Two things have happened this week to remind me of my travels to South America and Antarctica. During the week, I attended a dinner to celebrate the return of travel and the wonderful luxury super yacht Scenic Eclipse, which travels the globe and spends time in these southern waters. Yesterday I caught up with a great friend in Brisbane whom I travelled with to Antarctica.

I had put off travelling to this vast continent because I could never find the time to do it justice. Some 15 years ago, I attended a conference in Buenos Aires, and this was my first step in discovering how diverse and magical South America is. BA is a delightful city and rightly called the Paris of the south with wide, tree-lined boulevards, elegant buildings, fascinating history and a love of life. Wander the back streets, and you come across tango dancers in the hidden squares. Potter around Recoleta Cemetery and find the grave of Eva Peron. Have coffee in one of the world’s largest bookstores in a converted theatre. From here, we headed south to El Calafate and Patagonia. We crossed through the gently rolling hills dotted with whitewashed farmhouses towards the Andes and the extraordinary, glacier-rich Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. We rode horses with gauchos, met locals speaking ancient Welsh, and walked the trails in this stunning national park – so large it forms its own microclimate.

A couple of years passed, and the tug to return couldn’t be ignored. Flying south from Santiago, we stayed on the lakeshore at the charming small town, Puerto Varas, before heading across the interlinking crystal-clear lakes through the soaring snowcapped Andes to Bariloche, Argentina. South, we flew to Ushuaia, the southern tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego, where we boarded our chic French Ponant ship, praying that as we left the Beagle Chanel, we would find the Drake Lake and not the Drake Shake! 

Antarctica was an extraordinary region of the world, the ethereal light, the quietness, and gliding past vast icebergs glistening in the sunlight. Whales were breaching, penguins escaping their noisy chicks to waddle down the pack ice and gracefully dive in search of food. Seals are lazing on the beach, and birds are calling overhead. We spent our days immersed in history and science, learning from our highly qualified naturalist guides, heading off on zodiacs to land on remote beaches and returning to the warmth of our beautiful purpose-built ship. 

The luxury super yacht Scenic Eclipse looks amazing. This Australian-owned vessel offers indulgent comforts and lots of toys. Imagine flying over the world’s seventh continent on one of the ship’s two helicopters, or venturing into the deep, like David Attenborough, in the ship’s very own submarine. This fabulous vessel is purpose-built to venture to all areas of our world, built with state-of-the-art stabilizers: your discovery voyage will be smooth sailing all the way. Spacious, beautifully appointed suites will be your home on board; choose from the ten dining options on board, relax in the spa or take a dip in the pool. From Antarctica to the tropics, from ancient Mediterranean ports to circumnavigating Japan, Scenic Eclipse offers a fully inclusive discovery voyage that will be a trip of a lifetime.

Contact Travelling Places P: 07 5545 1600
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