It was an incredible opportunity to travel and set foot in Antarctica. It was a trip of a lifetime that cannot even be put into words. After cruising across Drakes Passage for two days we reached the Antarctic peninsula which was immaculate. Picture cannot do the landscape justice as if we were floating through a painting. We were fortunate enough to have sunny skies on most days with very little to no clouds, giving us many opportunities to either go on land or cruise around the surrounding waters.
Of course, the environment was breath taking, but my favorite part had to be the amount of wildlife we were constantly in close contact with. It was breeding season was the sperm whales, making for daily sittings around the boat, with the spotting of Orca whales on two of the days, which was a treat. Although it was great to see the whales, my favorite part of the trip was to be able to get so close to the penguin colonies. Being less than twenty feet away from literally hundreds of gentoo penguins and it was if we weren’t even there. Watching them interact in their natural habit was spectacular and something I will remember forever. Gentoo penguins were not the only penguins we saw; however, we had another stroke of incredible luck getting the chance to see Emperor penguin which we had been told was extremely rare to see in the region.
Antarctica is a pristine area of the world that has hardly seen the influence of man. There are very few structures, no roads, not even a tree. It gives me hope for the world that we can collaborate across the globe and keep these areas untouched for the most part. I truly feel blessed to be able to attend this study abroad and see something that most people never will.
