Ultimate Antarctica:
Voyage to the Frozen Planet
A photographic safari with Chris Weston
3rd – 15th February 2013
A journey to Antarctica is the ultimate photographic wilderness experience, offering a wonderful combination of stark, natural beauty and abundant wildlife. Follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest explorers – Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen – to discover a land of unsurpassed beauty and majesty. Joining a small group, with its own private Zodiac landing craft and private Antarctic guide, you will see huge colonies of penguins, many species of seal, whales and seabirds, including the mighty albatross. This time of year is also renowned for spectacular sunrises and sunsets, lending glorious pastel colours to the pristine white landscape. The exclusivity of the group means that you will have more time on the Antarctic peninsular for photography and greater flexibility over the daily itinerary, making your exploration of this ice continent – its landscape and its wildlife – a truly unique experience that will enchant like no other.
Highlights
- Exclusive small-group itinerary
- Private use of Zodiac ship-to-shore transport
- Private Antarctic guide in Antarctica
- Flexible Antarctic landings
- Private lecture theatre for photo tutorials
- Huge penguin colonies with fledgling chicks
- Whales, seals, dolphins and seabirds
- Long days to extend photo opportunities
- Stunning sea- and icescapes
- Two ships cabin options
- The ultimate private photo-tour to Antarctica
Description
The tour starts in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s vibrant capital city. After a welcome and introduction, and a good night’s rest, the following morning, accompanied by Chris Weston and the group, you will make an air transfer to Ushuaia on the isolated and windswept island of Tierra del Fuego and the staging point for your Antarctic adventure. On the third morning, there is time to explore the world’s most southerly city before you board the ship, the Antarctic Dream.
The Antarctic Dream is a Chilean ice-reinforced ship with just 39 external cabins over three decks. The vessel features a spacious dining room/observation lounge, bar, lecture room, and a fitness room with sauna. The communal areas are all spacious, the food is good, and the expedition leaders are highly qualified and enthusiastic. The standard cabins on the third deck have a small porthole, while the superior cabins (on Deck 2) have one large window. Both cabin-types are en-suite.
You will set sail with Chris and the group around 16:00 and immediately there are opportunities to photograph the penguin colonies along the channel. On Day 4 you will cross the Drake Passage, known worldwide as one of the most fearsome stretches of open water, as the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern oceans all converge and squeeze through the gap between the Antarctic peninsular and Cape Horn. While the Drake Passage is deserving of its reputation, it can be calm, occasionally being referred to as the ‘Drake Lake’. During the crossing, however, there are opportunities to photograph seabirds, and whales are often sighted. There will also be time for private photographic lectures.
On the fifth day, you will start to see the first big icebergs, as the Antarctic peninsular comes into view. From here, the group will spend the next six days photographing the landscape and wildlife of Antarctica. The group will have the sole, private use of a Zodiac landing craft and driver/guide, giving you full flexibility and exclusivity over your daily itineraries. Daily excursions onto Antarctica will be defined by weather and location of wildlife. There will be opportunities to photograph vast penguin colonies, the three most common species being the Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. In addition, there are likely sightings of numerous seal species, including leopard, elephant, Weddel, ringed and fur seals, as well as whales. Flocks of albatross and Wilson’s storm petrel are also common.
In addition to the wildlife, the Antarctic landscape offers bountiful photo opportunities. And with the extra daylight at this time of year, there will be adequate time throughout the day to make the most of your time on this last great wilderness.
Throughout the trip, there will be private photographic tutorials in the ship’s lecture theatre, as well as public lectures.
After re-crossing the Drake Passage, you will arrive back into Ushuaia on the 13th and transfer by air back to Buenos Aires, where everyone will meet for dinner and share their stories and images from this magical adventure to the frozen planet at the bottom of the world.
How to book your place
The discounted price for Nikon Owner gold subscribers is £7,965.00 (RRP: £8,665.00). An optional upgrade to a Superior Cabin costs £900.00.
The price includes hotel accommodation in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, return air transfers between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, airport transfers, full-board accommodation on board the ship, exclusive use of landing vessel and private Antarctic guide, and all photography tuition and lectures.
To book, please email me only with your full name, Nikon Owner user-name / subscription number, daytime mobile and landline. There are limited places available, so please reply as soon as you are able to in order to avoid disappointment. If you are not a current subscriber, you are welcome to join whilst booking the workshop to receive the discount on the session, but as above please email me your full name and all your contact details rather than call me.
gillian.greenwood@graysofwestminster.co.uk
About Nikon Owner
Standard Annual Subscription – price £69
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- Nikon Owner magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers benchmark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images
- Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
- Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
- 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
- 10% off Think Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
- Special trips and events
- Discounts on events and training sessions
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- All 10 years of back issues of the magazine now available as PDFs!
Gold subscription – special price £349 (normal price £449)
- 4-year subscription to Nikon Owner
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- 2-year warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
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- A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
- Special offers to Gold subscribers throughout the period of subscription
- A signed copy of Heather Angel’s Wild Kew while stocks last or a Simon Stafford Nikon Magic Lantern Guide of your choice.
- Alternative gift: Grays of Westminster umbrella (in store only)
- Nikon Owner quarterly magazine as above
- Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website which includes forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events’ page and use of a photo gallery
- Gold subscription card
- Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
- 15% off Think Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
- Special trips and events
- Substantial discounts on training sessions organised by Grays of Westminster, including Mike Maloney’s Workshops , Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro
- Training Sessions, Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars and Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses.
- 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK
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