take much longer than the walk down. I guess because it was so hot.

Really enjoyed the time there even though it was crowded with tourists and hot. (Have I mentioned it was hot?)

Before we boarded the bus, we looked around the little museum that seemed to be devoted to sheep farming. Some people were purchasing water and soft drinks at the small café.

Once we got back on the bus, we were given a box lunch of an apple, granola bar, a bottle of cold water, and a sandwich. I wish I had taken a picture of the sandwich. The bread was thick and dry like it was stone-ground. There were slim slices of meat and cheese. The sandwich was so long that I broke the bread in half, folded the meat and cheese over to put it between the bread half slices. It was still a big sandwich.

We followed the same route back to the port and the tour guide didn’t have more information to give us until we reached the city, so I was glad that I had my book to read. The air conditioning seemed to be working better also. Some people used the time to nap.

When we got back to the port, there was a group of people doing traditional dances. I was not able to get any videos or photos as they were finishing up as our bus arrived.

We enjoyed the sunshine on the Sea View deck and then decided to get cleaned up for the evening’s activities.

This was our last stop to see penguins. Each stop was unique, and I am so glad to have been able to see them. If you take this cruise and really want to see penguins on a HAL tour, I recommend that you pay for the tours on the website prior to the cruise instead of waiting until you board. These tours sell out fast.

Also, I’ve read where people said the smell of the penguin poo was horrible and overwhelming. There was a lot of penguin poo, especially in the Falklands site, and there was an ammonia smell, but it wasn’t terrible. Maybe the wind was blowing so much that it minimized the smell. I just know it didn’t seem as bad as I had expected.

Travel Trivia

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

The town was founded on 28 July 1865, when 150 Welsh immigrants arriving aboard the clipper Mimosa, named the natural port Porth Madryn in honor of Sir Love Jones-Parry, whose estate in Wales was called “Madryn”. 

Puerto Madryn was the port to which Argentine prisoners of war captured in the Falklands Islands during the 1982 war were repatriated on the vessel SS Canberra.

Argentina’s largest aluminum plant was constructed here in the 1970s, helping further develop an already solid economy. Then, when the Peso was devalued in the 90s, Madryn experienced another economic boom as international tourism developed around diving, fishing, and marine wildlife viewing.

SA: Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Table shuffleboard all tied up at 4-4. There will be a championship match before the end of the cruise.

We had another table for six in the main dining room. The service was so slow that by the time I got my food, I inhaled it without taking a photo. Chuck and I each had the chicken scallopini. It was very good.

Tonight’s main stage program was another BBC Planet Earth movie. We skipped it and went to the Rolling Stone Lounge. We only stayed for one set because of our early excursion.

Slept fitfully but got up with the alarm at 6:00. Room service breakfast was delivered at 6:50. Got to get ready to see some more penguins!

We had a HAL tour entitled “Best of Puerto Madryn: Punta Tombo Reserve.” The tour description states

About the Excursion – 7.5 hours

Puerto Madryn is the stepping-off point for at least two of Argentina’s most exciting Natural Parks — the Valdes Peninsula and Punta Tombo.

The Punta Tombo Nature Reserve, which you will visit today, is world renowned as perhaps the finest spot from which to view Magellan penguins. It is located 111 miles from the city of Puerto Madryn and will afford you the truly unusual experience of observing the Magellan penguin at close range in its natural habitat. It is estimated that more than 450,000 penguins come here each year, and from November onwards it is possible to also see baby penguins leaving their nests.

As you quietly stroll along the footpath through the colony, the lovable and endearing penguins will not be afraid of you. They are used to having visitors, and the visitors’ code of conduct, explained by your guide, ensures that disturbance to the birds is minimal. You will learn about how the Magellan penguins mate for life — the female lays two eggs each year, which the male and female then brood and raise together.

Notes: A box lunch is included. Travel time to Punta Tombo is approximately 2½ hours each way. The road is unpaved and dusty in places. Due to Puerto Madryn’s remote location, the standard of transportation used may be more basic than that in some other ports. Restrooms are available only at the rookery entrance and at the gas station during the ride. This tour is available only on select sailings due to time in port. It is essential that you wear warm, layered clothing in order to fully enjoy and participate in this excursion. Outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. Bring gloves, a warm hat and a scarf.

Met in the main stage and were quickly directed to the tour buses. So glad today was not another tender day. The gangway was a little steep from Deck 2 to the pier but at least there was no bobbing boat to have to get in and out of this morning.

