Iceland Photo Tours is pleased to join forces with Aurora Expeditions and to invite you on board the Greg Mortimer. Accommodating an average of 132 expeditioners per voyage within 76 cosy, comfortable cabins – all cabins have a view of the ocean and 85% of cabins have their own balcony. The ship also features a modern lecture lounge, multiple observation areas, zodiac launching platforms, a restaurant serving excellent meals, a gym and wellness centre, jacuzzis, a mudroom and many other amenities.
The first passenger ship to feature the revolutionary Ulstein X-BOW®, this allows the ship to cross oceans more comfortably and efficiently, and with expansive observation decks to bring you closer to the environment, inviting communal areas and unsurpassed environmental credentials, the Greg Mortimer offers the perfect base camp for adventures at the outer limits of human exploration.
Together with Aurora Expeditions, we are offering a joint fly/sail photography expedition that will excite anyone looking for a truly mesmerising voyage of a lifetime.
This photography workshop to Antarctica is guided by 2 professional award-winning photographers, who will offer a scope of instruction, classes, critique sessions, workshops and in-field guidance to enable you to expand upon your photography portfolio. Throughout this expedition to Antarctica, your dedicated photography guides will ensure that you are immersed in a wealth of knowledge that you'll always remember.
This photography workshop to Antarctica features a one of a kind FLY/SAIL experience, which is designed to maximise your time photographing the wonderful surrounds of your destination. To reach Antarctica, you will board an aircraft from Punta Arenas to King George Island. You will sail through the tumultuous waters of the Drake section just once, to make the crossing from Antarctica to Ushuaia over the course of two days.
The Greg Mortimer guarantees a comfortable journey as you sail across the Antarctic seas. Our tour will have 18 spots reserved held out of the total 132.
For the duration of our tour, there will be a mindblowing 15 zodiacs onboard for making shore landings, whereby you may explore Antarctica intimately by foot.
You will arrive in Punta Arenas, where you will be met by a representative of Aurora Expeditions and transferred to your group hotel. Upon arrival at your included hotel, kindly remind hotel check-in staff to provide you with Aurora Expeditions cabin tags. Please clearly label the tags with your name and ship cabin number. We have the welcome briefing there at 17:00-19:00
This morning, please ensure your cabin luggage is fitted with cabin tags clearly labelled with your name and cabin number. Please take your cabin luggage down to hotel reception by 8.00 am. Your luggage will be collected from your hotel and transferred directly to port for clearance and delivered to your cabin ahead of your arrival on board. Keep any valuables or personal items with you throughout the day. After breakfast, check out of your room before commencing a half day excursion to the Straits of Magellan Park.
The Straits of Magellan Park is a local protected area that contains important natural and cultural heritage resources including Fort Bulnes and ‘Puerto del Hambre’ national historical monuments. Located 50 km/31 mi. south of Punta Arenas on Santa Ana peninsula with spectacular views of the Straits of Magellan, the origins of the park dates back to the 1920s, when remnants of the original Spanish fort of King Don Felipe called ‘Puerto del Hambre’ (Port of Hunger) were discovered. In the park, you can visit the reconstructed fort, stroll along the Coastal Path, the Windy Forest and take in the superb views across the Magellan Strait. A highlight of the excursion is a visit to the interactive Strait Museum that features outstanding exhibits detailing pre-European settlement as well as tales of European exploration and colonisation of South America.
Return to Punta Arenas where you have free time for lunch (own expense). We will then conduct our mandatory health screenings and rapid COVID tests at the hotel from 2-4 pm. Afterwards, you will be transferred to the pier to commence embarkation. Once aboard, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important mandatory briefings. As the ship pulls away from port, we’ll gather on the deck to farewell Punta Arenas and commence our adventure to Antarctica.
This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Antarctica.
Sail along the legendary Beagle Channel and enjoy splendid scenery of fjords and channels flanked by majestic mountains. Keep watch for the many seabirds and marine wildlife including dolphins, sea lions and whales preparing to migrate to Antarctica to fatten up on plentiful krill. In the evening, we exit Nassau Bay, sail past Cape Horn and prepare to enter Drake Passage.
Nearing the South Shetland Islands and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on day four, the excitement is palpable with everyone converging on one of the observation decks, watching for our first iceberg. The ocean takes on a whole new perspective once we are below the Antarctic Convergence and are surrounded by the surreal presence of floating ice sculptures. The memory of your first big iceberg sighting is likely to remain with you for a long time. Weather permitting, we may attempt our first landing in Antarctica by late afternoon.
