Experience The Antarctica Adventure Of A Lifetime On Seabourn Pursuit
Antarctica is like a floating art gallery. Icebergs surround you in shapes that make no natural sense — gigantic towers connected by U-shaped slopes, triangular mountains, the state of Idaho flipped into a standing position — like you are in the sculpture garden of some mad genius. Clear skies are nice but on an afternoon when a white haze envelops the entire background you will feel like you're visiting another planet. Then some swimming penguins will jump out of the ocean in beautiful arcs and remind you that you're in their world.
For many of us sailing on the Seabourn Pursuit , the trip to Antarctica is the final adventure after reaching every other part of the globe — many t-shirts have been packed featuring the names of all seven continents with check marks next to them. But making this journey is much more than crossing off the final item on a wanderlust to-do list. It is perhaps the most magical and unique place any of us have ever visited. So much so that it's a return visit for quite a few people — with one person telling me this is their fifth time. Antarctica is that special.
The trip on the Seabourn Pursuit started from Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city at the bottom of Argentina. We then traveled through the infamous Drake Passage — look it up online and you'll see the words 'treacherous journey' a lot — where waves can reach up to 40 feet high. Fortunately for us the waves were medium to mild on this trip. Standing in your shower and watching the water at your feet gave an accurate idea of what was going on outside. Plenty of travelers were wearing prescription seasickness patches and, at the very least, pills are a smart thing to bring along as a precaution.
You will never forget your first iceberg. Not just because it's a wondrous sight but also because you will take 1,000 photos of it along with everyone else gathered on the decks. You assume there will be more — but just in case. Ours appeared on day 3 as we left the Drake Passage and sailed into Yankee Harbor. Soon after, the snow-covered mountains of the South Shetland Islands came into view as well. A landing was scheduled for that day but then postponed — the weather and waters can change rapidly at the end of the earth and the itinerary is adjusted accordingly throughout the trip. Every day there are morning briefings of the day's excursions, optional lectures by scientists and experts as well as practical sessions such as photography advice from the ship's camera crew. And at the end of every day is a recap and briefing of the next day's schedule.
On day 4 we set foot in Antarctica! Zodiacs were launched from the ship and we arrived at Deception Island. Cheers and high-fives were exchanged amongst the passengers for touching down on our seventh continent. We began a hike around the edges of several volcanic craters when word got passed around: the geologists said that while technically we were in Antarctica we were not on the actual continent yet. Okay, probably not the first time a geologist has ruined a celebration — but still it was an amazing day, including a second landing at a former whaling settlement where we encountered our first gentoo penguin and some fur seals, as well as abandoned buildings and one of the few graveyards in this part of the world.
The next day we officially stepped onto the continent — geologists, biologists and international lawyers all confirming the intel before people started breaking out their '7th Continent!' banners for photos. Our landing at Portal Point began the real heart of the trip, where there were now two daily excursions, with the ship changing locations between the morning and afternoon trips. Most were on land, with options for hikes or more simple walks, though some were Zodiac tours that zoom around icebergs and got us up close and personal with some playful leopard seals that swam around and under our boat.
Penguins were everywhere: mostly gentoos and chinstraps. We visited rookeries, watched them work their way up and down snowy slopes, dive into the water and then do their 'porpoising' moves: where they swim underwater and then jump in the air for a quick second to breathe and then go right back in — an amazing sight especially when thirty of them are doing it together. There were also seals and humpback whales going by for a swim. Great care is given by the Seabourn Pursuit team to maintain biosecurity for the animals and environments we were visiting — and in explaining to guests their own responsibilities. This included maintaining proper distances from all wildlife, not stepping on 'penguin highways,' shoe washes and scrubbing brushes for both landing and returning, and minimal contact with the ground — no putting down your camera bag.
Along with the wildlife the landscape of Antarctica is simply breathtaking filled with snow-covered mountains and coastlines that appear as though no one has ever set foot on them. And perhaps the most spectacular place I have ever seen: the 'Iceberg Graveyard' of Pleneau Bay where you are surrounded by fantastical-shaped icebergs that range from the merely large to the truly gigantic. Some look like the lair of an evil super-villain, others are grouped together like a small city. Some seem formed by wind and chaos, others like they were carved straight by a blade.
The Seabourn Pursuit offers two optional excursions for an extra charge: a voyage in a submersible and a kayaking trip. The submersible fits six guests in a very tight space and my advice: they give you an opportunity to take a tour of it early in the cruise and if you are even slightly prone to claustrophobia be sure to check it out and determine if you are able to handle it. For the majority of guests it was not a problem and on my dive we had the rare experience of having a diving penguin give a look of total shock when first spotting us underwater. On land they are rather disinterested in you.
The kayak trip is the one excursion of the two I would say is a must though. We were taken in Zodiacs to a secluded bay, a good distance away and out of sight of the ship. Once the Zodiacs left us, we were free from all things mechanical and marveled at the fact that we were paddling in the Antarctic Ocean in the most pristine nature any of us have ever been. On our morning trip our guide spotted something, motioned for us to paddle slowly and quietly. We came upon a sleeping humpback whale. That was the last excursion of the trip and it could not have ended in a more special way.
If you've seen photos or video of Antarctica and thought in the slightest that this is something you might like to experience — then trust me, you absolutely want to do this. The Seabourn Pursuit was the perfect balance of luxury onboard (more on that in Part II) and adventure off the ship. The trips for 2026 — yes you need to book this way in advance — have just been announced and you can find more info here .
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