Emperor penguin safari in 2006 by Quark Expeditions

The opportunity to view an Emperor penguin up close and personal is a truly rare wildlife encounter. At close to 4 feet tall, these majestic birds thrive on Antarctica’s frozen ice and are so captivating they will soon be the subject of a motion picture documentary (The March of the Penguins opens June 24, 2005).

With the 2004 location of the Snow Hill Island Emperor Penguin rookery in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, made by Quark Expedition staff members, the company can now offer the avid nature traveler an opportunity to view the Emperor for 50% of the cost (from $8,495 per person) and 50% of the duration (14 days) of previous Emperor Penguin expeditions.

These two new voyages, which will be conducted in an environmentally sensitive manner, will take place from October 19 to November 3, 2006 or from November 1 to 14, 2006.

LOCATING THE SNOW HILL ROOKERY
This will be the first visit since the rookery was located in the fall of 2004. Emperor sightings by Argentine air force pilots and seafarers had been reported for years, yet no one had mounted a successful expedition to visit the colony, until Quark’s Expedition Team put the clues together. A helicopter reconnaissance was mounted that confirmed their calculations.

ABOUT EMPEROR PENGUINS
Adult Emperors, the largest of all penguins, stand nearly 4 feet tall. Out of the water, the flightless birds move with a stiff-legged gait when they are not saving precious energy by tobogganing across the ice. In the water, they are powerful and agile swimmers.

The single egg laid in mid-May, at the height of the austral winter, is placed in the care of the adult male for the 65-day incubation period. The egg rests on his feet kept warm by a patch of naked skin on his lower abdomen. The male lowers a feathered abdominal fold over the egg to retain the heat. Male emperors with incubating eggs huddle together for 2 months during the darkest and coldest days of the winter, when temperatures may drop as low as minus 76oF, and winds may blow at speeds up to 200km/h. They lose up to a third of their body weight, because they eat nothing until they are relieved by the females on their return to the colony.

EMPEROR PENGUIN SAFARI
The expedition to the Snow Hill Island rookery occurs earlier in the breeding cycle than previous voyages, therefore travelers should encounter downy chicks that have not yet entered the fledging phase, as well as chicks in the early fledge phase. To take full advantage of this rare opportunity, it is Quarks’ intention that travelers may spend up to 4 days at the rookery.
Travelers will be accompanied by two digital photographers who will conduct workshops en route to Snow Hill Island as well as two naturalists, who are specialists in Emperor Penguin behavior. Every care will be taken to ensure that the colony is not disturbed by the visitors.

Quark Expeditions Emperor Penguin safaris will begin in Ushuaia, Argentina, where travelers board an icebreaker, especially fitted for passenger comfort. Without her ability to crush through pack ice and carry onboard helicopters, these safaris would not be possible.
On the return voyage from the Weddell Sea stops will be made in the Antarctic Peninsula to visit AdГ©lie and Gentoo penguin colonies.
The onboard naturalists will compare the adaptations of these birds to the much larger Emperors. Shore transfers will be enabled by the fleet of Zodiac landing craft carried by the icebreaker. Expedition members will be able to add a visit to the Antarctic continent to their list of exceptional accomplishments on this voyage.

THE EXPEDITION TEAM
Travelers will be joined by an Expedition Team of internationally renowned specialists on penguins, marine mammals and the history of polar exploration. Professional chefs will provide an excellent and varied menu each night. The comfortable and well-stocked bar will be a popular gathering spot in which to recount the day’s extraordinary events.

THE LEADER IN POLAR ADVENTURES
Quark Expeditions will celebrate its 15th anniversary as a polar adventure specialist in September 2005. Since its inception the company has championed environmentally responsible tourism to ensure that future generations of travelers will be able to experience the pristine landscapes of the polar regions.
In January 2006, Quark will attempt to break a record set by Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole. In his ship Fram, he attained the farthest south latitude of any ship, a record that has stood for nearly a century.

(Source: Quark Expeditions)

June 30, 2005   Posted in: Cruise Ships