I left Buenos Aires at 3 a.m. this morning, arriving in Trelew well before sunrise. I slept through the entire hour and a half flight and missed the pilot’s weather announcement, so you can imagine my shock when I stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac into the biting, 30-degree Farenheit air. It literally took my breath away.

The drive to the hotel wasn’t very sightly, one very long meadow until Puerto Medryn. The sun started peaking out over the meadow around 7:30 a.m. with an effect that made the horizon look like it was on fire. I came to learn that in the winter, the sun rises at 9 a.m. and sets at 6 p.m.

After a much needed nap, we drove to Puerto Piramides, about a two hour car ride, and stopped at two beaches along the way to watch the whales come very close to the shore.

Today was the start of whale season. The whales that spend the year swimming the frigid waters of Antarctica come into the bay at Puerto Piramides to mate; a year later the whales come back to give birth and by the third years’ trip, they return with their young to release them into the wild.

After a delicious lunch of milanesa, we geared up with some very bulky and annoying life jackets and jumped onto a small boat, ready to venture out into the bay and get up-close and personal with the arriving whales. Mind you, even with my arctic gear of tights, thermal socks, ski pants, tank top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, thermal shirt, ski jacket and sneakers, it was still pretty chilly.

During our aquatic search for the whales, we met Cormorants (penguin look-alikes that fly and are able to dive up to 240 feet below the waters’ surface), sea lions and seals.

Just when we were beginning to think that a whale encounter wouldn’t happen, we spotted them! A mother Southern Right Whale and her baby. We all bonded and the whales put on a spectacular show of acrobatics as the baby rolled over several times to show us its belly.

It truly was an unforgettable experience.

For more from Agustina Prigoshin, read her blog at www.agustinaprigoshin.com

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHILE, CLICK HERE

Orthodox Easter in Ethiopia is the real thing. No bunnies or chocolate eggs here ! As Ethiopia had been cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 1000 years, the rites and rituals are nearly the same as when Christianity arrived in 400 AD. This mass is at a church in Lalibela. ArcticTropic links to 3 destinations in Ethiopia.

Albania, only 40 miles from Italy, is a world unto itself. From 1946 to 1991 it was completely cut off from the outside world , by the Evil Dictator Enver Hoxha. I had an an opportunity to visit back in 1995 and recently scanned some pre-digital photos. Above is a young lady sporting an AK-47.

A horseman in the countryside outside of Vlorë.

A pillbox on the beach near Durazzo ( Durrës) Hoxha built one pillbox for every four people in the country . Pillboxes are everywhere ! Fences have iron spikes to puncture parachuters.Hoxha was convinced of imminent invasion from Yugoslavia or Italy. Albania at one point had no diplomatic relations with any country .

Albania is quite open to visitors now – GO HERE to see ArcticTropic’s link to Albanian Adventure.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHILE, CLICK HERE

Papua New Guinea is as Back of Beyond as one can travel. Ice capped volcanoes rise from steamy equatorial jungles populated by Stone Age tribes.

ArcticTropic links to 3 adventure travel destinations in Papua New Guinea. CLICK HERE.

Ancash is the Shangri-La of South America – high in the Andes, far form the tourist tracks. Though it is well within the tripic , the incredible height has the region buried in snow almost year around.

FOR ADVENTURES IN PERU, CLICK HERE

The country that bought you bungee jumping now presents the ZORB – a new way to bounce unimpeded down a hill.

Except for Antarctica, New Zealand is as far as one can travel from Europe or North America. Nowhere else in the world does such dramatic Alpine scenery meet South Pacific panoramas. Heliskiing, snowboarding, and surfing can all be done on the same day.

FOR ADVENTURES IN NEW ZEALAND, CLICK HERE

Nigeria, the most populous contry in Africa, offers Argungu International Fishing Festival, Oshun Oshogbo Festival, Sallah Durbar, Iri-Ji festival, Cross River Christmas festival. Our packages take tourists to Obudu Cattle Ranch, Drill Monkey Ranch, Tinapa, Idanre Hills, Abeokuta, Oshun Grooves, Jos, Yankari National Park, Kano, Kaduna, Nok, Kafanchan, Kagoro, Lokoja, Calabar, Ijebu Ode, Ife, Akure, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Gurara Falls, Assop falls, Riyom Rocks, Kurra falls, Slave Trade Museum, Badagry, etc. Special opportunities are available to see Nok Terra Cotta, the Rocks of Jos, Sukur World Heritage Site, Bilikisu Sunbo Shrine, Long Juju of Arochukwu, Kofa Mata Dyeing Pits, Gidan Makama, Old Kano City Walls, Emir’s Palace Zazzau, Emir’s Palace Kano, numerous endangered monkey species of equatorial tropical forests, Slave Relics at Badagry, Museums in Lagos, Kaduna, and Calabar !

Sarawak is a Malaysian State on the island of Borneo – home to lost tribes and as yet undiscovered flora and fauna. Besides the Sarawak River, the Baram River, along with the Lupar and the Saribas, are the only way to penetrate the hot and hostile jungles. The Iban tribes, while modernizing, still live mostly in traditional villages.

Mali is the true West African Adventure. The ancient cities of Timbuktu and Mopti are early African civilization centers. The Dogon and Tuareg tribes are fascinating to travel with.

The Gobi Desert and grassy steppes cover most of the vast nation – one of the coldest and driest in the world. The Gurvansaikhan Mountains are best for hunting and the lakes and rivers have some of the best fresh water fishing in the world.

FOR ADVENTURES IN MONGOLIA, CLICK HERE