On Location: La Digue, Seychelles
January 31, 2012 | Tags: La DigueA row of quaint shops lined the quiet main street of town on the island of La Digue, where we had to look both ways before crossing the road not because of cars, but because of bicycles. Soon we had chosen our own chariot from the bicycle shop, and headed out to explore the island. Lush green trees shaded the road, and we greeted the locals with a wave as we peddled past.
Soon we arrived at a small nature preserve, where we parked our bikes and proceeded on foot. La Digue is home to the endemic Seychelles paradise flycatcher, a bird that until its introduction to another small island to the north, was found only here on La Digue. We scanned the trees for movement, and within minutes we saw a black bird with a tail twice as long as its body, dart through the foliage. We had found a male Seychelles paradise flycatcher! Soon two more males joined, chasing one another around from branch to branch, and we quickly realized why—a female flew in, her pale under parts and rusty back quite different than the dark black of the male.
Though it was difficult to pull ourselves away from the flycatchers, we mounted our bicycles again for a ride out to the end of the road, where we found the spectacular beach, Anse La Source d’Argent. A postcard photo any direction we looked, the contrast of the pink granite, white sand, and blue water was a sight to behold. Whether enjoyed sitting comfortably on the sand or floating in the warm water, this was most certainly the Seychelles at its best.
On Location: Lakshadweep Islands
January 3, 2012 | Tags: Lakshadweep IslandsOur second day in the Lakshadweep Islands was another success of expedition style travel. After a poolside breakfast our fabulous Expedition Leader, Lia Opera, announced that we would all be going ashore at Tinnakara Island.
Five Zodiacs full of guests and staff were led by the Tinnkarara tourism ski boat towards the island. Though our more than capable expedition staff could have easily navigated through the island’s tiny reef break, it seemed much more dramatic to be led caravan style with officials leading the way. Once on the tiny island, everyone spread out in different directions. Some followed Peter Zika off for a birding tour of the island, while others jumped into the crystal clear waters and enjoyed several hours of snorkeling. The true highlight came when our Zodiacs began the journey back out of the island’s reef encircled lagoon. Cruising back we spotted dozens of Green Sea turtles gliding through the lagoon’s waters!
While the ship repositioned to another island, we ate lunch and discussed our next plan of attack. Shortly thereafter we were back in the water, this time swimming on the outer ring of the atoll’s reef. For those guests who had been unable to enjoy the last two days worth of water sports, a bequest was presented in the way of the much discussed glass bottom boat. While snorkelers chased a marbled sting ray, Peter exposed our boating guests to the underwater world of the Indian Ocean.
Afternoon snacks were followed up by a very enthusiastic evening recap hosted by cofounder Jack Grove. As everyone settled in for dinner, the ship turned its sites north back to mainland India!
Last Call for 2012 Wildlife Journeys
December 29, 2011 | Tags: 2012, WildlifeCalling all wildlife enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike; there are a few spaces still available on two superlative expeditions, both departing March 26, that you won’t want to miss in 2012. Our Western Pacific Odyssey, in partnership with Heritage Expeditions, makes an epic journey across the southwest Pacific—one of the most remote and least-visited parts of our planet—to seek out some of the rarest seabirds in the world. Of special note on this expedition, you will be joined by Zegrahm cofounder and renowned seabird expert, Peter Harrison, to help you identify the wealth of island endemics we’ll encounter, including the kagu, one of the world’s most sought-after bird species. Or, opt for our Jungle Rivers of South America expedition to explore some of the most bio-diverse regions on Earth as you explore the waters and shores of South America’s Amazon, Suriname, and Essequibo rivers. In addition to the rich wildlife found here—including macaws, monkeys, dolphins, and more—this journey also offers several authentic cultural encounters from visiting the eerie ruins of Devil’s Island, a French penal colony, to meeting the native peoples that call these jungle regions home. Now all you have to do is decide which of these unparalleled journeys will make your shortlist in 2012—contact our office to make your reservation today!
A Day in the Life of a Zegrahm Expedition
December 29, 2011 | Tags: Zegrahm ExpeditionAt Zegrahm Expeditions, we endeavor to travel outside the box—not always adhering to what the daily itinerary dictates, but capitalizing on any and all opportunities to discover whatever unnamed atoll, unvisited village, or unchartered waters we might happen upon. Indeed, many of our adventures are in areas so remote, they are rarely, if ever, visited so there is much to be discovered. And therein lies the appeal of Zegrahm Expeditions: You travel as an inquisitive, fully-engaged explorer, rather than a casual-observer tourist. To those new to Zegrahm’s expeditionary style of travel, here is a sampling of what you can look forward to on a typical day:
Awake early in the morning to the cheerful chirp of one of our energetic cruise directors. The first call comes for the nature enthusiasts to set off, scurrying away to glimpse the region’s endemic wildlife. After breakfast on board, the remaining guests will disembark, often by Zodiac, in order to get up close and personal with the regional wildlife and/or meet the locals in tiny villages that function just as they did hundreds of years ago.
Your Zodiac ride ashore can often be an excursion in and of itself as your expert leader—who often doubles as your Zodiac driver—points out marine and bird life or gives you a primer on the culture of the villagers you are about to meet. En route, you may hear your guide’s radio come to life as one optimal spot after another for the afternoon’s snorkel or dive reveals itself.
