Other spectacular birds on Emperor Penguin Trips may include the rare Antarctic Petrel, by Paul Macklam.
in ANTARCTICA
- Weather and ice permitting, visit a colony during the Antarctic spring when the females return to relieve the males, who spend the dark 60 days or so of mid-winter, in often terrible weather, with temperatures as low as minus 60°C, incubating the single egg on their feet
- And possibly visit Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguin rookeries
- As well as albatrosses such as Light-mantled, Royal and Wandering, and numerous other seabirds such as Antarctic and Snow Petrels
- All in arguably the greatest scenery on Earth
- This account deals with expensive cruises from South America to the Weddell Sea where passengers are usually offered helicopter transfers to Emperor Penguin colonies, although succeeding in this task is by no means guaranteed.
- It is also possible to visit a large Emperor Penguin colony on the south shore of the Weddell Sea, a flight of several hours from Union Glacier, a private base camp, complete with insulated tents, on the Antarctic continent which is accessible via charter flights usually lasting 4.5 hours from Punta Arenas in Chile. These flights are highly dependent on the weather and since the weather in Antarctica changes rapidly flights may be brought forward or delayed, often for days. The same goes once camped by the colony, with the number of days allowed with the Emperor Penguins depending on the weather, but 4-6 days is normal, so it is probably best not to plan anything important for a minimum of two weeks after the scheduled return thereby allowing sufficient time to enjoy the experience.
Best Birds and other wildlife on the Emperor Penguins Tour
Birds
Emperor Penguin, as well as Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, Black-browed, Grey-headed, Light-mantled,
both Royal and Wandering Albatrosses, Antarctic and Snow Petrels, Snowy Sheathbill and Magellanic Woodpecker, as well as Ashy-headed, Kelp and
Upland Geese, Flightless Steamerduck, Great Grebe, Northern and Southern Giant-petrels, Southern Fulmar, Blue, Cape and White-chinned Petrels,
Antarctic, Fairy and Slender-billed Prions, Black-bellied, Grey-backed and Wilson's Storm-petrels, Antarctic and Imperial Shags, Black-faced Ibis,
Black-chested Buzzard-eagle, White-throated (Ushuaia Rubbish Tip), Chimango and (Southern) Crested Caracaras, Southern Lapwing, Dolphin and Kelp
Gulls, Antarctic Tern, Brown, Chilean and South Polar Skuas, Austral Parakeet, Dark-bellied Cinclodes, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-throated
Treerunner, Dark-faced Ground-tyrant, Austral Negrito, Austral Thrush and Patagonian Sierra-finch. Also a chance of Spectacled Duck, Magellanic
Penguin, Atlantic, Grey, Kerguelen, Soft-plumaged and White-headed Petrels, Common and Magellanic Diving-petrels, Andean Condor, White-bellied
Seedsnipe and Yellow-bridled Finch (the latter two at Garibaldi Pass and Martial Glacier near Ushuaia). Most of the landbirds listed can be seen
in Tierra del Fuego NP near Ushuaia in Southern Argentina where cruises usually start and finish.
Mammals
Humpback, Killer, Fin and Sei Whales, Southern Elephant Seal, and Crabeater and Weddell Seals. Also a chance
of Leopard Seal and other whales.
Other Natural Wonders of Antarctica
Antarctica Virtually the whole of the Antarctic continent is covered with ice, on average 3000 m (9800 ft) deep in the east, and much of the coastline is fringed with ice shelves about 200 m (650 ft) thick, pack ice and icebergs of every imaginable size and shape, so it is, more or less, completely picturesque.
Best Sites for Birds and other wildlife on the Emperor Penguins Tour
- Beagle Channel Black-browed Albatross. Also a chance of Magellanic Penguin and Magellanic Diving-petrel.
- Drake Passage Black-browed, Grey-headed, Light-mantled, both Royal and Wandering Albatrosses, Blue and Cape Petrels, Antarctic and Slender-billed Prions, and Black-bellied and Wilson's Storm-petrels. Also a chance of whales and other seabirds.
- Brown Bluff Antarctic continent landing site.
- Emperor Penguin colony If conditions are favourable it is normal to spend the first two days at the colony. The helicopter operation usually takes a full day since the helicopter can accommodate only six passengers per flight, and the flight duration is about 15 minutes. This is a wild and remote area though and there are no guarantees. Conditions may change rapidly, affecting the helicopter operation. If conditions are favourable on days 5 and 6 and all have successfully visited the colony the expedition leader may decide to visit Devil Island, Vega Island or Hope Bay.
- Half Moon Island Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, and Southern Elephant and Weddell Seals.
- Deception Island Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, and Cape Petrel (colony).
A typical itinerary in the Weddell Sea could be as follows. The final itinerary will be determined by the Expedition Leader on board.
Best Times for Birds and other wildlife on the Emperor Penguins Tour
The best time, indeed the only time, to visit is mid-November to mid-December, during the Antarctic spring.
Recommended Bird Books etc. for the Emperor Penguins Tour
A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by H Shirihai. Helm, 2007 (Second Edition).
Field Guide to the Birds of Chile including the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia by A Jaramillo. Helm, 2003.
Apps etc.
Antarctica Wildlife Guide.
Trip Reports for the Emperor Penguins Tour
Many trip reports, some for the Emperor Penguins Trip, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours for the Emperor Penguins. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours for Emperor Penguins' below.
- The best website for trip reports is CloudBirders
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Specialist bird and wildlife guides for Antarctica
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Ship-based Accommodation for Antarctica
Some Organized Tours for Emperor Penguins
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
The most expensive cruises to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands tend to be those on the largest and most lavish vessels where every cabin has private facilities, but it is the smaller vessels, with much smaller passenger numbers and mostly shared facilities, which enable greater and easier access to certain areas, and sometimes longer times ashore.
Many tour companies, some of which are listed below, can organize cruises for Emperor Penguins which are run by Oceanwide Expeditions.