The bus had comfortable seating, but the air conditioning did not work very well. Our tour guide is a teacher during the school year and does tour groups through the summer. She teaches English reading comprehension. Her English was excellent and the sound system in the bus worked well. She discussed many topics about Argentina and Patagonia. Made the time pass quickly.

The bus ride was about 2 hours – mostly on the highway but the last 30 minutes is on a bumpy dusty road. There is not much to see once you leave the city. We did get a bathroom break at a truck stop. There were lots of cars and trucks there, so I assume it was the only available one for miles around.

The landscape reminded me of southern Arizona (except for the large wind mills). We did see some sheep, a few horses, and some Guanacos – camelids native to South America that are closely related to the llama. Also saw several small make-shift religious shrines along the highway. Wondered who put them there and why.

I did not expect to see a life-size dinosaur statue. The guide told us that Argentina boasts some of the biggest dinosaur fossils ever found. She said this dinosaur was advertising the Museum of Paleontology Egidio Feruglio located in Trelew, Argentina.

While it would be interesting to see the fossils, I was looking forward to the encounter with more penguins. I was glad to finally get to the entrance of the rookery. As we took the opportunity for another bathroom break, our guide went to get our entrance tickets.

SA: Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (part 3)

Thursday, January 26, 2023

We strolled along the cliff edge toward the Sea Cabbage Cafe.

The owners of the cafe also own the entire Cove land. In addition to the cafe and the penguin experience, they also raise sheep and sell items that are made from the wool there. She is a professional baker.

Chuck chose a cup of coffee, a cookie and a piece of peanut butter cake. I chose hot chocolate, a scone with the diddle-dee jam and cream, and a piece of lemon cake. Everything was excellent.

We walked through the small museum and gift shop. Chuck bought a very nice wool hat that was made with the Farm’s sheep wool.

June was picking us up there at the cafe so we sat on one of the picnic tables and watched the penguins on the beach. We could have walked out on the beach and some people did.

Real Sea Cabbage –

On the ride back, she pointed out some various battle sites and some local cows – the belted cows. They were too far away for my camera to get a good photo.

Google photo

Once we got back to the port area, we chose to get on the next tender and go back to the ship. It had been a great day.

Travel Trivia

Stanley, Falkland Islands

The Falklands are a compact group of 740 islands with a total land area approximately the size of Connecticut. The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory.

The name “Falkland Islands” comes from Falkland Sound, the strait that separates the two main islands. The name “Falkland” was applied to the channel by John Strong, captain of an English expedition which landed on the islands in 1690. Strong named the strait in honour of Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, the Treasurer of the Navy who sponsored his journey. Many South Americans still refer to the islands as Isla Malvinas, the original French-given name.

The islands’ vegetation is low and dense in a landscape with no natural tree growth.

There are over 500,000 breeding pairs of penguins consisting of 5 species: King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, Macaroni and Magellanic.

Approximately 65% of the world’s black-browed albatrosses live in the Falklands and it is the only place to see the Falklands steamer duck and Cobbs wren.

Four-fifths of the Falkland population live in Stanley. The islands’ British heritage is apparent in Stanley, where pubs, bright red mailboxes, and well-kept gardens are numerous.

Stanley’s weekly paper is named Penguin News.

Peat was once a prominent heating/fuel source in Stanley, and stacks of drying peat can still be seen by the occasional house.

Almost the whole area of the two main islands, outside of Stanley, is devoted to sheep farming.

SA: Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (part 2)

Thursday, January 26, 2023

The most popular penguin tour in the Falkland Islands is the 7 to 8 hour one that goes to see a large King penguin colony. I know HAL does that tour and I know of at least one independent tour operator that does the tour. I thought about signing up for this tour but the description said there would be a long time on rough road and I didn’t think my back could take it.

Instead I signed us up for HAL’s tour “Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery.” The tour description states

About the Excursion – 3 hours

King and Gentoo penguins and other bird species of the Falklands are the stars of this award-winning scenic, off-road excursion to Bluff Cove Lagoon — a privately owned wildlife haven.

Meet the Bluff Cove team on the pier and head out by minibus for a 20-minute journey through Stanley and across the rolling hills to Bluff Cove Farm. Transfer to a Land Rover 4×4 and relax as your skillful driver navigates the rugged off-road terrain for another 20 minutes.

