Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Sarah in Antarctica

Sarah Zamzow, the Director of Operations and Group Sales for Sanders Travel Centre, went on an incredible trip to Antarctica at the first of this year. Here is a quick recap of her journey. 

My trip to Antarctica was a trip of a lifetime for sure! We sailed with Quark, a Virtuoso expedition cruise line. The Expedition team members who lead our zodiac outings and taught the onboard lectures were fabulous, and really made the trip! We sailed from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina. Ushuaia is a destination in and of itself, and is worth spending a few days in before or after your Antarctic sailing. We spent a day hiking the Tierre del Fuego National Park, and another day cruising the Beagle Channel by Catamaran. Arakur is a fabulous resort to stay at before you sail. Its beautiful accommodations are topped only by the beautiful mountain setting they are in, and they have fabulous hiking trails right on property.
It takes two full days to sail the Drake Passage to reach Antarctica. Those prone to seasickness like I am are recommended to get medicine from their doctor in advance as the waters can be very rough.
Our first day we experienced 24 foot swells! Thankfully the rest of the trip (including the crossing back) we had beautiful weather. Our cruise itinerary had 4 days along the Antarctic Peninsula. We had 2 excursions every day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon after we sailed to a different location. The guests were divided into two groups. At each excursion half the people would go on land and the other half would do a zodiac cruise. Then we would switch. We were one of the lucky people to sign up early enough to be in the kayak group. The kayakers were the first ones off the ship and the last ones back on at each excursion. We got a unique look at Antarctica because we were at water level with the animals and scenery. We also got to be still in the silence of Antarctica since we were not in a motorized vehicle. I strongly recommend people sign up for kayaking if they have kayak experience and are active travelers. We saw tons of wildlife, including a family of orcas, tons of Gentoo penguins, and five different kinds of seals.

We also camped overnight one night on the ice, and did the polar plunge! For a detailed day to day of my trip visit my personal blog at http://sarahabroad09.blogspot.com/.
Visiting Antarctica was a truly magical experience! It is an incredibly beautiful and pristine destination. I feel so honored to have been able to visit it, and would recommend everyone go if they have the opportunity. If you have questions or want to book your own trip of a lifetime ,contact your Sanders travel advisor or Sarah at sarah@sanderstravel.com.

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