Spirit of Adventure

The Antarctic 2009-2010 season is here with the first voyage, 6 November, departing tomorrow. Most of the voyages are now full – but the good news is that there are two exceptions – our 20 night Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage departing 20 January 2010 and our 18 night Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage departing 22 February 2010. Even on these voyages there are only a handful of cabins left, so if you were looking to join us in Antarctica next year, contact us soon not to miss the boat!

These two voyages offer the ‘ultimate’ wildlife experiences, contrasting the fascinating history and overwhelming wildlife populations of the sub-Antarctic, with the awesome beauty of Antarctica. The 20 January voyage also has particular focus on the needs of the artist and photographer, with photographer Nick Garbutt and artist and conservationist Mandy Shepherd joining us onboard.

Our expedition ship the Akademik Sergey Vavilov will operate for the Antarctic 2009-2010 season. The Akademik Sergey Vavilov has a solid reputation for being the ideal ship in terms of size, speed, safety and stability. She is the perfect ‘home base’ for exploring the wilderness areas of Antarctica, moving quickly and providing a warm and comfortable homecoming at the end of the day’s exploration, to allow you to rest-up and get the most out of each day.

Contact us for further information or to make a booking, our consultants have expert knowledge on the polar regions and can arrange all your travel needs.

Joining us onboard the 20-night Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage (departing 20 January 2010) are award-winning wildlife photographer and author Nick Garbutt, and Mandy Shepherd – an accomplished artist and daughter of renowned UK artist and conservationist David Shepherd.  The Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage is our most complete and varied Antarctic adventure. Wildlife abounds as we will be on the lookout for huge Macaroni and King Penguin rookeries, colonies of various species of seals, whale species including Blues and Humpbacks, and numerous seabirds such as the albatross, petrels, shearwaters and skuas.

Nick joined us earlier this year on one of our voyages in the Scandinavian High Arctic, and you can view some of his stunning images from the voyage on our website. In the Antarctic, Nick will run a series of presentations during the voyage to help you with your photography, as well as share his own ‘best of’ images from a lifetime of travel.

Mandy is a Trustee for both the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) and for Falklands Conservation. With a deep passion for wildlife and conservation, her early work and exhibitions were dominated by wildlife subjects and she held her first exhibition in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1980. In 1996, it was the wildlife that took her 15,000 kilometres from home in England to the Falkland Islands to write and illustrate her first book “The Falkland Islands an artist’s portfolio”.  Mandy has kindly offered to donate two of her sketches to auction off on the ship to raise funds for our Albatross conservation project.

We hope that you can join Mandy and Nick on this voyage, as it certainly will be a trip of a lifetime!

Almost 93 years ago Sir Ernest Shackleton, accompanied by Tom Crean and Frank Worsley, completed the first leg of their rescue mission. They ended a 1500 kilometre journey from Elephant Island, Antarctica (in a small boat named the James Caird) to King Haakon Bay and finally the whaling station at Stromness, on South Georgia.

In January 2010 we will be offering you the chance to join a very select group of individuals who have attempted to recreate this monumental journey. Unlike Shackleton and his team you will cover the last 1500 kilometres of your voyage on board the state-of-the-art vessel Akademik Sergey Vavilov, and you’ll be accompanied by expert guides who have successfully completed this expedition before. We will also be providing the technical equipment necessary to undertake this challenge safely.

If you believe you possess a little of Shackleton’s indomitable spirit of adventure, then we have the expedition to challenge you. We are offering up to 12 adventurers the opportunity to take up this challenge on our 20-night Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands voyage (departing 20 January 2010).

We expect this traverse to take from 3-5 days, mainly on glacial terrain. To follow in their footsteps and relive the legend of Shackleton and his men, participants must be prepared for the unknown and unexpected, with weather conditions sometimes severe and always unpredictable. The journey itself is very challenging and will be dependent upon the prevailing weather conditions at the time.

If this historic adventure appeals to you then please email your expression of interest to expedition@peregrineadventures.com. Please note that this traverse will incur a fee in addition to the voyage price, and that participants will need to meet certain requirements and have the necessary experience and qualifications to undertake this arduous journey. At this stage we are only taking expressions of interest.

We’ve combined two separate Arctic voyages to make one awesome 28-night expedition that takes in ‘both sides’ of the Arctic.

In joining on you save over A$5000*. We’ve put together this ’special’ package with our flight and hotel partners that combines the following voyages - the Spitsbergen, East Greenland & Iceland (departing 6 July 09) voyage and the Iceland, Greenland & Baffin Island (departing 19 July 09) Explorer voyage. This fantastic package includes both voyages, international flights (from Melbourne/Sydney), 3 nights’ accommodation, all transfers and charter flights.

These two trips combine the Canadian High Arctic and the Scandinavian High Arctic in one awesome adventure. The wildlife, landscape and cultural highlights encountered on these voyages are seemingly endless.

