Antarctica Travel Blog Nov 11: Preventing Pathogens, Welcome Cocktails and Meeting the Captain
Friday - Nov. 11, 2011
This afternoon we conducted bio security which entailed of vacuuming out our personal backpacks and outer gear to prevent pathogens from being introduced into the delicate environment of the Subantarctic Islands. Also, attendance of the zodiac briefing was required to ensure everyone's personal safety.
Pete McClelland from the New Zealand Department of Conservation gave a lecture about the unique plant life and wildlife on the Subantarctic Islands. The New Zealand government requires a permit to land on all these Islands. Additionally there are many rules regarding the times permitted to enter and the number of people to enter at once. Pete said that the islands are for the birds, thus we are merely visitors. Our visit to Snares Island tomorrow is the first of our many explorations of this region. The stars of these islands are the Yellow Eyed Penguin and Erect Crested penguin that are endemic to these islands. Many travelers are to see those birds to complete their list of the 17 penguin species. Everyone was excited to meet the Captain and his officers at the Welcome Cocktail party. The Captain, Viktror Vasil Yev, has operated the Kapitan Khlebnikov for many years. I'm confident he will get us to the Ross Ice Shelf with a safe return to Australia on December 7th. Sposibo, Captain Vasil yev! For being our Captain! New Russian word of the day “Sposibo” -- Thank you.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.