Upon your arrival at the Bluff Cove Lagoon penguin rookery, knowledgeable and friendly rangers will brief you about what to expect and what to look for. Stroll through the penguin colony, which features a scenic backdrop of a large lagoon and a white, sandy beach that is occasionally patrolled by sea lions from the nearby island. This pristine reserve is home to more than 1,000 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins, which protect the growing colony of king penguins and their chicks. Magellanic penguins, which burrow on the nearby island, can also be found on the beach. Bird species that frequent or nest in the area include skuas, upland geese, ruddy-headed geese, Magellanic oystercatchers, South American terns, dolphin gulls, flightless Falkland steamer ducks, snowy sheathbills and southern giant petrels.

Warm up with a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate served at the legendary Sea Cabbage Café on the beach and enjoy delicious home-baked treats including scones with diddle-dee jam and fresh cream (gluten-free options available). Bask in the warmth and aroma of the peat stove while the enjoying splendid vistas of waves crashing on the sandy beach and penguins porpoising in.

The Bluff Cove Museum & Shop, also by the beach, depicts life in the Falklands and tells the story of Bluff Cove. Learn about the farm, the nearby 1863 ‘sugar wreck’, the 1982 war with Argentina and the fabulous lagoon wildlife.

You will have an hour of free time to take photographs, stroll along the beach and look around the museum. A small gift shop sells unique Bluff Cove souvenirs, including Bluff Cove tweed items made with the farm wool, and postcards that can be stamped and mailed from here. Look for samples of knitted, crocheted and felted local wool work displayed on the walls of the café and museum.

After an unforgettable visit, your Land Rover 4×4 driver will take you back to the minibus for the return journey to Stanley. Make the most of an opportunity to see the new Stanley Museum at the historic dockyard.

Notes: US dollars are accepted at the museum gift/souvenir shop. Modern restrooms are available at the café and museum. Tour involves traveling over rugged terrain in a Land Rover 4×4, and is not suitable for guests with back and/or neck problems. The 300-yard walk to the beach is mostly flat and there are courtesy vehicles ready to drive guests with mobility limitations. Assistance is available for guests using a wheelchair. Wear comfortable walking shoes and warm layered clothing with a windbreaker. Bring sunscreen.

A few minutes after 11:00, three vans showed up to pick us up. June was our driver. She has lived on the Falklands for 40 years. On the thirty-minute drive to the rookery, she talked about the 1982 War with Argentina, the current government, and the education system.

The van seating was tight and the aisle was very narrow to get to the seats. I was glad that the ride wasn’t too long. When we arrived at the rookery, we did not change vehicles. The van just bumped along the dirt road until we reached the penguins.

We were met at the site by the park ranger (they called them wardens). He told us to remain outside the white flags. If the penguins walked outside the flagged area, give them 6 feet of space. Don’t touch them. Don’t feed them.

There were so many penguins – King and Gentoo. I never did see any Magellanic penguins.

King –

Mom looking down at her chick (fuzzy gray object)

Gentoo –

Chicks chasing an adult

There were other birds around also.

Skua – the penguins will put up a fuss when skua fly low if there are eggs or small chicks. Since the chicks are bigger now, the penguins were not as threatened (said the warden).

There was a skua flying overhead and one sitting on a bench. When the flying skua landed, the other skua jumped on him. It was a brief scuffle. One flew away and the other went to the bench. Penguins just kept going about their business.

A buzzard was also flying around but the penguins paid no attention to him. The geese just stayed in the field away from all the penguin commotion.

Before we made the walk to the cafe, we took one last look at a penguin high-stepping his way across the water.

SA: Antarctic Experience Day 2 (part 2)

Sunday, January 22, 2023

We left Paradise Bay and made our way to Neko Harbor. It was still snowing heavily. The ship was having to cut through a lot of what the Captain called “pancake ice.” Wikipedia defines pancake ice as a form of sea ice that consists of round pieces of ice that will fuse together. The diameters can range from 12 inches (30 centimeters) to 9 feet (3 meters) with thicknesses up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) depending on the local conditions. It forms as a result of wave action on slush or ice rind.

Right before lunch, a big iceberg came floating by with a bunch of Gentoo penguins and some sort of sea bird riding on it. However, as it got closer to the ship, many of the penguins jumped off. A few brave souls and the bird never jumped and just sailed on by.

