Emperor Penguins I 10 th to 18 th November 2015 (9 days) Emperor Penguin chicks by Elliott Neep We begin this epic Emperor Penguin adventure towards the tip of South America, from where we will fly across the Drake Passage to Union Glacier in western Antarctica. Devoting two initial days to acclimatize to the Antarctic conditions, we will then fly to our ultimate camp situated a mere 1.6 km / 1 mile from the Emperor Penguin rookery, where we will spend a fabulous 4 nights and 3 full days interacting with these, the largest and most magnificent of all the world s penguins! To spend time watching these glorious birds going about their daily lives from a mere few meters away, totally unperturbed by our presence, is an incredible opportunity that defies description, and we are thrilled to finally be offering this truly once-in-a-lifetime experience!
RBT Emperor Penguin Itinerary 2015 2 THE TOUR AT A GLANCE DETAILS Tour Dates Tour Price Tour Size 10 th to 18 th November 2015 (9 days) US$ 41,900 per person (see below) (Tour price fixed in US$, other rates subject to exchange rate fluctuations) Limited to a max of 14 participants & expedition leaders THE ITINERARY 8 th & 9 th November Pre-tour arrival in Punta Arenas 10 th November Fly to Antarctica 11 th November Acclimatize to Antarctica 12 th November Fly to the Rookery 13 th to 15 th November Living with the Emperors 16 th & 17 th November Union Glacier 18 th November Return to Punta Arenas THE TOUR IN DETAIL 8 th & 9 th November: Pre-tour arrival in Punta Arenas. Please arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile two full days prior to your scheduled departure date for Antarctica. A tour representative will meet you at Punta Arenas airport and transfer you to your hotel. Flight Preparations: This will be the trip of a lifetime and we want to ensure that you are well prepared to enjoy it to the absolute fullest. We will set a time to check your Antarctic clothing to ensure that nothing has been inadvertently forgotten. You are required to attend an Antarctic briefing where we will explain environmental and safety procedures, departure logistics, and what to expect on your arrival in Antarctica. The briefing will be followed by refreshments and there will be time to ask any questions you may have and get to know your fellow travellers. We will collect your checked baggage and load the aircraft one day prior to your scheduled departure ready for an early start the following day! Emperors & aircraft supplied by service provider Day 1, 10 th November: Fly to Antarctica. We will call you at your hotel in the morning to advise you of current conditions in Antarctica. If the weather is suitable for our Antarctic flight, we will pick you up at your hotel by bus. At Punta Arenas airport we board our private transport jet for the 4¼ hour
RBT Emperor Penguin Itinerary 2015 3 flight to Antarctica. Our route crosses the Drake Passage, then follows the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the spine of the Ellsworth Mountains. We land on a natural ice runway on Union Glacier, from where you will take your first steps in Antarctica! You will then climb aboard one of our specially-adapted 4x4 vans for the 8 km (5 mi) shuttle to our main camp, where a hot meal awaits you. Our friendly staff will provide a welcome briefing and show you to your sleeping accommodation. Emperor adults & chick by Dave Semler Day 2, 11 th November: Acclimatize to Antarctica. Today is essentially set aside as an easy day with which to acclimatize to Antarctic conditions. We will have an orientation with regards to camping and life in Antarctica, review expedition logistics with our guide, and enjoy a presentation by our staff naturalist about coastal wildlife and wildlife viewing procedures. The rest of the day provides an opportunity to relax, explore your new surroundings and participate in optional, light activities. We want you to be well rested so that you get the most out of your journey to the Emperor rookery! Day 3, 12 th November: Fly to the Rookery. After a leisurely breakfast this morning, we will pack up and fly by ski aircraft to the remote coast of the Weddell Sea. The flight will take about 4 hours, travelling north-eastward over the Ronne Ice Shelf to the tip of Berkner Island, and may require a stop to refuel on the way. Arriving at our destination, we land on multi-year sea ice about 1-2 km (about 1 mile) from the Emperor rookery, and our guides will set up a cozy field camp beside the aircraft. This will be our base for the upcoming days. We will review safety procedures for travel to and from the rookery. In this unfamiliar environment and remote location, we ask that you strictly follow safety guidelines set by your guide. The rest of the day is ours for guided explorations and, most importantly, we can expect to experience one of the greatest moments in our lives, our first rendezvous with the magnificent Emperor Penguins! The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all extant penguin species and is endemic to remote areas of Antarctica, hence making it one of the most difficult birds in the world to find. The beautiful golden and clean white plumage of the adults is wonderfully contrasted by the cute white faced and dark capped chicks, arguably the most adorable young creatures on the planet! The Emperors are equally famous for their Tobogganing adult penguins returning to the rookery by Dave
RBT Emperor Penguin Itinerary 2015 4 incredible breeding strategy, whereby the males endure the extremes of the harsh and relentless Antarctic winter (including winds of 200km/h (120mph) and temperatures of -40 degrees Centigrade/Fahrenheit) in order to incubate their eggs. They fast for 115 days and lose more than 50% of their body weight, shedding up to 20kg (44lbs) in the process! Days 4 to 6, 13 th to 15 th November: Living with the Emperors. We will immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds and rhythms of the rookery over the next few days, enjoying guided walks where we can explore and take photographs as we learn about the habits of the Emperors with our ANI naturalist. As we embark, we will need to take the proper precautions to ensure that we don t disturb the natural behaviours of the wildlife. It is important to remember at all times that we need to walk slowly and carefully when visiting the colony, and maintain a precautionary distance of 5 metres from the Emperors so as not to frighten and disturb them. Each day there will be new opportunities for discovery: we will watch adults display to one another and feed their young, observe adults tobogganing across the snow and chicks huddling for warmth, and listen to an incessant symphony of trumpeting and whistling calls. It is astonishing to think that each voice is unique and that