Wildlife
Throughout the voyage you go in search of the extraordinary wildlife of the region including walrus, seal, whale, musk ox, puffin and the great polar bear. Polar bears can be spotted for most of the voyage and the Svalbard archipelago alone is home to over 4000 of these amazing beasts. When crossing the Denmark Strait we recommend you to be on the lookout for whales, as several species of massive marine mammals are often found here. The bird life is also rich and diverse with colonies of black guillemots, little auks, puffins and black-legged kittiwakes found in colonies of staggering numbers, sometimes containing hundreds of thousands of birds.

Landscapes
You experience enormous glaciers and cruise through fjords like Scorebysundfjord that are dotted with icebergs. In Greenland you see some of the most ancient rock found on earth. In our Zodiac inflatable boats we cruise beneath the sheer cliffs, which provide shelter and a safe refuge for many Arctic birds.

Cultural Highlights
In Greenland you visit the ruins at Herjolfsnaes, which was settled around 985 AD by Vikings from Iceland led by Erik the Red. You also walk through musk ox habitat, visit fascinating ancient Thule settlements and learn about life in a remote Greenlandic settlement that is the northernmost community on the island’s east coast. At Beechey Island you learn of the centuries-old quest to find the Northwest Passage, which was to open up a new trade route across the top of the world. You also hike to the graves marking the winter camp of the ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition. In their search for the Northwest Passage, all 132 men died after their ships were crushed by the ice. In addition to history you also get to meet, interact with and learn about today’s Greenlanders and the Inuit people in general.

This is our most extensive Arctic expedition to date. At such a great price, can you afford to pass it up?

Want to no more?
For further information or to submit an expression of interest for this special combination voyage, please email expedition@peregrineadventures.com

*Packaged price quoted is for same berths on each voyage. Is subject to availability of cabin type, voyage and flights.  Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.  All booking conditions apply as per Peregrine’s High Arctic 09 brochure.

With a focus on the needs of those travelling in the Arctic and Antarctic regions who have special interests in photography, painting and other visual arts, we have organised for some of the most experienced and talented photographers and artists in their field to join us onboard. Read on to find out who will be joining us on two of our Specialist Photography, Art & Wildlife voyages…

For Art Enthusiasts…

As well as our usual team of expert expedition staff on the Svalbard in Depth 22 June voyage, we are also joined on this journey by Lars Jonsson. Lars hails from Sweden and has just completed his third book on bird art, entitled Birds. Lars has had a fascination with drawing and painting birds since his early childhood spent in Stockholm and is generally inspired by all things natural including other animals (especially insects), plants, landscapes and the human face. Most of Lars’ inspiration is drawn from painting outdoors and sketching while looking through a telescope. Lars will help anyone who is interested in furthering their painting skills and he’ll also run a couple of onboard sessions where he will discuss his own artwork. This will be an amazing voyage and, as with all wildlife journeys, more time in the field means more wildlife viewing opportunities.

Birds by Lars Jonsson
ISBN-13: 9781408110140

Brett Jarrett, acknowledged as a leading marine bird and mammal painter, will join us on The Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica 24-night voyage. He specialises in painting oil on canvas, a medium allowing for natural blends and glazes that best replicate the textures of subjects. His paintings are certainly a unique and attractive way of documenting and recording wildlife. Brett will host several presentations during this voyage to discuss his work and the process that he goes through in creating a painting, with a step-by-step review of his painting technique from initial drawings to the finished work. He will also examine light and tonal values in painting and how best to analyse photographs as reference materials for art. One of Brett’s works will be auctioned during the voyage, with the funds raised donated to our Get Albatrosses off the Hook fund.

A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife – illustrated by Brett Jarrett
ISBN-13: 9780713664065

For Photography Enthusiasts…

Award-winning photographer and editor of Better Photography magazine, Peter Eastway, will also be joining us on The Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica 24-night voyage. Although he has worked in most areas of professional photography, Peter Eastway’s passion is for landscapes. With a career spanning nearly 30 years, Peter is a well-respected name in the photographic industry and also has earned the accolade of being only one of five people in the world to be awarded the title, ‘Grand Master of Photography’. Peter will lead a Photoshop workshop/audio visual presentation and will be on hand to offer invaluable photographic advice and coaching to help you get the best shots from your camera.

Nick Garbutt is an award-winning wildlife photographer and author whose travels have taken him all over the world. He has forged a career primarily as a wildlife photographer and author, while combining all this with being a tour leader, lecturer and illustrator.Nick regularly contributes articles and photographs to a wide range of magazines such as National Geographic, Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Africa Birds & Birding, Travel Africa, NaturFoto, Geographical and Outdoor Photography. He is also a special lecturer in wildlife photography and imaging at his old university in Nottingham. In 2000 Nick was the winner of the prestigious Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and in 1996 he won the Urban & Garden Wildlife category in the same competition. He has also had several ‘Specially and Highly Commended’ images over the years.

Nick will be joining us on the Svalbard in Depth 22 June voyage to assist anyone interested in furthering their photography skills.

Set sail for a medical conference and learn about current issues in your field, join vibrant group discussions and get amongst some of the most beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife on earth.

In partnership with StuVac Seminars, in 2009-10 we are offering medical conferences in three of nature’s most fascinating and pristine environments: the icy extremes of Antarctica, the wildlife wonderland of the Galapagos Islands and the Nordic outposts of the High Arctic.