Sea bird is at the far left
Making their way to jump off
Fewer still (bird still there)
Then there were three (and the bird)

Swimming away –

More icebergs –

We’d already seen so much and it was just early afternoon. Our next stop would be to circle Cuverville Island. Time for a late lunch.

SA: Antarctic Experience Day 2

Sunday, January 22, 2023

We decided to eat in the Lido for dinner because Chuck wanted to be sure he was at the Casino when they called names for the drawing. I had the spicy shrimp, and he had some shrimp and some roast beef.

We made it to the Casino in time for the drawing but unfortunately Chuck’s name was not called. There will be another drawing tomorrow night.

We went to the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge band before calling it a night.

I thought it snowed heavily yesterday but that was nothing compared to the snowy conditions we had today. The Captain allowed people to go out on the bow but he cautioned everyone about slippery conditions. The crew did their best to keep it swept and shoveled off. All my photos from today look grainy because of the heavy snow falling.

I was in our room getting into my winter gear when the Captain announced we were entering Paradise Bay and “whales on the port side!” – “whales on the starboard side!” So many whales.

Then he announced that there were Gentoo penguins in the water. (He always sounded as excited as we were.)

And when there wasn’t any marine life to see, the icebergs kept us entertained.

All this excitement and it wasn’t even 10:00 a.m. yet.

SA: Antarctic Experience Day 1

Saturday, January 21, 2023

After drinks in the Gallery Bar and some slots, we went to the main dining room and had another table for two. I chose the carne asada and Chuck had the turkey and dressing.

Afterwards, we played some more slots until Chuck’s poker buddies showed up and I was ready to call it a night. When I got back to the room, I found a gift for Chuck from the Casino – chocolates from the Pinnacle Grill. I thought it was a nice gesture.

My expectations for the weather in the Antarctica peninsula was based on all the brochures I have seen – bright blue, sunny skies with fluffy clouds. Brochures lie. I got up at 7:00 and looked outside – foggy and drizzly. Not sure I was going to be able to see any land. Everything looked grey.

After his very late night, Chuck was not ready to face the morning. I went up for coffee and to breakfast in the Lido. I was surprised that it wasn’t that hard to find a table.

The drizzle soon turned to snow. Everyone was excited. Some of the crew members had never seen snow and rushed outside every chance they got. The Captain said we were getting the “true Antarctic experience.”

Video of snowing on the Sea View deck

The Captain then announced that we were not able to get to Palmer Station because of the conditions but we were now headed into the Lemaire Channel. We were given this information about Palmer Station:

Located on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula, Palmer Station (64° 46°S, 64° 03°W) is named for Nathaniel B. Palmer, who in 1820 on a sealing expedition in his 47-foot (14-meter) ship the Hero became the first American to record sighting Antarctica. The original station was built in 1965. In 1967, the U.S. Navy began construction of the current larger and more permanent station approximately a mile east of the original site. The first building at the new station, the biology laboratory, opened its doors to science in 1970. Today, two main buildings and several smaller structures make up Palmer Station and provide housing and research facilities for scientists and support personnel. Of the three U.S. Antarctic stations, Palmer is the only one that is accessed routinely during the winter.

Palmer Station has a webcam. Their page also has another camera that is set up to observe an Adelie penguin colony from October through February. Each page refreshes after 15 seconds.

I was taking some landscape photos whenever the fog lifted some. I would have liked to have known how high the mountains were, but they were always shrouded in the clouds.

Then, the Captain announced that there were penguins on land climbing to their colony. The black dots on the white areas are the penguins climbing. The colony was on the rock formation (white dots on the black rocks). Many people were carrying those long camera lenses, so I am sure they got great close-ups. My camera lens is heavy enough. I would not have been able to handle the lenses they had. Thus, I had to make do with dots.

We passed a Quark Expedition ship – The Ocean Adventurer. This cruise line is one that you can book if you want to actually step onto land. This particular ship holds 128 passengers and usually starts its adventure in Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas or Ushuaia. The price I have seen on average for the smallest cabin is $10,000 per person.

We ate lunch in the main dining room today. I splurged and ordered their lobster roll and Cape Cod chips. I flustered the waiter as I guess not many people order it since it has an upcharge. He had to go ask a supervisor about it. I did get it and it was good, not as good as the one I had in Bar Harbor one time, but certainly not as expensive as that one either. However, the chips were regular potato chips – not the thick Cape Cod chips that are typically served with a lobster roll. Of course, I ate them all anyway.

