Paulet Island
We were too excited to sleep! Just a few hours ago, at 3:20am to be precise, we witnessed the first sighting of Antarctic land as we sailed on. Twenty minutes after, we were in awe by the beautiful pink and orange sunrise that highlighted the snow-covered hills. Three hours after, we awoke from a nap and stumbled onto the balcony to find penguins swimming in the waters. Day 4 had just begun and we were already stunned by what we had already seen.
We ate an early breakfast that morning, eagerly awaiting an announcement to go ashore. Paulet Island had two available excursions: kayaking or a visit to the Adelie Penguin colony. We were signed up for a later kayaking excursion so we were excited to see the glorious penguin colony!
We quickly put on our Antarctic gear which consisted of: a long-sleeved thermal shirt, thermal underpants, water-proof snow pants, a warm scarf, hat, gloves, our complimentary parka, and sunglasses. We made our way to the mudroom on Deck 3 where our Wellies boots were waiting for us. You can read more about the mudroom and what Ponant has to offer by reading "Exploring Antarctica with Ponant: A glimpse of Le Commandant Charcot."
Typically, Ponant would have two separate landings to accommodate all guests. Antarctica has laws in place with how many tourists can be onshore at once. Because there were only 70 guests traveling during our trip, we were all able to go land together.
Our time had arrived and we boarded the Zodiac for the first time! As we sailed away from the ship, making our way to Paulet Island, our eyes lit up with excitement. It was liberating being on the Zodiac in Antarctica. We quickly and smoothly rode the waters as our tour guide navigated us away from swimming penguins. This moment in time was surreal.
One step off of the Zodiac and one step into the rocky water. We made it. We were really and truly in Antarctica. Not just IN Antarctica, we were ON Antarctica. I had crossed my number one bucket-list item that I had dreamt of crossing since I was a child.
I was always enamored with the Great White Continent; the untouched beauty, the intriguing ways wildlife could survive such treacherous weather, and the pure mystery of this other world-like place. I fulfilled a childhood dream and I shed a few tears of joy as I made my way up the rocky hill.
Paulet Island was loud, busy, and quite honestly, it smelled atrocious. It was simply amazing! Hundreds and hundreds of penguins were walking in every which way. Guano littered the entire area and even penguins were covered in it. The red-tinted guano is due to the Adelie's diet which is rich in krill. It was chaotic and yet, so innocent and pure. This was their home, we were merely just visiting for a short while.
Areas of Paulet Island were closed off to visitors as most of the land is protected and/or used for scientific research. Following the yellow sticks and keeping at least 15 feet away from the penguins, we were still able to explore on our own and get wonderful views of the wildlife.
Scientists sailing with Ponant were also out on land with us and were happy to answer any questions or lead impromptu discussions.
We quietly and respectfully made our way up the pebbly incline to a historical site. This remaining hut was built in 1903 by the surviving shipwrecked crew of the ship “Antarctic,” and captain, Otto Nordenskjöld. 19 out of 20 survived the entire winter in Antarctica, feeding off of the Adélie Penguins. It’s quite an interesting piece of history and I highly recommend reading about the incredible journey that Otto and his crew went through, to try and meet up with other survivors, all while trying to navigate the unpredictable continent. Note, this was in 1903…no GPS, phones, etc., that's terrifying! It's quite incredible how far we've come, that just over 100 years ago, explorers were navigating these seas and land without any guidance other than the stars. Now, 120 years later, the hut belongs to the Adelie Penguins.
Further up the hill where the sounds of hundreds of squawking penguins lessened, we found an Antarctic Fur Seal, basking in the sun. We kept our distance from the seal, at about 150 feet. When traveling to Antarctica, it's important to remember safe distances so that both you and the wildlife are safe and calm, this is their territory after all.
We stood there, overlooking the colony of Adelie Penguins and enjoyed the momentous view. Small icebergs silently sailed to shore with the current, Antarctic birds soared through the sky, and here we were...away from the big cities and crowds, nearly alone on this beautiful continent.
Paulet Island is not only rich in history, but it's also filled with an abundance of wildlife. Seeing penguins with pebbles in their mouths to bring to their mates was exciting, as I've only seen this in documentaries. Unfortunately, with wildlife comes the circle of life, and I found quite a few penguin bones and carcasses during our walk. Antarctica is so magical and so raw.
