January 22, 2022 marked TEN YEARS since we left on our HoneyTrek. It was supposed to be a one-year honeymoon to check off everything on our bucket list, but we quickly realized that’s not what it was about. It is about getting off that track, connecting with locals, and finding (and creating) the good in…
If you can handle freezing temperatures, so much more of the year and world will open up to you. Put on the right gear and a snowy forest looks ideal for a hike, a glacier invites a climb, and an iceberg-filled lake inspires a kayak session. Cold is just a frame of mind, and those…
We had amazing penguin encounters throughout our whole Antarctica expedition, but this was by far the most up close and personal. After months of continuous feeding by the mamas, the chubby adolescents are left to fend for themselves. A little hangry about the situation, they go on squawking, chasing each other for scraps, and approaching…
Our expedition ship squeezes through the Lemaire Channel, sandwiched between the towering mountains of Booth Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. Even in summer, there can be too much ice for ships to pass, but we are heading into the gauntlet of Kodak Gap, an apt nickname for this extremely photogenic passage. Standing at the windy…
A continent without any countries. A desert covered in frozen water. A population dominated by penguins, seals, and whales. A summer climate hovering around 0°C …Antarctica is like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Having seen documentaries, read books, and heard vivid first-hand accounts, it still surprised us and surpassed our lofty expectations. After a 12-day expedition…
After four days navigating the icebergs and glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula, we pull into the polar opposite: Deception Island, a red-rimmed volcano peeking out of the sea. The geothermal activity melts the usual thick blanket of ice and reveals the layers of oxidized iron, black ash, with a sprinkle of snow on top. We…
We dock in Pleneau Bay, Antaractica, an iceberg graveyard between a ring of mountains, and gear up for our morning excursion: Standup Paddleboarding! We were among a handful on the Quark expedition ship to SUP, partly because there are limited spots and partly because it’s borderline insane. Standing on a shaky board over hypothermia-inducing water…
We swung our legs out of the zodiac and finally set foot on the continent…our seventh continent. We practically ran up the steep mountain, enjoying every slippery step through the snow and piece of hail that pelted our face. We were the first ones to reach the rocky outcropping, with panoramic views of Neko Harbour…
Antarctica. Everything about that word seemed untouchable. It is the coldest, driest, windiest, and virtually uninhabited continent, but it kept calling to us. We have explored six continents on our HoneyTrek, which only fueled our desire to reach the seventh…but how would we ever take an Antarctica Honeymoon? This was a place reserved for penguins,…