Our next 5 days of sailing will involve a variety of destinations on the west of the Antarctic Peninsula, weather and conditions permitting. There will be no fixed itinerary; rather, your very experienced expedition team and photography guides will work together to plan the voyage as you go, making the most of the opportunities that will be available at the time. They will ensure that you will be at the best place at the right time to capture the wildlife, spectacular icebergs and astonishing scenery.
It will be the summer season in Antarctica, so be prepared to experience near 20 hours of daylight within a 24 hour period. We will maximise our opportunities for shooting within that time frame, making two to three Zodiac excursions a day. There will also be an incredible chance for our group to camp ashore, experiencing what it must have been like for the first Antarctic explorers back in the day, though this part of the workshop is optional.
Our shooting locations will be both spectacular and diverse. Some of the spots that we may make excursions to include:
Paradise Harbour
Paradise Harbour is a secluded bay famous for its frozen landscapes. Surrounded by glaciated mountains and awe-inspiring ice cliffs, this beautiful stretch of water is perfect for Zodiac cruising and spotting seals as well as penguins. Those with a truly keen eye and shutter finger may even capture a humpback or minke whales, frolicking amongst the ice floes!
Hydrurga Rocks
These rocks make up a small island, which is home to a waddle of Chinstrap penguins. Several rookeries of penguins colonise the rocky outreaches of the Hydrurga Rocks, making for stunning wildlife photography opportunities. This part of the Gerlache Strait is also known for being a bird haven, including Kelp gulls and Skuas.
Half Moon Island
This extraordinary island is one of the largest in Antarctica and one of the most beautiful sights in the South Shetlands. You will be met by thousands of penguins on the shore, as well as many Antarctic fur seals. Here, the rugged landscape is dominated by rocky outcrops, speckled with lichen. The opportunities for wildlife and landscape photography abound.
Lemaire Channel
This strait near Antarctica is often blocked by colossal jigsaw-like icebergs, making it one of the most photogenic sites in Antarctica. Bordering the strait are cliffs that seem to rise straight out of the ocean, towering up to 700 metres on either side. Depending upon the conditions of the ice, we may be able to sail slowly through the channel, making for a truly enchanting photography experience. You’ll be close enough to the icebergs to even touch them!
Port Lockroy
This natural harbour on the northwest side of Antarctica is an old British base from the 1960s which is quite scenic in nature. You will have the opportunity to tour the local museum, to purchase souvenirs at the gift shop, as well as to mail postcards home from the most southerly post office!
Neko Harbour
Bordered by the breathtaking jagged faces of glaciers on one side, jutting straight out of the sea, this small bay makes for a truly magical Zodiac landing. The panoramic views to be found in this harbour are spectacular, featuring rocky beaches juxtaposed with the frosty shapes of icebergs and snow. Be prepared to mingle with even more penguins, waddling about on the pack ice.
Robert Point
This small peninsula in the South Shetland Islands is home to a number of elephant seals and penguins, which dominate the steep and rocky beach along this magnificent shoreline. Meanwhile, sea birds including giant petrels, kelp gulls and skuas circle overhead, hunting for penguin eggs. There will be endless opportunities to capture the wildlife within their native habitat.
Other highlights that we may visit on this tour include:
Pleneau Island
Vernadsky; a Ukrainian scientific base
Petermann Island
Penola Strait
Antarctic Sound
Cuverville Island
Danco Island
Enterprise Island
Melchior Islands
As we approach Frei Base on King George Island, it is time to farewell Antarctica and our amazing adventure before boarding our flight (approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes) to Punta Arenas, Chile. On arrival at the Punta Arenas airport, you will be transferred to our group hotel.
Accommodation: Hotel Dreams del Estrecho
Note: King George Island is located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Shetland Islands and is one of the most remote places on Earth. A clear sky with perfect visibility is required in order to take off and land safely. We apologise in advance if you experience any delays.
After breakfast, bid a fond farewell to your fellow travellers as we all continue our onward journeys, hopefully with a newfound sense of the immense power of nature. A transfer to the airport is included in your voyage fare. (Breakfast included).
Note: It is your responsibility to check if your government requires you to have a COVID test prior to boarding an international flight to return to your country of residence. If this applies to you, then you may be required to book additional nights after the voyage. Please speak with your travel agent or with an Aurora Expeditions consultant at least four weeks prior to departure if you need assistance booking additional post-voyage arrangements.
