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Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions
CONTACT: Isabel Dempster
TEL: 800-628-8747
E-MAIL: isabeld@zeco.com
WEBSITE: www.zeco.com   
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The Best of the Unexpected on an Expedition to Antarctica

SEATTLE—Zegrahm Expeditions, the most experienced tour operator in Antarctica, announces a shorter, yet no less impressive voyage, to the Great White Continent.

Departing November 19, 2006, guests on the Antarctica with the Falkland Islands voyage will navigate the waters between towering ice shelves, dazzling icebergs and imposing glaciers of the last great wilderness on board the expedition cruise ship Clipper Adventurer.

The 14-day tour (starting at $6,980 double occupancy) features some of the most experienced naturalists and leaders in the industry, who together have visited Antarctica more than 250 times.

“Their knowledge means we can affect landings at some of the least-visited sites, where our footprints may be the only signs of a human presence,” says Casey Marker, director of Marketing at Zegrahm Expeditions.

Experienced leaders are in place because this is an expedition in the literal sense, Marker explains. Weather and ice conditions determine the daily schedules; thus, flexibility is required. Extensive experience in the region enables leaders to adapt quickly to change, making sure every option is considered and every opportunity seized.

These opportunities include photographing the wandering and black-browed albatross, sooty shearwaters, and white-chinned petrels; witnessing the whales often seen in the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula; observing the scientific activities conducted by a multinational community of scientists working at a research station; embarking on Zodiac explorations of islands, bays and coves where outstanding birdlife, dramatic scenery, and unique marine life can be seen close at hand.

Among the expedition stops:

• Deception Island is approached through Neptune's Bellows, a channel just wide enough for the ship to navigate. Upon anchoring inside the collapsed walls of a volcano that was filled by rushing seawater, travelers may brave a dip into the thermal waters near Pendulum Cove – a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim in the Antarctic. Weather permitting the Clipper Adventurer will make a landing on the outside of the caldera, at a colony of more than 100,000 nesting chinstrap penguins.
• Elephant Island was made famous by the 1914 expedition of Ernest Shackleton, whose ship Endurance became trapped in sea ice and was eventually crushed. After camping on the ice with his crew for five months, Shackleton made two open boat journeys, one of which—a treacherous 800-mile ocean crossing to South Georgia Island—is now considered one of the greatest sea adventures in history. While here guests may also encounter a small colony of gentoo penguins that now calls the island home.
• After cruising the South Scotia Sea, the ship will navigate its way to Sea Lion Island off the south coast of East Falkland Island for another opportunity to view the wildlife of the southern oceans. Witness elephant seals and sea lions making their way to the beach, hundreds of gentoo penguins nesting with their chicks and skuas and snowy sheathbills circling overhead. This island is also home to rockhopper penguins, Magellanic penguins, striated caracaras, king cormorants, and kelp gulls.

This voyage may be combined with Zegrahm’s signature trip, Circumnavigation of South Georgia. Every Zegrahm expedition features deluxe accommodations, fine cuisine and a lecture program that is the industry’s finest. Rates vary according to cabin category choice.  For a detailed itinerary or to read a recent field report from this trip please visit www.zeco.com. For reservations call 800-628-8747.

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