Each day in Antarctica and the High Arctic will begin with a presentation by a noted medical expert, before our day’s wilderness activities start. In the Arctic, we take to the ice to explore tiny outposts and old whaling stations, visit Inuit communities and watch giant glaciers calving into ice-studded fjords. Majestic Antarctica offers penguins, whales, seals and an untouched icy wilderness like no other on Earth. When we return to the ship in the late afternoons we get to enjoy another presentation before it’s time for dinner and a glass or two of wine. After dinner, join the all-in case discussion for some fascinating exchanges about topical issues.

In the Galapagos our days will be spent swimming with seals, exploring the islands on foot, and getting up-close to unique wildlife such as iguanas, giant tortoises and prolific bird life. Whichever Galapagos voyage you choose, all participants and both key note speakers will gather in Puerto Ayora for a 2-day seminar.

This is your opportunity to participate in vibrant topical discussions while on a wilderness and wildlife adventure!

After five days cruising along the Antarctic Peninsula we had seen much of this beautiful and pristine continent. We had trekked on the ice and snow, sat quietly to watch the penguins walking in orderly lines on their way to the water and back again, and cruised small bays in Zodiac inflatable boats, watching the seals lazing on icebergs and rolling in the cold waters. We had also seen a team of killer whales attack a group of humpbacks, watched albatross cruise behind our boat and witnessed massive chunks of ice calve from glaciers into the water.

By now we were well into our Antarctic routine - rise early and head down for a hot breakfast buffet in the dining room, then head back to the cabin to clamber into Polartec or other waterproof clothing and make a bee-line for the main deck. We then hop on to a Zodiac with a group of 8 or 10 others and head out for the morning excursion.

This morning was our last look at the peninsula. We motored around the small bay, detouring to look at some bird rookeries on the cliffs and then piled ashore for the short but strenuous walk up between two icy peaks. It was a still day and the sky was overcast, but the air was crisp and clear. Climbing up between the two outcrops, the view on the other side of the hill suddenly unfolded before us – a glassy black sea of water, studded with spire-shaped blue icebergs. Ice cliffs rose around the bay, their white ridges etching a sharp line against the pale grey sky.

It was a similar view to many we had seen over the last week. But something in the stillness of the air, the perfect beauty and the knowledge that this may be the last time we would see a scene of such extraordinary beauty, made this moment special. We were all silent, absorbed in our own thoughts as we observed this still, silent landscape.

The sun peeked through the clouds and the mood lightened. We chatted eagerly between ourselves about this glorious scene. We then explored the hilltop and watched the penguins that had chosen this unlikely outcrop as their home. Then, as it grew late, we headed down to the Zodiac to take us back ‘home’ to the ship.

It was a perfect morning like no other, on a perfect day that only Antarctica can give you.

To experience the beauty of Antarctica, join Peregrine on the 10-day Antarctic Explorer voyage. Voyages run during the Antarctic summer between November and March.

The pick of our Arctic voyages, this 14-night voyage will offer any wildlife enthusiast the very best the High Arctic has to offer. A photographers’ paradise, the Svalbard archipelago is home to over 4000 polar bears.

Sailing as far north as 80 degrees, high above the Arctic Circle to the edge of the pack ice that is the barrier to the North Pole, we’ll circumnavigate the major islands of the Svalbard archipelago and be on the constant lookout for polar bear, walrus, ringed seals and beluga whales.

Excursions to both the shore and in amongst the ice will maximise access to destinations of the greatest beauty, so your amazing experience can be captured and enjoyed forever!

To find out more about our Svalbard in Depth journey visit our website.

The Svalbard in Depth voyage now has an exciting new site that both history buffs and wildlife lovers alike will enjoy. For wildlife lovers, Kvitoya is home to walruses (with sightings of up to 400), polar bears and Arctic terns on this mainly ice-covered island.

The island is probably most famously known as the place where Swedish explorer Andrée and his two companions died in 1897. Their expedition attempted to fly over the North Pole in a hydrogen balloon, but crashed on the pack ice about 300 kilometres north of Kvitoya. The group then reached the island on foot and settled on the only ice-free part of the island, now called Andréeneset. It has long been a great mystery of the Arctic, until their remains were discovered in 1930. A monument now stands on the island to commemorate the three companions. To find out more about our Svalbard in Depth journey visit our website.

We have more exciting new sites for our 24 night The Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica voyage. Possible new additions to the itinerary include Steeple Jason Island and Sea Lion and Bleeker Island in the Falklands as well as King Haakon Bay, Peggotty Bluff and Cape Rosa in South Georgia. Steeple Jason Island is home to the largest black-browed albatross colony in the world with more than 70% of the world population breeding in the Falkland Islands. King Haakon Bay is best known as the landing place of Shackleton and his five companions onboard the James Caird. They first landed at Cape Rosa and a few days later at Peggotty Bluff where they sheltered in the upturned James Caird. Follow the Shackleton odyssey on this fantastic voyage and imagine the extreme conditions in which these men survived in the elements. Visit our website to find out when this voyage departs.