All items of a personal nature including but not limited to: alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (outside of dinner service), laundry services, personal clothing, additional medical expenses such as medication, gratuities, Wi-Fi, email or phone charges
Note: A $15 USD per person per day gratuity for the crew is automatically added to your onboard account. It is at your discretion if you would like to remove the tip (or increase/decrease the amount) when you settle your bill. It is not necessary to tip the expedition team members. This gratuity amount is included for suites as part of their ‘Suite Benefits’.
We strongly recommend you to get Trip Cancellation & Travel Insurance after booking your trip. If you cancel and your place is otherwise filled, we will refund you the full amount you have paid towards the tuition, minus a $500 service charge. If you cancel and your place on the Workshop does not fill, then you will be refunded according to the following schedule, based on the full fee of the Workshop: Greater than 180 days from the start date of the Expedition: Full refund minus $2500. 120 days or more: 50% refund Less than 120 days: no refund Refunds will be paid by the same method that the original payment was made.
We highly recommend that you get a travel and medical insurance. Your own domestic medical insurance and private health scheme will not cover you whilst you are overseas. The tour will always dependent on weather, as the weather can be highly unpredictable. Likewise, sightings of wildlife will be dependent on the movements of the animals themselves and cannot be guaranteed.
This expedition is designed to maximise your time in Antarctica and South Georgia, utilising a fly and sail experience between Punta Arenas and King George Island that results in less travel overall during the round-trip to and from our destination. During this expedition, the Greg Mortimer will be your home away from home. As such, it has been designed to meet your every need during your adventure to Antarctica! At Iceland Photo Tours, we have an open bridge policy, meaning that you can come up to the bridge at any time to see what the captain and officers of the ship are up to. You’ll be able to have a first-hand glimpse at the inner workings of the Greg Mortimer, from navigational practices to observing mapping techniques. The opportunities aboard this ship are endless! In the event of an incident or accident, a trained medical team will be on-hand throughout your journey aboard the Greg Mortimer, providing all necessary treatment from the ship’s fully-equipped medical centre, allowing you to concentrate on your adventure without worrying about your wellbeing. Every participant will receive an expedition jacket from our partners, Aurora Expeditions, upon boarding the ship. This custom-designed 2-in-1 jacket offers sophisticated styling with a warm interior and is perfect for wearing over base layers during your Zodiac excursions. As part of this workshop, you will receive a complimentary photo book from our partners, Aurora Expeditions. This very special keepsake will be a lasting reminder of your adventure, featuring your sailing coordinates, photographs during your voyage, as well as the daily programs that you participate in. On the last day aboard the Greg Mortimer, there will be a special farewell four-course dinner and cocktails – a delightful way for you to reflect upon your time exploring the Antarctic wilderness and to consolidate friendships with your fellow travellers and the rest of your expedition team. SHIP AND CABIN INFORMATION The Greg Mortimer is specially designed to offer you an incredibly relaxing experience after a long day of exploring the Antarctic. Each stateroom includes a private bathroom, personal storage, twin and double-bed configuration options, international power outlets, daily cabin service, as well as all of the basic amenities that you will expect to need onboard. If you’re part of a family or a group, then you’ll love the interconnecting staterooms aboard the Greg Mortimer, which offer more privacy for those who still want to be close.
The first passenger ship to feature the revolutionary Ulstein X-BOW®, this allows the ship to cross oceans more comfortably and efficiently, and with expansive observation decks to bring you closer to the environment, inviting communal areas and unsurpassed environmental credentials, the Greg Mortimer offers the perfect base camp for adventures at the outer limits of human exploration.
You are welcome to visit the wellness centre during your voyage where you can use the gym, visit our sauna (which we highly recommend after the polar plunge!) or book a massage (additional cost applies). There are also two jacuzzis on the top outside deck with amazing views of the world outside.
Our ships carry 15 Zodiacs, which you can board via four dedicated, sea-level launching platforms. These platforms make boarding the Zodiacs as quick, efficient and safe as possible, minimising wait times and getting you closer to the action for longer. Whether you’re Zodiac cruising through awe-inspiring fjords in search of wildlife or making a quick transit from ship to a shore landing site, these sturdy crafts will play an integral role in your expedition experience.
