Penguins of East Antarctica

I love Antarctica for the ice and for the penguins, but there is one species of Antarctic penguin that so far has eluded me. The Emperor Penguin. The biggest and most impressive of all the penguins, they prefer to nest far from the other penguins, deep in the Antarctic continent where ice surrounds them for miles in any direction. Well, except for some.

Christmas 2010 I'll be heading down to East Antarctica in the hopes of photographing these majestic creatures. I wont need to hike for miles, I wont need to smash through miles of pack ice and wont need a helicopter. To date Heritage Expeditions have never failed to see the Emperors on this journey but there are no guarantees - such is the fickle nature of expedition cruising in the Antarctic. Weather conditions and the perils of the Southern Ocean are not to be under estimated, but I wont succeed if I don't try.

This cruise is operated by Heritage Expeditions, a New Zealand based company owned by the Russ family. I've travelled with them before and know exactly what I'm getting into. It's a small ship with room for the crew plus 50 passengers, which makes it very small by comparison to other cruise ships that head 65 degrees south and beyond. But that's the charm.

If you want to join me for the tour, see one of the world's truly great frontiers and enjoy some special photographic workshops aboard the ship then drop me an email or call. There's even a 10% discount offer available to my Photography for Travellers subscribers and past photography tour travellers.

http://heritage-expeditions.com/trip/east-antarctica

(And checkout the May 2010 edition of National Geographic Outdoors Australia for my account of last years expedition to Macquarie Island to meet the Royal and King Penguins.)