Antarctica – Day 3 – Finally Land and Animals!

I woke up on Day 3 on the ship and noticed something different outside. I could see birds which meant that we were close to land! I also saw penguins swimming in the water. It was a really special sight.

After a while, I saw my first iceberg and I cannot describe the feeling of awe at that point.

I checked the Seabourn app which confirmed that we were finally close to land.

After a while, more land and animals came into sight.

At this point, I decided to order some breakfast. Nothing beats room service breakfast with a panoramic view of Antarctica (this is another reason I highly recommend the panoramic room; its the perfect set up).

After breakfast, we decided to go to the various outdoor decks of the ship to see if we could catch a better view of the land. At some point, the captain came over the PA to announce that we had arrived at Elephant Island. It has historical significance in Shackleton’s explorations and I would encourage you to Google or Wikipedia it for more info.

Elephant Island is also where I caught my first glimpse of penguins on land, and the huge colonies they can form. Later that day, we did something for the first time, which would later become part of our daily routine (and sometimes, 2 or 3 times a day); order caviar to the room! The great thing is, you can order a double or even triple portion and they will deliver it to you!

Later that evening, I would come to see one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip. We were so far south, that the sun only set for about 2 hours a day (in other words, it we had 22 hours of daylight a day).

Tomorrow, Day 4, my first full day in Antarctica, I was looking forward to setting foot on the continent, and crossing it off my list. Stay tuned to see what happens…