We boarded the M/V Grigoriy Mikheev and sailed from the small town of Ushuaia in Argentina, with it’s backdrop of snow-capped Andean mountains and sloping hills that sterched out into the Beagle channel.We spent hours watching the majestic spectacle of  Albatross, Petrels and Shearwaters skimming the ocean with great ease and listening to lectures on History Geology and Birds. The seas were reasonably calm and we reached Falkland Islands after 36 hours.

The vast King penguin colonies with over 100,000 birds stretched far up onto the slopes. The noise of the colony with the strident trumpeting of the adults and soft hooting of the large cumbersome chicks was overwhelming. Swirls of colour were created by adults encircling vast crèches of brown chicks. An adult would calmly lead its chick away from the crèche in an amusing waddle to feed it Often penguins would walk over to inspect their human visitors. Four or five penguins would stroll together, like old gentlemen, down to the sea.

Predators such as Skuas and Southern Giant Petrels awaited their chance. When returning to the ship we were accompanied by curious seals diving around the zodiac and sleek penguins skimming on the sea like dolphins.

A Gentoo penguin colony, in contrast to the sedate Kings, seemed to be a hive of activity with hungry fat grey chicks chasing parents who were rushing back and forth to the sea in long lines.  Macaroni penguins, with their spiky yellow hair and red eyes, were hidden in tussock grass and spent their time attacking each other and the odd fur seal while clambering up and down the cliffs. Sea birds and predators nested near by.

A final cruise through a narrow glaciated fjord, pushing through brash ice up to the face of the Drygalski glacier, was a dramatic ending to our visit of South Georgia.

In misty calm conditions we cruised across the Scotia Sea waking to the wonderful sight of wind carved icebergs surrounding the South Orkney Islands. Due to pack ice and increasing winds we failed to make a landing and continued onto the Antarctic Peninsular. At 3am we watched the ship in full daylight manoeuvre through huge icebergs, sea ice and towering mountains into the Erebus and Terror Gulf.

We spent two days visiting massive Adelie penguin colonies where icebergs replaced fur seals on our zodiac landings. The harsh volcanic landscape had huge jagged cliffs, long narrow beaches and glaciers that crept down to the sea to calve. Sparkling white icebergs with their turquoise fissures and a backdrop of blue skies relieved the monochrome scene. One afternoon we had the magnificent sight of two Minke whales which came to inspect the ship almost riding in the bow wave.

The Adelie penguins, with their beautiful blue ringed eyes, were very busy rushing to the sea in clusters leaving their half grown chicks in great crèches. Returning birds would stop to collect a pebble to present to their partner before being mobbed for food by their chicks.  The sound of the patter of their feet on the stones and their exuberant retuning calls will remain embedded in our memories.

We began our return journey stopping at the South Shetland Islands via the volcanic Deception Island which was devoid of wildlife. Here we trekked across the barren landscape of this still active volcano.

Our last landing at Hannah Point on the South Shetlands was a Chinstrap and Gentoo penguin colony and a welcome sight of green mosses, thick lichens and patches of tiny grasses on the lower slopes of the cliffs. Elephant seals in moulting mounds lay on the beach and a thin penguin highway led up to the colonies. Chinstraps look like neat waiters with a thin moustache along their cheeks. They bustled about feeding their young, crooning with their necks as they greeted their partners. Often they would throw their heads into the air with a throaty cry that made the colony buzz like a hive of angry bees.

As always predators were nesting nearby with their hungry chicks. We witnessed a dramatic battle in the Gentoo penguin colony when a giant southern petrel attacked a chick. Several adult penguins fought bravely to save it, sadly they failed. Just as we boarded from our final landing a humpback whale surfaced nearby and dived with graceful wave of its fluke.

Our return trip across the Drake Passage began with huge swells but soon flattened to a dead calm. A school of dusky dolphins escorted us back to the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia, a fitting end to a fantastic journey.