Antarctica: Top 5 Impressions – The Taucker Travel Blog

Tauck Visitor and Board Member Jennie Norman traveled to Antarctica and shared her thoughts and impressions with us – a fascinating glimpse at the “7th Continent.”

“My top five impressions from the journey:

The land/seascape. Antarctica is otherworldly in a way no place else is. Nothing but ice and snow and rock…shades of white, gray and blue. No a person lives there nor ever has… it is an pretty much alien landscape and eerily stunning.

Antarctica is pristine. Definitely pristine – i.e. no air pollution, drinking water pollution, gentle air pollution, sounds pollution, no plastic on the shores. No roads, no symptoms – practically nothing.

The sea is filled with ice chunks and icebergs of all sizes… sort of like traveling by means of a large frozen Margarita! They are vivid blue and white and come in all styles and measurements. Some are incomprehensibly massive – and only 15% is higher than h2o. To the still left is one particular with our 400-ft. ship in the background (the speck). The mountains are equally jaw-dropping…raw and jagged and wild.

The wildlife! The penguins are all over the place and are completely charming. For the reason that Antarctica has in no way been inhabited by human beings, and there are no land mammals in any way to prey on them, they have no panic of us at all. They are alternately indifferent and curious. There are a number of species and all are fascinating to check out. We noticed penguins swimming, waddling, courting, nesting, feeding their young, and even hatching. To the ideal is a curious Gentoo checking me out.

We also noticed numerous species of seals, like a leopard seal whilst kayaking and dozens of humpback whales. Most thrilling of all the animals were being the orcas. We had 5 orca sightings, a few of which were prolonged and correct up coming to the boat – we had been extremely blessed to see 3 distinctive subtypes.

Peace and science. Possibly most incredible was standing on a continent wherever no 1 country is sovereign. Antarctica is no man’s, and everyman’s, land. Governed internationally by the Antarctic Treaty, signed by 12 nations around the world in 1959 and joined by several a lot more given that, Antarctica is to be stewarded for the needs of peace and science. No 1 is in charge nations around the world all “police” just one a further and it will work superbly.”

Just take a appear at what traveling with Tauck to Antarctica is all about.