By the afternoon, we were in the Neumayer Channel. I spent the afternoon just like I did the morning – watching the landscape go by, taking photos, and marveling that I was really here.

Not an Expedition ship 🙂

SA: Third Sea Day

Friday, January 20, 2023

We went to the Gallery Bar to play some more table shuffleboard. The score is now 3-2. I’m still hanging on to my lead.

The Gallery Bar is next to the Casino, shows sports on its TV screens, and features interesting artwork. The bar is always busy.

We decided to go to the Lido for dinner. I had a salad and Chuck had a little of the braised beef and the chicken parmigiana.

During dinner, we got an email from Holland America that said our cruise consultant that we have done business with for 15 years was leaving Holland America. Such disappointing news. Even though we never met face to face, we felt like we knew her. We have been assigned a new consultant. I hope she is at least half as friendly and efficient as our previous one.

Also, during dinner, the ship lurched, and some large bowls fell off the serving line. Really loud crash. Our salt shaker fell off of the table but it didn’t break. Still in the Drake Passage.

We also saw part of the Lido pool area entrance blocked off and water was sloshing around. We asked an officer what happened, and he said they were swabbing the deck. I call BS on that explanation. I’ve seen them swab decks before and there wasn’t that much standing water. The pool was empty and there was way too much water on the deck. I think the pool sloshed over and soaked the deck when the ship lurched, and they emptied the rest of it so it wouldn’t happen again.

We played some slots and then went to see Daniel Ka who is a magician and illusionist. He was pretty good. However, there was some strobe lighting that really hurt the eyes went it went off.

Before the show, Kevin, our Cruise Director, told everyone to stop saving seats in the main stage for long periods of times. I mentioned before that the morning and afternoon talks have been very popular and very hard to get a seat unless you go early. Seems that people are going as soon as they get up and putting their stuff – books, sweaters, etc. in the seats they want and then go about their morning until the time of the lecture. Old people equivalent of putting pool towels on the deck chairs to save them. Tomorrow’s talks on penguins and marine mammals will be standing room only so I doubt anyone will heed his admonishment.

Once the show ended, I called it a night. Chuck went back to the casino for some poker.

I really slept well last night. It may have been hard to walk around but the rocking ship helps me sleep. However, at breakfast, I heard about a woman who was tossed out of bed and had to get a couple of stitches on her ear because it hit the bedside table.

The Captain announced that we had passed the 60-degree south latitude at 3:00 a.m. so we were officially in Antarctica waters.

I found a seat for Jim’s presentation on penguins. I didn’t realize how many species of penguins there are.

After the presentation, I worked on some of my photos and then went to the sale in the shops. I found a shirt I liked.

As the afternoon progressed, we got closer to Deception Island, an island in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula. This island is the caldera of an active volcano.

The Captain announced that there were Gentoo penguins in the water and on the shore of the island. Everyone rushed out to the decks – me included.

Deception Island –

White dots are the penguins
Lots of penguins
Opening to the Caldera which can act as a harbor – we did not go in

After we finished watching the penguins, it was time to get ready for the evening.

SA: Punta Arenas, Chile (part 2)

As soon as we docked, we were greeted with Magellanic penguins.

Once we gathered at the meeting point, we were given the rules – Don’t touch the Penguins, Don’t feed the Penguins, Stay on the path and, if a penguin wants to cross the path, stay 6 ft away and let it cross.

The path was a one-mile loop trail that went up to the lighthouse and then back down to the dock. We were given an hour to be back at the ferry. If you didn’t want to make the walk, there were places to sit near the shore and there were plenty of penguins to watch.

So many Magellanic penguins –

Adults

Chicks (most as big as the parent)

I thought the information about their burrows was very interesting. Each breeding season, the males come back first and go to the same burrow as they used last season. Unless, it wasn’t a good burrow (ones nearer the shoreline could get flooded in heavy rains killing the chicks, so more experienced penguins dug burrows near the top of the hill). The female arrived in a couple of weeks and went to the burrow. How did they know their burrow and their mate? By the smell of the penguin poo around the burrow (all the white coloring). Nature is amazing.

And what happened if a single male penguin tried to move into another male’s burrow instead of digging his own? A very nasty fight, of course. The winner got the burrow and the arriving female.