parent and chick use these sounds to locate one another amidst thousands of other birds. At each step we will marvel at the magnificence of where we are, and each night we will fall asleep to a chorus of thousands of Emperors. During our stay, we can expect a variety of weather conditions, from steely-grey overcast skies, to brilliant sunshine, to heavy coastal snowstorms. Twentyfour hours of daylight allow us to spend as much time Emperor chicks socializing by Dave Semler outdoors as we wish. The soft light of the midnight sun provides some of the best photo opportunities and we may find ourselves up at night and sleeping during the day. Our Emperor Field Camp is basic but cozy and includes mountaineering tents for sleeping, a larger dining tent for cooking and eating, and an outdoor toilet with a privacy wall. The facilities are necessarily lightweight and portable and are designed to withstand the toughest Antarctic storms. Small sleds are provided to help you transport your camera equipment between camp and the rookery. Meals include pre-prepared, freshly frozen meals from our excellent kitchen at Union Glacier, as well as warming soups and choice of cold meats, cheeses, oatmeal, eggs, noodles and snacks. Beverages include hot drinks, juice, beer and wine. Meal times are flexible so you can photograph and explore when the lighting and mood are just right. Days 7 & 8, 16 th & 17 th November: Union Glacier. Our final days provides a weather buffer and a chance to explore our scenic base camp, Union Glacier. Each day our guide will be in touch with Union Glacier to report all okay and to check weather conditions. At the end of our last day we will pack-up the aircraft and fly back to Union
RBT Emperor Penguin Itinerary 2015 5 Glacier, where we will enjoy a celebratory dinner together and share stories with our fellow adventurers. Day 9*, 18 th November: Return to Punta Arenas. The aircraft from Punta Arenas will arrive with a new collection of avid explorers and you will thereafter depart for the final leg of your journey. Our ANI staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. *This itinerary highlights typical activities and experiences. Exact timeline and details will vary from trip to trip. Please anticipate delays and do not plan anything for at least a week after your scheduled return. Allow yourself to enjoy this unique experience without the stress of pending commitments. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS: The price for the 9 day Emperor Penguin tour is US$ 41,900 per person. Should you wish to view the CURRENT exchange rate for this tour in Great British Pound ( ), Euro ( ), or South Africa Rand (ZAR), please refer to our website. For the current exchange rates, please click here. You are welcome to contact the Rockjumper office for further information and specifics on the booking conditions for this tour. This includes: Transfers to and from Punta Arenas airport; Briefing with refreshments in Punta Arenas, Chile, one day before departure; Round trip flight from Punta Arenas to Antarctica; All programmed flights within Antarctica; Meals and accommodation while in Antarctica; Group camping equipment for Emperor Penguin safari; ANI Naturalist and Expedition Guide; Personalized ANI Expedition Certificate; and Baggage allowance of up to 25 kg (55 lb). The tour fee does not include: Commercial flights to and from Punta Arenas; Flights within Antarctica, other than those as per the itinerary; Meals and accommodation in Punta Arenas; Airport transfers other than in Punta Arenas; Personal equipment and clothing; Expenses incurred in Punta Arenas due to delays; Excess baggage charges; Use of satellite phone while in Antarctica; and Insurance coverage personal, medical, evacuation or otherwise. Activity level: Moderate. Remote field camp with basic facilities. Possible severe storms. Temperatures to -30 C (- 25 F). Walking up to several kilometres/miles each day on uneven snow and ice. Our Emperor Field
RBT Emperor Penguin Itinerary 2015 6 Camp will be situated approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) from the rookery. IMPORTANT NOTES: a) This expedition takes us to one of the world s most remote areas and there are no guarantees that our itinerary will run exactly as planned, since conditions change rapidly in these parts, which in turn then impacts upon our intended flight and activity schedules. We therefore ask that all participants understand and accept that there are risks that our itinerary as listed above may not be achieved. Safety is our greatest concern and no compromises can be made, ever, in this regard. b) The tour price is fixed in US$. Final invoicing is usually done 4 months before the tour; and while we can also, on request, invoice in GBP and Euro, this amount will need to be converted to the equivalent US$ value when making final payment. c) Furthermore, these costs are subject to unforeseen increases in tour related costs (such as fuel and aircraft charter rates) which may be levied by our charter company and may have to be adjusted as a result. You will be notified by email if fuel surcharges or other price adjustments need to be implemented. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The above schedule is approximate and depends on weather conditions and other factors. We may be forced to change or alter the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances, but please be aware that we will attempt to stick as close to the original program as possible. ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DETAILS: This tour does not include ANY airfares, aside from the charter flights as mentioned in the itinerary. The tour will depart from Punta Arenas, Chile on day 1, though you are requested to arrive at least 2 days prior to this (see above under Pre-tour arrival in Punta Arenas); further details in this regard will be emailed to you in due course. The tour should conclude (weather conditions can affect this day) on day 9 in Punta Arenas. If you wish to arrive early and/or depart late and would like assistance in this regard, kindly contact the Rockjumper office. FLIGHTS: Santiago is the main port of entry for international flights in Chile, and there are several flights daily between Santiago and Puntas Arenas. We have the capacity to advise you on the best route according to your preferences, but your local travel agent will best be able to book these flights for you. However, please DO NOT book your international flights until you have consulted the Rockjumper office for confirmation on the status of the tour. Rockjumper Birding Ltd c/o Summit Trust Mtius Ltd Suite 3 Grand Baie Business Park Grand Baie, Mauritius Email: private@rockjumperbirding.com Alternative email: rockjumperbirding@yahoo.com Website: www.rockjumperbirding.com