We sailed toward Booth Island and reached our expedition destination, Port Charcot. This is the location where the first French expedition led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot wintered in 1904 aboard Le Français. Today the conditions were perfect, and upon landing we hiked up to the 120-year-old cairn left by the members of this extraordinary French expedition and marvelled at the panoramic views from the top. We also lowered our Zodiacs into the water for a wonderful cruise exploring the magnificent iceberg graveyard in the waters around Booth Island and in the bay near Pléneau Island. We were more than happy to see the sunshine and blue skies unveiling the magnificent towering peaks and steep glacial cliffs, offering some of the most scenic views of our voyage.
12/25/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Barrientos and Half Moon Islands
Merry Christmas from National Geographic Endurance which just arrived in Antarctica! It is not a bad Christmas morning when the first thing one does is step foot on the Antarctic Continent to be greeted by penguins! After a day of sailing, we arrived at the South Shetlands and made our very first landing at Barrientos Island. Already at the beach, we saw gentoos and chinstrap penguins, that seemed to be awaiting our arrival. It was only a short walk to the colonies and there we could see penguins laying on their eggs and even a few recently hatched chicks! After the great make-your-own-pasta-bar lunch, the next activity was a landing at Half Moon Island. There we chose between a long or shorter hike to get a Christmas Day leg stretch and see even more penguins. After a busy day of outings, it was time for the first recap of the journey and then finally Christmas dinner, where the Christmas buffet awaited guests with some of the best food there is. Today was definitely a Christmas Day to remember!
