August 25th, 2010
Find out about our newest cruise aboard the Clelia II, exploring the Jungle Rivers & Tropical Islands of northern South America!
This exciting cruise will visit Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago and the vast Orinoco River delta of Venezuela. You’ll encounter exotic birdlife, tropical reefs, spectacular waterfalls and rainforest and traditional tribes such as the Warao, who live along the Orinoco on stilt houses. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brazil, Cruises, Guyana, islands, jungle, Orinoco, South America, Suriname, Tobago, Trinidad, tropical, Venezuela
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August 4th, 2010
We’ve just posted two new trips for photographers for 2011: the Palouse Digital Photo Workshop and Brazil’s Pantanal and Atlantic Rainforest. These trips are specially-designed for photographers of any level of photo experience, amateur or professional, and are led by top pro photographers, Tim Grey and Wolfgang Kaehler. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: camera, digital, Palouse, photo, photo safari, photo tour, photo trip, photography, Photoshop, safaris, Tim Grey, Washington, Wolfgang Kaehler
Posted in Photo Tours | No Comments »
June 28th, 2010
Savings on Antarctica cruises in 2010 continue, though space is filling quickly. If you’ve ever wanted to explore the legendary southern realm, this is the year to do it! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Antarctica, Argentina, Elephant Island, Grytviken, M/S Expedition
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June 2nd, 2010
Great Savings on Galapagos Cruises!
Tags: 50% off, adventure, cruise, Cruises, cruising, Darwin, discount, discounted, Ecuador, Evolution, Galapagos, Grace, Island, islands, Peru, save, savings
Posted in Galapagos Islands, Specials | No Comments »
June 1st, 2010
May 2010
“The best laid plans of . . . “ I had intended on writing a blog about this incredible journey as it unfolded. I saw myself diligently writing every night, if not in blog format at least notes of what the day held. But, here it is already our sixth day in Ecuador I am just now putting fingers to keyboard. Where do I start, oh yes, the beginning.
We left Seattle on a cold, wet morning (42 degrees F) wearing inappropriately light clothing but we had prepared ourselves for the equator, or so we thought. We had a hard time acting like seasoned travelers; while waiting for our plane to take off John and I frequently turned to each other to exclaim, “we are going to the Galapagos, for 3 weeks!”
When we arrived in Quito that night we were Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cruise, Cruises, Darwin, Ecuador, equator, Galapagos Islands, Indian market, Otavalo, Quito, wildlife
Posted in Galapagos Islands | 3 Comments »
May 13th, 2010
June 23, 2005 noon GPS: 78º13.9′N, 15 º37.1 ‘E Longyearbyen
We had to leave our luggage on the wharf in Longyearbyen before 7 am, so that a cruise ship could berth there after us. This meant an early start, but we could relax over breakfast and later came ashore by zodiac. Most of us had only a few hours to spend in Longyearbyen before flying home, taking with us memories of the beautiful wilderness of Svalbard and our voyage on board the Grigoriy Mikheev. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cruise, Cruises, Longyearbyen, Norway, Spitsbergen, Svalbaard
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May 13th, 2010
June 22, 2005 noon GPS: 79º7.6′N, 11 º47.6′E Krossfjorden

| Prices for all Spitsbergen sailings aboard the M/S Expedition are 50% OFF the posted prices! See our Rates page for detailed pricing! |
After steaming south all night, we arrived in the morning in Kross fjord, where we anchored at the mouth of a little bay, named for its glacier, XIV of July. The weather was splendid, and silk smooth waters surrounded our ship. Leaving the ship in the zodiacs, we first cruised under some small bird cliffs. Most of the residents were guillemots, but there were also several pairs of puffins, with their bright coloured beaks and comical flight. We landed on the beach on the bay at a site below some kittiwake and guillemot nesting cliffs, where the plant growth is particularly luxurious. Although it’s still pretty early summer, Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cruise, Cruises, eider duck, fox, foxes, glacier, kittiwake, Kross Fjord, Norway, saxifrage, Spitsbergen, Svalbaard, Svalbard
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May 13th, 2010
June 21, 2005 noon GPS: 79º54.7′N, 11 º48.6′E Hamiltonbukta, Fuglesangen, Danskøya

We woke to rather grey and foggy morning as we cruised into Raudfjord -the Red Fjord, named for the sandstone rocks on its eastern shore. We anchored on the west side, at Hamilton Bay, and made a zodiac cruise along the ice edge in the bay. On the south side there’s a bird cliff, and although the cliffs disappeared into the clouds above us we could see the birds circling in the air, arriving or departing for fishing trips, and hear the clamor of kittiwake and guillemot calls. At the edge of the fast ice in front of the glacier, there was a bearded seal on a floe, Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Arctic Circle, astronomical, balloon expedition, cruise, Cruises, Danskøya, Fuglesangen, glaucous gull, Hamiltonbukta, little auk, Norway, S.A. Andree, Spitsbergen, Svalbaard
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May 13th, 2010
June 20, 2005 noon GPS: 80 º41.8′N, 19 º48.5′E The Polar Ice, Lagoya, Sorgfjorden
Ian’s wake-up call found us in the northernmost parts of Svalbard, on the edge of the polar ice. The captain took the Mikheev into the ice, and the floes became larger and more closely packed, forcing us to take a slow and weaving course. We ate our breakfast with polar bear tracks in the snow just outside the dining room window, and around this time we reached Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cruise, Cruises, ice cap, ice floes, Norway, polar, polar bears, Ross Island, Spitsbergen, Svalbaard
Posted in Spitsbergen | 1 Comment »
May 12th, 2010
June 19,2005 noon GPS: 79 º36.1 ‘N, 19 º14.5′E Hinlopen Strait, Alkefjellet, in the ice, Smitt Island.

| Prices for all Spitsbergen sailings aboard the M/S Expedition are 50% OFF the posted prices! See our Rates page for detailed pricing! |
In the morning the Mikheev moved south into Hinlopen Strait, between Svalbard’s two largest islands, Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet.
The pack ice in the strait was easier than we had expected, and after breakfast time the ship was positioned offshore from the cliff of Alkefjellet: Auk Mountain. There were telltale signs of the inhabitants as flights of guillemots passed us, heading back to their breeding cliffs After breakfast we went for a zodiac cruise along the coast, where tens of thousands of guillemots Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: auk Mountain, belly dancers, cruise, Cruises, guillemots, Hinlopen Strait, murre, murres, Norway, seabird colonies, Spitsbergen, Svalbaard
Posted in Spitsbergen | No Comments »