The Magellanic penguins were very territorial and really didn’t like it when other penguins even came close to their burrows. I
didn’t know how they could help but get close because there were burrows everywhere.

Stare down – thought there might be a fight – just a lot of squawking:

The penguins would sometimes enter the path and just stand there. If he/she stayed too long looking at us, a ranger would step near it to encourage it to move on. One of the penguins just came into the path, turned around and basically had us following it down the path. A true March of the Penguins.

Penguins weren’t the only inhabitants of this island. There were many gulls and their chicks. The penguins had a wary relationship with the gulls. The gulls would not hesitate to grab a penguin egg to eat, given an opportunity.

There was also a few Magellanic geese hanging out:

I didn’t get any picture of the Skua which preys on both penguin and gull eggs and baby chicks but there were several flying around. Both the penguins and gulls put up a fuss if the Skua flew too low.

When we got to the top of the hill to the lighthouse, we saw another large colony of penguins on that side but there is no path to get there.

The view from the lighthouse was very nice. We could not enter the lighthouse. Nearby we could see an island that the guide said was populated by sea lions. They come over to this island and swim around it hunting for penguins. I am glad I did not see any sea lion catch one.

Chilean flag in front and the Patagonian province flag

We made it back to the ferry with about 5 minutes to spare. I thought an hour would not be long enough since I like to take so many photos. However, we didn’t walk fast, and I never felt rushed so one hour turned out to be fine.

Everyone was on time back to the ferry, and we were soon headed back to the pier. The ride back didn’t seem to take as long but it was about the same two hours. Once we were back, we thought about walking around the town but ultimately decided to get on the next available tender to the ship. We did get our photo made by the Magellan Strait Crossing sign with the whale tail.

I decided that the afternoon was perfect for downloading all 200 of my photos and taking a nap until it was time to get ready for the evening.

We had a really great time on the tour, and I would highly recommend it.

P.S. This port was our last one in Chile. Nobody ever asked us to show our Chilean agricultural affidavit.

Travel Trivia

Punta Arenas, Chile

Since 2017, the city and its region have their own time zone: they use summer time during the whole year (UTC−3).

Means “Sandy Point” in English.

Punta Arenas is the most populous southernmost city in Chile and in the Americas, and due to its location, the coldest coastal city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Latin America.

Punta Arenas was originally established by the Chilean government in 1848 as a tiny penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan.

In the 1880s and early 1900s, waves of European immigrants, mainly from Croatia and Russia came to Punta Arenas attracted to the gold rush and sheep farming boom.

SA: Pre-Cruise Thoughts

We put a deposit down on this cruise in January 2020 to depart in February 2021. I immediately started booking excursions. So excited!

A pandemic later and we are now allowed to take this cruise in 2023. South America has had a hard time normalizing from the pandemic so only those fully vaccinated with at least one booster shot can take this cruise. We will also have to take an antigen test 3 days before embarkation. We will use the Emed kit and its online medical observation as we have before.

I’m still excited for this cruise. The itinerary has been on my bucket list for many years because of Antarctica. Even though we will not land in Antarctica, we will spend 4 days cruising through the Antarctica Sound. I hope it will be as amazing as the photos I’ve seen.

I’m also hoping to see an abundance of wildlife, especially penguins. If an excursion listed any chance of seeing penguins, I signed us up. Why so many penguin excursions? I’ve read that depending on the weather, some of the ports may be missed. I am hedging my bets that I get to at least one of the ports that has penguins. If we get to all of the ports, so much the better.

There are several breeds of penguins that can be found in this region. I think I have a good chance of seeing Gentoo and Rockhoppers. Not sure about the others. Just hoping.

Adelie:

Gentoo:

Chinstrap:

Macaroni:


Rockhopper:


Magellanic:


King:


Packing will be a challenge again. It is summertime in South America and will be hot and humid in Chile and Argentina. But of course, it will be cold in the Antarctica Sound. We will be layering up and bringing our raingear – much like we did for the Voyage of the Vikings cruise – and hope for the best.

We will be sailing on the Holland America (HAL) Oosterdam. It is part of the Vista class and holds a little over 1900 passengers. We have never sailed that particular ship, but we have sailed all of its sister ships – Noordam, Westerdam, and Zuiderdam – so I am familiar with its size and layout. It is a nice mid-size class of ship.

So, barring bad weather or a positive COVID test, next stop – Santiago, Chile!

*penguin photos provided by Google