We found a lake nearby where some Adelie Penguins waddled past. I never knew there were lakes in Antarctica but one of the beautiful parts of traveling is that you're always learning. After taking it all in, we walked down the rocky hill to meet with the tour guide to bring us on a walk against the shoreline.
Taking a brief walk along the shore, we gazed at the thousands of penguins that called Paulet Island home. Napping peacefully in the sun were a few more Antarctic Fur Seals. These pinnipeds mainly survive on krill, squid, and fish, but will sometimes eat birds (including, yes, penguins) outside of breeding season, which is why we saw harmony between the fur seals and Adelie penguins during our visit. We also saw our first Crabeater Seal, that despite the name, actually feasts mainly on krill.
Brown Bluff
Back onboard, we briefly warmed up and ate a quick meal before our next adventure in Antarctica. We were to make landfall just a few hours after visiting Paulet Island. During our sailing to Brown Bluff, we saw our first pod of Orca! It was incredible seeing these beautiful whales in their natural habitat. Calves swam beside their moms, swimming below and above the surface, blowing out sprays of water in between breaths. With our ship turning off the engines, we were able to listen to these amazing creatures without any disturbances. It was an extraordinarily peaceful moment in time.
Ponant is all about exploring and taking every opportunity to not only learn about the environment in which you're in, but also immerse yourself into it. We quickly dressed ourselves for another outing and hopped back into a zodiac.
Brown Bluff is a Tuya- a flat-topped volcano that formed when lava erupted through a glacier. Tuyas are the rarest form of volcano.
We stepped foot onto the rocky land, in awe of this beautiful dormant volcano. My initial plan was to walk along the beach and view the Adelie and Gentoo penguins, however, Brandon talked me into doing the hike up the glacier. I grabbed a pair of walking sticks and bitterly started the climb up the icy rocks.
Now, I'm not interested in hiking because I'm a bit unstable...mix that with ice (something I loathe), and I'm immediately miserable. Brandon was with me the entire time as we hiked over half a mile up the steep slope. Exhausted, I reminded myself that what goes up, must come down...and it wasn't easy going up.
The views, however, were incredible and as we reached our targeted goal, we overlooked Brown Bluff and the Antarctic ocean. A wave of euphoria rushed over me and though I was completely miserable the entire hike, I was proud of myself and was glad I joined Brandon on this unique experience. The sights were magnificent, and in all honesty, how many people can say they've hiked a glacier, let alone, a Tuya? Sometimes, you have to embrace the difficulties because the reward is more than worth it.
We had a decent amount of time to take photos before the trek down, but not before having a sip of fresh glacier water, straight from a stream. I've never had water straight from a glacier before but the best way I could describe it was that it was smooth and crisp, and being that it was naturally cold, it was also quite refreshing. I never thought water could be so memorable, but to this day, I miss drinking it.
Going down seemed to be much more difficult and at one point, I completely gave up and partially slid down. Again, I'm very unstable on ice. Growing up in Southern California, I never had to endure the slippery substance. I did get a few glares from other travelers but in the moment, I just wanted to be back on flat ground. I'm not a hiker but I am proud of going beyond my limitations. If it weren't for braving the environment, I would have never seen such incredible views or even drink the glacier water. It was completely worth the struggle and embarrassment.
We had finally made it back on the rocky beach where we quickly viewed the Gentoo penguins!
We were welcomed back onto the zodiacs for a peaceful cruise back to our ship. We saw penguins swimming past us and we got our first (and only) glimpse of a Leopard Seal. Seeing this well-known aggressive creature so close was breathtaking! We were incredibly lucky to have spotted this Leopard Seal.
Penguins and whales swimming in the background as we sail away from Brown Bluff.
That evening, aboard Le Commandant Charcot, we enjoyed another fantastic dinner. We ordered a couple of soups. the grilled octopus with beetroot, thin caramelized onion tart with truffle, venison fillet with seasonal vegetables and fruit, and fettucine. We finished our delicious meal with a medley of Alain Ducasse chocolate desserts. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed every bite. The chefs aboard Ponant are culinary artists and every dish is exquisite.
Dinner menu for the evening
We wound down for the night, still enjoying the glorious views of Antarctica on our balcony as we reminisced about our day ashore. Our first full day was magical and we were thrilled to wake up in the morning to see what adventures Ponant had in store for us.
A view of a tabular iceburg from the balcony as well as a lone seal on a small iceburg.
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