After lunch—perhaps at a local establishment where you can savor the delicacies of the region or a poolside barbeque onboard—enjoy a lecture by one of our renowned specialists as the ship repositions to an earlier-scouted water sports location. Once in place, you’ll have the option to snorkel with a marine biologist who’ll interpret the wonders below the water, scuba dive with a certified dive master, or go for a spin in the glass-bottom boat.
In the early evening, gather in the lounge, enjoying a cocktail or two before dinner, while our esteemed expedition staff and lecturers creatively recap your day. Whether it’s a tutorial (and fashion show) about your newly-procured ikat or a run-down of all the fish seen during the afternoon snorkel session, our expedition team members are the best in their fields and are each eager to share their wealth of knowledge with you as it relates to what was experienced that day.
After dinner prepared by our trained chefs, who often use some of the local ingredients they picked up at the market that day, you can relax with a cocktail enjoying live piano music, read in the library, or watch a movie in your cabin. Just be sure to get some rest—it all starts again tomorrow, bright and early.
If a day like this is calling your name, heed the call in 2013 with any of our Indonesia and South Pacific expeditions. Watch your mailbox for a preview of these voyages in the coming months.
Beyond the Castles
December 29, 2011 | Tags: British Isles, IrelandNaturalist Mark Brazil has been leading trips for Zegrahm Expeditions for over 10 years. His explorations range from seeking out India’s rare Bengal tigers to photographing Japan’s white-naped cranes.
“Remote” and the “British Isles” are words that are not often combined in the same sentence. After all, the islands, geographically encompassing both Ireland and the UK, have been settled for millennia, are rich in archaeology, history, folklore and custom, and support a sizeable human population. What’s “remote” about that? When we think remote, we tend to think of islands in the Russian Far East, Indonesia, New Zealand, Alaska, or Antarctica, yet scattered around the fringes of the British Isles, in dramatically scenic settings, are islands that are as remote as one can imagine: Ailsa Craig, the Saltees, and the Skellig Islands, all of which we visit on our Ireland & the British Isles voyage. The region through which we travel is perhaps best known for its lively pubs, its imposing castles and country homes, and its ancient archaeological sites, but voyaging by sea around the southwest of England, the south and west of Ireland, and through southwest Scotland we see not only historical Britain, but also wild Britain.
Despite reveling in the history and culture of my own part of the world (I was born in England), as a naturalist it is the wildlife that makes our varied voyage around the British Isles so exciting for me. This year, the draw for me is the wealth of seabirds that we will encounter, and the hope that while watching them together we may well encounter marine mammals such as seals and dolphins near our home-away-from-home, the Clipper Odyssey. The ease with which the northern fulmars slide past, their wings locked into a seemingly endless glide, is inspiring. Manx shearwaters, bold in their contrasting black above and white below plumage, careen across the sea, flittering skyward in wheeling arcs of motion. At dramatic seabird cliffs we visit crowded colonies of common murre and razorbill—living relatives of the original penguin, the now extinct great auk. Dapper in their form fitting feather coats, the razorbills are Europe’s most elegant auk, but when we approach Atlantic puffin colonies, such as those on Great Saltee and Skellig Michael, we are more than likely to lose track of time as we admire the puffins’ colorful adornments and watch their comical antics. Even as a trained ornithologist, it is hard to take puffins seriously: their permanently surprised expression, their proud portly demeanor, their whirring, blurring wing-beats, that multicolored bill and their fascinating behavior, all serve to make them irresistible to watch.
At sea, but especially around Little Skellig and Ailsa Craig, we will see and admire the largest of Europe’s coastal breeding seabirds, the northern gannet. These enormous birds, nearly three feet from bill to tail and nearly six feet across the wings, are inspirational in their command of air and water. Few things are more spectacular than watching a squadron of gannets flying effortlessly along above the waves, transform, with barely a flick of their wings, into a honed predatory dart plunging, down beneath the water to catch their piscine prey. This is a pointed bird—beak, tail and wings—all sharp and elongated, pointed in all directions. Its long, creamy white wings are smartly tipped with black, and it wears a creamy, golden-yellow cowl. Individually they are gorgeous, but en masse, in thousands at their colonies, they are spectacular—the din can be deafening, the aroma is distinctive, and the sight is unforgettable.
Our trip is by no means all about seabirds however as we enjoy visits to Dartmoor in the south-west of England; quaint Tresco in the Isles of Scilly; cultured Cork, scenic Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, and charming Donegal in Ireland; the fabled Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland; and famous whisky-producing Islay. Yet everywhere we go, whether to castle, country home, lively pub, or distillery, the common birds of these western isles are with us. Birds of poetry, the European blackbird and European robin, are typical of British gardens and will delight us with their vibrant songs. Common wood pigeons coo their mournful and methodical “two coos sookie” chant from castle walls and woodland tops, while overhead insectivorous common swifts scream and chase at high speed as if hell-bent on tearing the fabric of time. We will listen and watch for the arriving spring warblers such as chiffchaff, willow warbler and sedge warbler, and look for scarce residents such as the red-billed chough, we’ll keep a watchful eye out for butterflies, and all this against the backdrop of early summer blossoms. I can hardly wait; I know it is going to be fun.
Join Mark, along with our cultural experts, for our 14-day Ireland & the British Isles expedition departing May 22, 2012; contact our office to reserve your space today!