We offer a range of add-on adventure activities from kayaking and diving to climbing and ski touring, and the Greg Mortimer is designed to support these activities, making the transition from ship to sea or shore as smooth as possible. We built the spacious activity preparation areas and loading platforms in consultation with our expert activity guides. You will also have access to lockers and rapid drying areas for dry suits and wet suits, to give your gear the best chance to dry between excursions.
We believe that preserving and protecting the environment is of the utmost importance and this is reflected in several features of the Greg Mortimer. The Greg Mortimer boasts one of the lowest polluting marine engines in the world due to low energy consumption, high fuel-efficiency and a streamlined design to deliver an 80% reduction in emissions.* The ship can also utilise virtual anchoring to hold its position using a combination of GPS, steering technology, propellers and thrusters. This protects the sea floor and minimises the damage caused by conventional anchors. *Compared to Tier 1 engines.
The Greg Mortimer features industry-leading safety technology that exceeds the requirements for a ship of this size with a world class return-to-port equipment, which duplicates the propulsion system, enabling the ship to maintain operating systems and comfort in the event of engine failure. The Greg Mortimer Ice Class 1A and Polar Code 6 compliant, hold BV* class and are fully compliant with the latest SOLAS requirements. The ship also features a fully-stocked medical clinic designed for use in remote areas. *Bureau Veritas
In addition to onboard observation areas, the Greg Mortimer features unique hydraulic viewing platforms, which fold out for unobstructed views of passing marine life and seabirds. These platforms were designed in conjunction with Greg Mortimer himself, and can be used during gentle ship cruises or when the ship is stationery when weather conditions allow.
18 - 29 Jan 2022: Guided by Daniel Kordan and Iurie Belegurschi
A deposit of $5000 USD is due upon registration and will secure your spot on this photography expedition.
Daniel was born in the Moscow area, Russia.
After graduating from art school he studied at Moscow’s institute of Physics and Technology, which pointed him toward a career as an optics physicist. During his studies he developed expertise not only in physics, but in mountain climbing and hiking.
He regularly led tourist groups during the holidays through the Russian mountains. Right after graduation he became a guide of photo workshops and chief editor of Continent Expedition magazine, a publication about travel and adventures all over the world.
Daniel has received several awards in photography: Golden Turtle’ 13 Nature nomination winner, National Geographic Russia contest 2013 and 2014 finalist, Best of Russia ’13 and ’14 winner, Best Photographer ’13 finalist, among others. He currently spends most of his time in Norway, scouring the Lofoten islands and in Tuscany, guiding groups of keen photographers.
Daniel was born in the Moscow area, Russia.
After graduating from art school he studied at Moscow’s institute of Physics and Technology, which pointed him toward a career as an optics physicist. During his studies he developed expertise not only in physics, but in mountain climbing and hiking.
He regularly led tourist groups during the holidays through the Russian mountains. Right after graduation he became a guide of photo workshops and chief editor of Continent Expedition magazine, a publication about travel and adventures all over the world.
Daniel has received several awards in photography: Golden Turtle’ 13 Nature nomination winner, National Geographic Russia contest 2013 and 2014 finalist, Best of Russia ’13 and ’14 winner, Best Photographer ’13 finalist, among others. He currently spends most of his time in Norway, scouring the Lofoten islands and in Tuscany, guiding groups of keen photographers.
Iurie Belegurschi is an award-winning fine art nature and landscape photographer, as well as the founder of Iceland Photo Tours.
Born in Moldova, Iurie developed an interest in photography from an early age after his uncle converted the family bathroom into a darkroom.
Iurie moved to Iceland in 2006. Drawn in by the incredible light and landscapes, he began traveling the country, with the camera in hand, in search of inspiration and honing his skills. Continually winning awards in international photography competitions, his images have been published and put on display in a number of leading publications and exhibitions.
In 2012 Iurie founded Iceland Photo Tours, with the ambition of sharing the many wonders Iceland has to offer with passionate photographers from around the world.
Iurie Belegurschi is an award-winning fine art nature and landscape photographer, as well as the founder of Iceland Photo Tours.
Born in Moldova, Iurie developed an interest in photography from an early age after his uncle converted the family bathroom into a darkroom.
Iurie moved to Iceland in 2006. Drawn in by the incredible light and landscapes, he began traveling the country, with the camera in hand, in search of inspiration and honing his skills. Continually winning awards in international photography competitions, his images have been published and put on display in a number of leading publications and exhibitions.
In 2012 Iurie founded Iceland Photo Tours, with the ambition of sharing the many wonders Iceland has to offer with passionate photographers from around the world.
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