Today we visited two unique islands in the West Falklands. Keppel Island, once an early missionary to Christianize Tierra del Fuego Indians in the 1850s and later, as most places here, an active sheep farm, it now lies vacant since 1992 when the last occupants shuddered up the stone and timber buildings. Very few visitors ever step foot here, and this morning we had time to explore the ruins of the old settlement and trek over 6 km across the island in hopes of spotting birdlife utilizing the several insular ponds. For the afternoon’s attraction we crossed over to neighboring Saunders Islands to once again cast our eyes on both a thriving black-browed albatross and rockhopper penguin colony. Later on the ship repositioned to the other side of Saunders where we had a special champagne reception on the historic site of Port Egmont, the first settlement in the Falklands dating back to 1766.
3/12/2025
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National Geographic Endurance
At Sea towards Ushuaia
It was a day for reflection. Our journey was coming to an end as we left the Falklands behind and National Geographic Endurance steamed towards South America and Ushuaia. The seas were kind to us, and despite low winds, we had black-browed albatross, among other birds, around us. In the morning, we listened to the naturalists onboard as they presented on different subjects in the ice lounge. Land-ho! Mid-morning we had land in sight, South America was appearing on the horizon. Upon entering the Beagle Channel, we saw possibly a hundred sei whales. While the seabirds were waiting for the wind on the surface, the whales were feeding a short distance from the ship. As our vessel waited for the pilot to arrive, we could still see whale blows in the distance. We enjoyed a teatime extravaganza with Chef Sara and her team. Cheese and wine brought most of the ship’s inhabitants to deck 8, and while sipping wine we watched sea lions, dolphins, and stunning views of Tierra del Fuego go by until it was time for Captain Aaron’s farewell toast. As much as we are reflecting on our expedition today, it has also been a day of celebration! It has been an incredible journey of many miles, great people, and wonderful experiences. Thank you all!