Antarctica Adventure with Toni Tours

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I escorted a group of 25 people aboard the Marco Polo of Orient Cruise Lines, on a 9 day cruise to the Antarctica Peninsula. We sailed roundtrip from Ushuaia, Argentina. It was a fantastic voyage, that allowed us to experience what few people have. The only tough part, was sailing through the Drake Passage on the way down. We hit 24 foot seas, that sent glasses and dishes crashing to the floor. I also got tossed from bed and out of the shower.

Our ship's Captain, Nenad Mogic, got us through it all with his skill and sense of humor. The rough waters lasted about 11 hours, and then we entered a sea of calm, with sunny skies, mild temperatures and a light breeze. The sense of peace and vision of beauty was indescribable.

We visited Deception Island, Cuverville Islands, Lemaire Channel/Port Lockroy, Paradise Harbor and Half Moon Island.

Our experiences included seeing 69 whales show themselves with either a tail fluke, or a magnificent breach. Unfortunately, I never was able to capture that elusive photo of any of them. We also saw over 30 different species of birds. Our staff of naturalist guides was top notch, who took joy in sharing their knowledge with us.

We ventured ashore by zodiac, and cherished the priviledge of being welcomed by the native penguins there. The smell of penguin dung was quite overwhelming when we first experienced it at Deception Island, but was quickly lost in the joy we experienced in watching the penguin antics up-close.

The strangest surprise, was finding a makeshift gift shop at the Chilean Research Station in Paradise Harbor. The researchers there made little wood carvings they put up for sale, and they sold postcards that would be mailed from there, with a Paradise Harbor post mark. All proceeds go towards funding the research station.

We experienced all of this while being pampered by the wonderful crew aboard the Marco Polo. It was always nice to come back to a nice cup of hot tea and cookies, after spending time out on the ice.

I have included a number of photos, that I feel best tells the story. While the pictures do not do Antarctica justice, they can describe the scene better than words. I hope you enjoy them. You can view more photos and see other upcoming trips at www.tonitours.net

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Photos

Photoshoot Paradise Harbor
Compliments of Mary Beth Fusco

Adventures With Toni Tours Group
Marco Polo Ship

Captain Nenad Mogic
Master of the vessel showing off his Adventures with Toni Tours T-Shirt

Beautiful Antarctica Sky
Peaceful sky after passing through Drake Passage

Deception Island
Sailing into the caldera of Deception Island

No Trespassing
Paradise Harbor

Zodiac and Iceberg
Paradise Harbor

Dad and Chick
Paradise Harbor

Where Are We?
Paradise Harbor

The Marco Polo
Paradise Harbor

Me and the Penguins
Paradise Harbor

Strike a Pose
Chinstrap penguin at Half Moon Island

Beautiful Iceberg
Culvervill Islands

The Rookery
Half Moon Island

Snowman on Deck
We woke up to a snow storm in Lemaire Channel on the way to Point Lockroy and built a snowman

Just Another Day in Paradise
Paradise Harbor