It’s the adventure of a lifetime, both an initiatory journey and a scientific expedition. Three weeks in raw nature, brutal even at the start of our trip, as we see in the report at the top of this article. Two and a half days of navigation before reaching the first archipelago, the volcanic South Shetland Islands. At the head of our expedition, a great explorer of modern times: Jean-Louis Etienne. He returns to where he achieved an immense feat 35 years ago, by co-leading the international Transantarctica expedition, the longest crossing of Antarctica by dog sled, 6,300 km in seven months.
The Antarctic Peninsula is still about a hundred kilometers from us, and the first icebergs are appearing. They are harbingers of the world of ice which is finally revealed, with its high mountains: the Antarctic peninsula, a myriad of imposing islands, water at 2°C dotted with icebergs, sometimes with electric colors.
Guess the immensity of this continent covered in ice and designated by around forty countries as a “protected nature reserve”. The majestic ballet of humpback whales… in this season, they come to feed on the peninsula. Around 10 p.m., the sky gives us one last gift, a tender sunset.
